In the '80s, he went on to a solo career combining rock, pop, and punk into a distinct sound that transformed him and his musical partner, guitarist Steve Stevens, into icons. Idol first made a splash in the latter half of the '70s with the British punk band Generation X. While some may think of Idol solely for "Rebel Yell" and "White Wedding," the singer's musical influences span genres and many of his tunes are less turbo-charged than his '80s hits would belie. This week, spoke with Billy Idol about his latest EP, Cage, and continuing to rock through decades of changing tastes.īilly Idol is a true rock 'n' roll survivor who has persevered through cultural shifts and personal struggles. Living Legends is a series that spotlights icons in music still going strong today. There are also acts making dreamy, atmospheric music with a solid dose of funk, such as Khruangbin ’s global sonic collage. Funk and disco-centered '70s revival is definitely having a moment, with acts like Ghost Funk Orchestra and Parcels, while its sparkly sprinklings can be heard in pop from Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, and, in full "Soul Train" character, Silk Sonic. G-funk continues to influence Los Angeles hip-hop, with innovative artists like Dam-Funk and Channel Tres bringing the funk and G-funk, into electro territory. There's nu-disco and boogie funk, nodding back to disco bands with soaring vocals and dance floor-designed instrumentation. Today, funk lives in many places, with its heavy bass and syncopated grooves finding way into many nooks and crannies of music. The sound influenced contemporaneous hip-hop, funk and electronica, along with acts around the globe, while current acts like Chromeo, DJ Stingray, and even Egyptian Lover himself keep electro-funk alive and well. A key distinguishing factor of electro-funk is a de-emphasis on vocals, with more phrases than choruses and verses. In the 1980s, electro-funk was born when artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Man Parrish, and Egyptian Lover began making futuristic beats with the Roland TR-808 drum machine - often with robotic vocals distorted through a talk box. Both Collins and Clinton remain active and funkin', and have offered their timeless grooves to collabs with younger artists, including Kali Uchis, Silk Sonic, and Omar Apollo and Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, and Thundercat, respectively. Legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins learned the power of the one from playing in Brown's band, and brought it to George Clinton, who created P-funk, an expansive, Afrofuturistic, psychedelic exploration of funk with his various bands and projects, including Parliament-Funkadelic. Of course, many other funk acts followed in the '60s, and the genre thrived in the '70s and '80s as the disco craze came and went, and the originators of hip-hop and house music created new music from funk and disco's strong, flexible bones built for dancing. As David Cheal eloquently explains, playing on the one "left space for phrases and riffs, often syncopated around the beat, creating an intricate, interlocking grid which could go on and on." You know a funky bassline when you hear it its fat chords beg your body to get up and groove.īrown's 1965 classic, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," became one of the first funk hits, and has been endlessly sampled and covered over the years, along with his other groovy tracks. The Godfather of Soul coined the phrase and style of playing known as "on the one," where the first downbeat is emphasized, instead of the typical second and fourth beats in pop, soul and other styles. He recently shared “Sigue” and “Forever My Love,” two songs he did with Ed Sheeran.It's rare that a genre can be traced back to a single artist or group, but for funk, that was James Brown. He received his first nomination in 2019 after he and Bad Bunny were featured on Cardi B’s smash hit “I Like It.” Last year, “Un Dia (One Day),” the collaboration he did with Dua Lipa, Tainy, and Bad Bunny, was up for Best Pop Dup/Group Performance. Jose is nominated in the Best Música Urbana Album category this year, marking Balvin’s fourth Grammy nomination. She’s worked with other big names in Latin pop, including Becky G and Rauw Alejandro, and released her debut album Animal this past summer.īalvin’s “In Da Getto,” co-produced by Skrillex and Tainy, is off Jose, the lengthy fifth studio album he dropped last September. “Qué Más Pues?” has helped boost the profile of Becerra, a rising artist out of Argentina who started out as a YouTube star. Balvin then joined a trove of masked, seated dancers on a bleachers-like set for his high-energy hit “In Da Getto.” The dancers did synchronized arm choreography while the rapper jumped around in the middle. J Balvin performed “Qué Más Pues?” with Maria Becerra and “In Da Getto” at the 2022 Grammys - and we’re sweating.īathed in red light, Balvin’s busted out “Qué Más Pues?” with Becerra - flirting it up during the song’s chorus.
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