Etymology
The etymology of the term P-Funk is subject to multiple interpretations. It has been identified alternately as an abbreviation of "Parliament-Funkadelic", "pure funk" or "Plainfield Funk", referring to Plainfield, New Jersey, the hometown of the band's original line-up. The liner notes of CD versions of the Motor Booty Affair album suggest that the "'P' stands for 'Pure.'" The breakout popularity of Parliament-Funkadelic elevated the status of P-Funk to describe what is now considered to be a genre of music in its own right. Fans of this genre of music often refer to it as "The P."
P-Funk should not be confused with punk funk as pioneered by Rick James and the Stone City Band, although James was clearly inspired by P-Funk.
Musical characteristics
* spacey synthesizer melodies and washes provided by keyboardist Bernie Worrell and others
* prominent, squelching electric bass lines provided by Bootsy Collins or performed in his style
* jazzy, insouciant horn section arrangements performed by The Horny Horns
* raucous group vocals on songs' choruses alternating with sung or spoken vocals on the verses
* a mixture of funk and rock guitar styles, the latter being more prominent on Funkadelic's recordings
* steady, relatively unobtrusive drumming with few or no drum solos
* lyrics devoted to exposition of the P-Funk mythology, sex and drug-related humor, and sociopolitical satire, often in the context of a concept album
* sophisticated use of multitrack recording technology and studio effects by producer George Clinton
Key P-Funk bands and musicians
* Parliament
* Funkadelic
* Bootsy Collins / Bootsy's Rubber Band
* George Clinton
* Bernie Worrell
* Eddie Hazel
* Garry Shider
* Walter Morrison
* The Brides of Funkenstein
* Maceo Parker
* Parlet
* Fred Wesley
Followers
The P-Funk sound influenced many musicians that followed, and helped to generate new sounds as well:
DJ Quik
The producer and rapper from Compton DJ Quik is probably the most "funkaholic" artist in the history of rap music. He paid homage to the P-Funk in his third album Safe + Sound (1995) with tracks like "Keep Tha 'P' In It".
Dr. Dre
World famous producer Dr. Dre is a great supporter of P-Funk, and in the early 90s brought their music back into popular culture through the extremely heavy P-Funk samples characteristic of his G-Funk records and sound.
Public Enemy
Public Enemy sampled many P-Funk tracks to add power to their polemical 1990s rap albums, including "Give Up The Funk" (sampled in 1992's "Get Off My Back") and "Get Off Your Ass And Jam" (sampled in 1988's "Bring The Noise"), and "Flash Light" (sampled in "911 Is A Joke"). The band's very original and creative use of P-Funk samples not only helped shape the development of hip hop, but its musical innovations were reflected in George Clinton's own later work.
OutKast
Another key disciple is OutKast's Andre 3000, and homages to P-Funk can be seen in the albums ATLiens and Stankonia. George Clinton can be heard making a guest appearance on the track "Synthesizer" off Aquemini. The track "Prototype" on Andre's The Love Below is reminiscent of some of Bootsy Collins' 1970s P-Funk sex ballads. The track "A Bad Note" that ends Idlewild is a homage to Funkadelic's track "Maggot Brain".[citation needed]
Prince
A key disciple of the P-Funk was Prince, who helped defined the softer side of that 1980s Electro sound. George Clinton's albums The Cinderella Theory and Hey Man, Smell My Finger were issued on Prince's Paisley Park Records label. Clinton appeared as a character in Prince's film Graffiti Bridge, in which the two duetted on the song "We Can Funk". Prince later collaborated with Clinton on the track "Paradigm" from How Late Do U Have 2BB4UR Absent?.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Another key disciple of P-funk are the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They originally started off as a focused P-funk band (their second album, Freaky Styley, was produced by George Clinton himself). Though they have evolved to a more funk rock sound, the influence of P-funk in their music is still quite prominent.
Other P Funk Sampling Hip Hop Artists
* Dr. Dre Most notably "The Chronic, 1992"
* Blueprint (Released an album entitled Blueprint vs. Funkadelic)
* Arrested Development
* Brand Nubian
* EPMD
* Esham
* Digital Underground
* X-Clan
* Snoop Dogg
* Ice Cube
* Jamal Wright
* People Under the Stairs (Member Double K wears a Funkadelic shirt in many live performances, George Clinton also appeared on their track "The Doctor and the Kid")
* The Minutemen (Classified as alternative rock but was very much influenced by P-funk.)
