There are so many reasons why I like this video, but can we establish the fact that the footage of the 6-year-old girl looking like she’s trying to move a refrigerator with her hips at 3:18 is not one of them??  But everything else…the trippy kaleidoscope George Clinton, Big Boi being Big Boi, and Too $hort is GRAYING!!  And still his shortness leaves him dissatisfied.  But this video wont.  Steady waiting for that Sir Luscious Leftfoot.

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When I was in middle school, I heard much about the Freaknik – Atlanta’s periodic outdoor street parties complete with music, art, and people dancing on cars butt-or-nearly-butt naked.  I was intrigued, but being at the height of my germiphobia during this point in my life, was terrified by the idea of walking around and accidentally bumping into a face full of chest hair.  By the time I made my first visit to Atlanta, the Freaknik was long gone, but now The Boondocks producer Carl Jones and T-Pain have linked up to present Freaknik: The Musical!!!  And sure, a cartoon on Adult Swim isn’t nearly as appealing as a party filled with scantily-clad college students, but the all-star lineup of some of my favorite musicians including Lil Wayne, Big Boi, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Cee-Lo, Snoop Dogg, and Kelis makes for something worth checking out regardless.

Freaknik: The Musical premieres on Adult Swim March 7 @ 11:30pm (ET/PT).

Via MyFunk

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Apologies, dear Internetlings, for the sparse posts lately.  I’ve been working on a short film that’s going to be our spring tour trailer and the intro to our live show!  In it, we explore spoken word in a more traditional sense than what was in iB4the1.1, but still very much about the funk.  At times I wonder if we’ve gotten too tongue-in-cheek with our message, but at the same time the traditional model of a political poem is something that I don’t see myself going back to any time in the near future.  I admire George Clinton for being a magician – for expressing thoughts that would often be considered heavy-handed in a way that incited people to dance, for being able to effortlessly transition from disco funk to spoken word, and for the ability to have fun the entire way through.  What better way to lead a movement?

Parliament “Chocolate City”

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This year marks our first Halloween in NYC.  The day’s never been that big of a deal, since I don’t need a government sanctioned day to dress up like a monster and ask strangers for candy.  However, it DOES give me a chance to listen to delightfully kitschy songs in the house without my roommates looking at me like I have some kind of necro-fetish…normally, I keep that shit to myself (ohhhhhh how I crave your hot bod, Eleanor Roosevelt).  So this weekend as you shop for your costume, iron it all out, get all dressed up, go to the club in it, get Patrón spilled all over it, and wake up Sunday morning wondering why you have it on backwards (not so awkward if you dress up as Kriss Kross), allow for this compilation to be the razor sharp mix for your first bite into the Big Candy Apple.

Freaky Funk
1. Mos Def “Boogie Man Song”
2. North American Hallowe’en Prevention Collective “Do They Know It’s Hallowe’en”
3. Parliament “Dr. Funkenstein”
4. Jimmy Castor Bunch “Dracula Pt. 1″
5. Fela Kuti “Zombie”
6. RJD2 “The Horror”
7. Gorillaz “Last Living Souls”
8. Gnarls Barkley “The Boogie Monster”
9. OutKast ft. Kelis “Dracula’s Wedding”
10. Michael Jackson “Thriller”
11. Sade “Haunt Me”

Download Freaky Funk

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Now I know that the essence of funk is found at around that 10-minute mark of a song, the tempo is up, words have become moans, and the circles around your armpits are all dark and soggy.  But ever since dropping “The HereNow” last week, I’ve been really stuck on the cooler side of funk…strong bass licks, whispery vocals, and if the mood is right, stuff still being dark and soggy (I’m talking about Oreos, dammit!).  But no one signifies that slow and sensuous sound like P-Funk spin-off group Parlet.

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[Parlet "Don't Ever Stop"]

Often paired with the legendary Brides of Funkenstein, the I-only-listened-to-Disney-soundtracks-till-I-was-15 side of me often gravitates more towards Parlet for the random animated voices, sound effects, and continuous smoothness of their sound.  Not to say the Brides aren’t hella raw, and not to say that Parlet can’t get down.  For hark! They can.

