Funk
Morris Day Says Prince’s Estate Blocked Him From Using The Time Band Name
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Emma McIntyre / Getty Few names in music are as ubiquitous to funk and soul music as Morris Day & The Time, but it appears that the band’s name will no longer be in use according to its frontman. Morris Day took to Instagram with claims that the estate of the late Prince, who helped develop the band in the early stages of his career, blocked him from using The Time for performance purposes. Day, 64, shared the statement via Instagram on Thursday and can be read in full below: I’ve given 40 years of my life building up a name and legacy that Prince and I came up with. A name that while he was alive, he had no problem with me using. I literally put my blood, sweat, and tears into bringing value to that name. In fact, he booked me on several tours, and m...
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak Kick Off Silk Sonic Las Vegas Residency: Recap + Setlist
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) began their Las Vegas residency on Friday (February 25th), transforming the Dolby Live theater at Park MGM into a seventies disco. The superduo — whose live appearances have thus far been limited to awards shows — threw what might just be the sexiest dance party Sin City has ever seen. The mood for “An Evening With Silk Sonic” was set from the get-go, as wisps of fog spilled out from under a red velvet curtain while guests settled into their seats. When the venue went dark, signaling the start of the show, the crowd roared in unison. Two screens on opposite sides of the stage flashed images of Silk Sonic sipping cocktails in a tropical setting with flowery button-up shirts, while a giant disco ball hung high above the seats. As the curtain lifted,...
Funk Trailblazer Betty Davis Dead At 77
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Anthony Barboza / Getty Betty Davis exploded onto the music scene in the 1970s, sporting a brash and sultry image that made her an icon to many. The pioneering funk singer and songwriter passed away this week, and we look back at her life. Fans of funk will most likely be familiar with Davis via her stylish album covers that served as precursors for the likes of other sex-positive artists such as Lil’ Kim, Cardi B, Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, and even Madonna before them. She was born Betty Mabry in Durham, N.C., and was raised partially in the Pittsburgh suburb of Homestead. At 16, she left home to attend the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) and found her footing in the fashion-forward scene of Greenwich Village and New York overall....
Sly and the Family Stone’s Musical Riot Still Rages Through Decades of Sampling
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Radio Public | Pocket Casts | RSS As Season 17 Consequence Podcast Network and Sony’s The Opus, continues, we’re exploring how the legacy of Sly and the Family Stone’s masterpiece There’s a Riot Goin On can still be heard today. Related Video Sly and the Family Stone are one of the most covered and sampled artists in all of soul music. Everyone from Jurassic 5 to Janet Jackson, *NSYNC to members of the Wu-Tang Clan have drawn inspiration from the songs on Riot to make classics of their own. The musical revolution that the band started in 1971 is still going on to this very day. Advertisement In Episode 2 of The Opus: There’s a Riot Goin On, host Jill ...
Win a Sly and the Family Stone and Summer of Soul Vinyl Prize Pack with a Sony Sound System
The Opus podcast returns this month with a new season focusing on Sly and the Family Stones’ classic There’s a Riot Goin On. The series’ January 27th debut on the Consequence Podcast Network coincides with the release of the Summer of Soul documentary soundtrack the following day, so we’re celebrating both by giving you a chance to win a prize pack sure to elevate your soul. We’re including one (1) copy of both There’s a Riot Goin On and the Summer of Soul Official Soundtrack on vinyl, in addition to a brand new Sony sound system so you can really turn up the funk. Included are a PS-LX310BT Bluetooth turntable, a pair of CS5 bookshelf speakers, and the DH190 stereo receiver. There’s no better way to relive some of the biggest musical moments of a gen...
R.I.P. Calvin Simon, Parliament-Funkadelic Vocalist Dead at 79
Calvin Simon, the former vocalist of George Clinton’s pioneering funk collective Parliament–Funkadelic, has died. He was 79. “Rest in peace to my P-Funk brother Mr. Calvin Simon,” Clinton wrote in a post to Facebook. “Fly on Calvin!” “We lost another original member of Parliament/Funkadelic,” bassist Bootsy Collins wrote on Twitter, describing Simon as “a friend, bandmate & a cool classic guy.” Advertisement Related Video Calvin Eugene Simon was born on May 22nd, 1942, in Beckley, West Virginia, where he grew up singing in his local church choir. After relocating to New Jersey, Simon hit it off with Clinton, eventually joining a doo-wop group called The Parliaments in the late 1950s. He sang on many of the band’s early hits like “I Can Feel the Ice Melting,” “Heart Trouble,” and “I Wan...
