O funk appears in the south of the United States, in the 60s, created by black musicians such as Horace Silver, James Brown, George Clinton, among others.
Written in a quaternary bar, the hallmark of funk is the accentuated first beat, in relation to the other three beats.
History of Funk
As with all artistic creations, it is difficult to point out just one inventor for funk. However, James Brown is one of the most important names for the emergence of funk.
This musical genre emerged from the combination of several popular black rhythms such as blues, gospel, jazz and soul, which were successful in the United States.
The word "funk” or “funky” was used by jazz musicians as a way of asking their bandmates to put more “strength” into the rhythm. Some scholars point out that it could be the fusion between the word kibundo "lu-fuki" It's the English "stinky”.
In this way, the terms funk and funky evolved to describe music with a constant beat and melody that allowed you to dance.
Funk creators used both words for the titles of their compositions, such as "
Funk opus", by Horace Silver and “funky drummer”, by James Brown.Funk evolution until today
50's
Musicians like the American pianist Horace Silver (1928-2014) combine the virtuosity of jazz with the more danceable melodies of the soul.
The theme "song for my father” summarizes the style that Silver called “funky style”. A beat repeated throughout the song and each instrument improvising from a melody.
See too: 50's
60's
The 60's marked the appearance of funk as an independent style through James Brown (1933-2006).
Brown grew up in Georgia, United States, and his life was marked by racial segregation. There he absorbed all the music that blacks made, both gospel and blues and Horace Silver's innovations that accelerated the beat soul.
He learned to play the harmonica, guitar and sing, and invents his own musical path by emphasizing the first beat of the bar. Successes like “Papa got a new brand bag” or “i feel good” are the first composed in this new musical style.
Thus, the funk that would influence a whole generation of American and foreign musicians was created.
The pace, at this time, is also closely linked to the struggle for Civil Rights in the United States. The lyrics told of the daily routine of discrimination and the lack of perspective of Afro-descendants.
Equally, as funk reached more people, black Americans had reason to be proud to see their culture spread in white homes.
See too: 60's
The 70's
In the 70s, funk was experimented with electronic music and rock.
With the popularization of the vinyl record and the appearance of more powerful equipment, musicians do not need to be physically present to produce music.
In this way, the DJ profession arises, which will be responsible for mixing different melodies and rhythms within the same song. This musical genre goes to nightclubs and conquers pop artists such as Michael Jackson (1958-2009), whose song “Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough”, reveals the influence of the funk beat.
On the other hand, musicians like George Clinton (1941) mix funk with guitars and the long themes that characterize progressive rock and psychedelic. Themes like “Hit It and Quit It” portray this experience.
See too: The 70's
80's
The emergence of synthesizers and the consolidation of electronic music make room for the combination of funk and hip hop. There are two distinct strands: one from Miami's black neighborhoods, with a faster pace, and another from New York.
The beats are more repetitive, as now all you have to do is program the keyboard or the sampler to run them indefinitely. In the style practiced by the Miami Bass movement, the lyrics and choreographies are more eroticized and have Cuban influences such as the rumba.
In this decade, funk came together with rap poetry, something that will be very successful in Brazil, especially in Rio de Janeiro.
Rock bands like American Red Hot Chilli Peppers use funk beats with rock structure, creating rock-funk. The song "give it away" is a good example of this merger.
90's to the 21st century
During the 90's, funk merged with hip hop and rap, consolidating its vocation to be together with the styles of the periphery of big cities.
Groups such as the American "Linving Colour" and the British "Jamiroquai" used the funk beat to create a new, more danceable rock style.
Likewise, electronic music groups incorporated funk and accentuated the rhythm through the use of synthesizers. Other trends that emerged at this time were electro-funk, boogie and go-go.
Funk in Brazil
Funk arrived in Brazil in the 70s and conquered musicians such as Tim Maia (1943 -1998) and Tony Tornado (1970). These will be responsible for mixing the American funk rhythm to the beat of Brazilian music.
Likewise, the broadcaster Big Boy (1943-1977) started to promote the "Bailes da Pesada" in Canecão, in Rio de Janeiro, which at the time operated as a steakhouse. There they played rock, soul, groove, funk, bringing together the youth of Rio.
When the dances at Canecão came to an end, Big Boy decided to make them itinerant and started playing in both the South and North Zones of the city.
According to DJ Marlboro (1963), from then on, two types of dances appear: rock and electronic music, more linked to sound "Miami bass"which were also known as "baile funk". The name stuck, although it didn't have much to do with the original sound.
The Carioca Funk Phenomenon
Carioca funk appears in the 80s. Its origins are the mix of electronic hip hop beats, rap poetry and the DJ's ability to mix repetitive beats with melody.
The theme of the lyrics is directly linked to the daily life of the favela or suburb of Rio de Janeiro. In this sense, a good representative of this aspect is the theme "there in Acari", by MC Potato, still linked to the Miami aesthetic.
In the 90's, with the increase of urban violence and the invasion of favelas by police forces, the letters started to tell this reality, as we noticed in the "Weapon rap". On the other hand, funk was also used to ask for civil rights, as is clear in "I just want to be happy", both by MC Cidinho and MC Doca.
From the 21st century onwards, funk lyrics became more and more appealing and eroticized. They drop the stanza and chorus structure to boil down to catchphrases as we see in "atoladinha", by Bola de Fogo and Tati Quebra-Barraco; or "only the dogs", from the Bonde do Tigrão.
Currently, carioca funk is divided into several sub-genres such as melody funk, ostentação funk, prohibito funk and new funk.
See too: Brazilian Musical Genres