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[Parlet "Booty Snatchers"]

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Yuuup, I’m still trippin off that Big Boi, Too $hort, and George Clinton joint.  I could really just go on and on about how much P-Funk has influenced my perception and creation of music.  Growing up in California in the 90’s when G-Funk — an offspring genre of Clinton’s music coined by Dr. Dre & co — was in its prime, Clinton was a key contributor to a lot of the music that was in rotation.  Snoop, Ice Cube, Dru Down, 2pac, Adina Howard, and so many more were quite intentionally carrying the torch that Parliament-Funkadelic had lit, and by the time I reached middle school I was as familiar with “Flashlight” as I was with any Michael Jackson song.

While many soul artists during that time either dismissed hip-hop as a fad or rebuked it for its unconventional reinterpretations of old records, Clinton was one of the few who not only embraced the new artform, but directly supported its development by artistically engaging with artists and openly welcoming them to sample his work.

In doing so, he has managed to maintain a relevance that few musicians are able to — not only does he remain a respected icon within the music scene, the storylines, reoccurring characters, and motifs scattered throughout his music continue to live on in the music of younger, more youth-accessible artists. Modern funk-lore.  Check out the videos after the jump.

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Yes, you read it right.

You really have to understand how much WE ARE FEELING THIS TRACK IN OUR KITCHEN RIGHT NOW!!!!!!  A track with Big Boi of OutKast (our biggest contemporary influence), George Clinton (our biggest spoken word influence), and Too $hort (who basically raised our ears growing up in the Bay)…it’s just….GAHHHHH!!!

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[Big Boi ft. George Clinton & Too $hort "Fo Yo Sorrows"]

BONUS: Outkast Ft. George Clinton “Synthesizer” (from Aquemini)

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[Outkast ft. George Clinton "Synthesizer"]

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So we’re beginning this new section called Friday Funk where (doyyy) every Friday we post funk that has deeply influenced us.  I meant to post something obscure and unknown–some rare unearthed diamond of a cut that would make DJ’s salivate, and set music heads off to Wikipedia.  But then the other day I hopped into my car and when I second-naturedly plucked out my hella scratched-up CD of Parliament Funkadelic’s 1978 show in Hampton, VA, I realized I would be doing myself, the crew, and all of you a huge disservice if I didn’t start it off with some good ol’ George Clinton.  And so it is.

My favorite Parliament album is 1977’s Funkentelechy vs. The Placebo Syndrome, which I found in the used section at Amoeba Records on Haight a few years back.  The title was a coded reference to Clinton’s brand of P-Funk’s declaration of war against the pop disco that had taken over during the time, and through this traced the epic battle between Starchild and Sir Nose D’Voidoffunk.

Besides the record just being an incredible piece of music, it also opened me up to a new understanding of the intersections among sound, music, and entertainment.  That Clinton was able to construct a band that, throughout its entire existence, weaved an intricate world of myth and circular storytelling is still the focus of my creative envy.  The title track, “Funkentelechy,” is a perfect example–a seamless marriage of funk rhythm, spoken word, and storytelling, laced sweet with a sick horn section and a smooth bridge.  Basically, typically P-Funk.

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[Parliament - Funkentelechy (1977)]

Now, as fresh as Parliament is on track, nothing can quite compare to them live.  I saw them last year in DC, but a part of me still wishes my mom squeezed me out like a decade earlier so I could’ve caught them when they were in their prime.  My favorite part of all live shows is always the entrance…I’m a sucker for the buildup, the anticipation in the audience and the moment where it all comes together in an undeniable groove.  If you’re like me, then indulge, dear iLL-Literate, in this HALF-HOUR LONG LIVE VERSION OF “FUNKENTELECHY” from that Hampton show…soooooooo worth it!

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[Parliament - Funkentelechy, Live at Hampton, VA (1978)]

And there you have it, iLL-Lit’s biggest life influence next to bread and water.  If you sat through that entire 8- minute track, plus the 24-minute long live version, you should pat yourself on the back.  You deserve a reward.  Ooh, I know!  How about 20 MORE MINUTES OF “FUNKENTELECHY”!!!!!! You know you want to…

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As you may know, we jock the shit out of George Clinton, which is why last month for his birthday Adriel found no better way to jump it off than with a P-Funk Tribute at Devil’s Pie. For those of you who missed it, fret not, for DJ Dion Decibel’s mix of the adventures of Starchile et al was fully recorded, and is now available for your booty-shaking pleasure.

Download here, and have a funkilicious weekend.

PS: Track listing after the jump.

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