* Redman (Refers to himself as the "P-Funkadelic Devil")
Redbone
Childish Gambino Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I wake up feeling like you won't play right
I used to know, but now that shit don't feel right
It made me put away my pride
So long
You made a nigga wait for some, so long
You make it hard for boy like that to go on
I'm wishing I could make this mine, oh
If you want it, yeah
You can have it, oh, oh, oh
If you need it, ooh
We can make it, oh
If you want it
You can have it
But stay woke
Niggas creepin'
They gon' find you
Gon' catch you sleepin' (oh)
Now stay woke
Niggas creepin'
Now don't you close your eyes
Too late
You wanna make it right, but now it's too late
My peanut butter chocolate cake with Kool-Aid
I'm trying not to waste my time
If you want it, oh
You can have it (you can have it)
If you need it (you better believe in something)
We can make it, oh
If you want it
You can have it, ah!
But stay woke (stay woke)
Niggas creepin' (they be creepin')
They gon' find you (they gon' find you)
Gon' catch you sleepin' (gon' catch you sleepin', put your hands up on me)
Now stay woke
Niggas creepin'
Now don't you close your eyes
But stay woke (ooh, ah)
Niggas creepin'
They gon' find you (they gon' find you)
Gon' catch you sleepin' (gon' catch you, gon' catch you, ooh)
Now stay woke
Niggas creepin'
Now don't you close your eyes
How'd it get so scandalous?
Oh, how'd it get so scandalous?
Oh, oh, how'd it get, how'd it get
How'd it get so scandalous?
How'd it get so scandalous?
How'd it get so scandalous?
But stay woke
But stay woke
The lyrics of "Redbone" by Childish Gambino appear to be discussing a relationship that has gone awry. The singer wakes up feeling as though the other person in the relationship won't play fair. He used to feel differently about them, but now something changed. This realization forced him to put away his pride and hold onto hope that everything will even out. However, it becomes clear that the relationship is now broken beyond repair, and there is nothing that can be done to make things right. The lyrics go back and forth with the chorus, reminding the listener to stay alert and be aware of those who may be trying to deceive them.
The theme of the song seems to center around trust and the potential loss of it. In relationships, trust is everything, and when it's lost, things tend to fall apart. The lyrics warn listeners to be careful about who they let into their lives because there are people out there who will try to take advantage. The chorus is a reminder to stay alert and not let your guard down.
Line by Line Meaning
Daylight
The beginning of a new day
I wake up feeling like you won't play right
I wake up feeling like you're going to intentionally hurt me
I used to know, but now that shit don't feel right
I used to understand you, but now something feels off
It made me put away my pride
It made me humble myself and put aside my ego
So long
It's been a long time
You made a nigga wait for some, so long
You made me wait a long time for something from you
You make it hard for boy like that to go on
You make it difficult for a person like me to keep going
I'm wishing I could make this mine, oh
I desire to make this mine
If you want it, yeah
If you want this, that's okay
You can have it, oh, oh, oh
You can have what you want
If you need it, ooh
If you require this
We can make it, oh
We can achieve it together
You can have it
You may possess this
But stay woke
Be aware and alert
Niggas creepin'
People are lurking and being dishonest
They gon' find you
They will discover you
Gon' catch you sleepin' (oh)
They'll find you when you least expect it
Now stay woke
Stay vigilant
Now don't you close your eyes
Remain alert and don't fall asleep on the situation
Too late
It's too far progressed now
You wanna make it right, but now it's too late
You want to correct the wrongs, but now it's too far gone
My peanut butter chocolate cake with Kool-Aid
A personal preference or favorite thing
I'm trying not to waste my time
I'm making an effort to not spend time on things that aren't worthwhile
If you need it (you better believe in something)
If this is essential to you (you must have faith in something)
But stay woke (stay woke)
Remain vigilant and watchful
They be creepin'
They are sneaking around
They gon' find you (they gon' find you)
They will ultimately discover you
Now don't you close your eyes
Stay alert and don't become complacent
How'd it get so scandalous? (Oh)
How did everything get so chaotic and disgraceful?
But stay woke
Continue to be mindful
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Bootsy Collins, Donald McKinley Glover II, Gary Cooper, George S. Clinton Jr., Ludwig Emil Tomas Goransson, William Earl Collins
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Vishwanath Ji
on This Is America
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