R.I.P. Robbie Shakespeare, Sly & Robbie Bassist Dead at 68
Robbie Shakespeare, the Jamaican bassist and producer who contributed to countless groundbreaking records as one-half of Sly & Robbie, had died at age 68. The Gleaner reports that he passed away in a Florida hospital following kidney surgery. Raised in Kingston by a family of musicians, Shakespeare learned to play the bass from legendary reggae musician Aston “Family Man” Barrett. He met his longtime musical partner, drummer Sly Dunbar, playing in the Revolutionaries, the house band at Channel One Studio. The pair split off from the studio in the 1970s and founded their own Taxi Records, and also continued playing as studio musicians on records like Culture’s 1977 record Two Sevens Clash and Gregory Isaacs’ 1978 LP Cool Ruler. Sly & Robbie were also members of the Compass Poin...
Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars Unveil New Album An Evening with Silk Sonic: Stream
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are sliding into your ear space with their debut album as Silk Sonic, An Evening with Silk Sonic. Stream it below with Apple Music and Spotify. The collaboration is the audio equivalent of a velour floor-length smoking jacket. It features narration from Bootsy Collins, production from D’Mile, and an appearance by the boss of the bass, Thundercat. In an interview with Rolling Stone, .Paak said they hope to capture the feeling of “the old school,” with Mars adding that the album exists to bring joy. “We feel our purpose is this,” he said. “We need to light up a stage, put the fear of God in anyone performing before us or after us, and bring so much joy to the people we’re in front of and the people listening. Especially in times like the time we’r...
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak Release New Silk Sonic Single, “Smokin Out the Window”: Stream
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak have released a new Silk Sonic song called “Smokin Out the Window,” which serves as the third preview of the duo’s upcoming debut album An Evening with Silk Sonic. Watch the song’s accompanying music video below. Following the release of their debut slow jam-turned-Song of the Week “Leave the Door Open” in March, and lighthearted follow-up-turned Song of the Week “Skate” in July, “Smokin Out the Window” follows in the grand tradition of funk and soul. With cinematic strings and soft bass, the duo takes cues from artists like Aretha Franklin, James Brown, and Stevie Wonder in their mission to make an uplifting throwback album for our dark modern times. An Evening with Silk Sonic arrives on November 12th. Head here to catch up on everything we know about th...
The Gap Band Founding Member Ronnie Wilson Has Died
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Michael Ochs Archives / Getty The Gap Band found measurable success in the ’70s and ’80s on the back of the powerhouse vocals of “Uncle” Charlie Wilson and his siblings, Robert and Ronnie Wilson. Founding member Ronnie Wilson died Tuesday morning (November 2) peacefully at home with family nearby. TMZ got exclusive details of Mr. Wilson’s passing from his wife, Linda Boulware-Wilson, who shared that the music legend died while holding her hand. Wilson suffered a stroke last week and didn’t recover and the outlet adds that the musician had suffered other strokes in the past. Mrs. Boulware-Wilson issued a brief statement in honor of her husband, which we’ll share below: The love of my life was called home this morning, at 10:01am. Please continue to pray fo...
R.I.P. Ronnie Wilson, Co-Founder of The Gap Band Dead at 73
Ronnie Wilson, co-founding member and multi-instrumentalist of pioneering funk group The Gap Band, has died at the age of 73. In a statement to TMZ, Wilson’s wife, Linda, said her husband suffered a stroke last week and never recovered. He passed away Tuesday morning (November 2nd). Hailing from Tulsa, Oklahoma, The Gap Band consisted of brothers Ronnie, Charlie, and Robert Wilson. After initially serving as a backing band for fellow Oklahoman Leon Russell, the brothers found their own success after linking up with record producer Lonnie Simmons and signing to Mercury Records. Advertisement Related Video The Gap Band’s 1979 self-titled album produced the group’s first top 10 single with “Shake.” The following year, the band’s follow-up album, The Gap Band II, achieved gold status thanks in...
Sly and the Family Stone’s There’s a Riot Goin’ On Resounds 50 Years Later: Classic Review
Editor’s Note: Sly and the Family Stone released their fifth studio album on this day 50 years ago. Read Okla Jones’ retrospective essay below, and stay tuned for an exciting giveaway on Consequence surrounding the anniversary. When There’s a Riot Goin’ On was released in 1971 — exactly 50 years ago today, November 1st — America was a nation in transition, feeling the effects of the previous decade. The shadow of Dr. King’s assassination loomed over the black community; and the Vietnam War divided an entire country. What Sly and the Family Stone’s fifth album did was give a voice to a new generation yearning to be heard. The revolution, as it was referred to by some, was when the hip, twenty-somethings of the world experienced an awakening, so to speak, and pushed the limits of sex, drugs,...
