Ghetto Funk: The Next Big Subgenre of EDM

Everyone loves the funk. And over here at thatDROP.com we’re no different. We absolutely LOVE the funk and we couldn’t be more excited to show you why…

From it’s early origins in the 1960s with founding father James Brown, to it’s mainstream golden era in the 1970s with icons like George Clinton and the Parliament Funkadelic, Kool and The Gang, Sly and The Family Stone, Earth Wind & Fire, and Stevie Wonder; funk music has continued to spread its influence across genres and generations alike. Artists like Rick James, Prince and hip-hop heavyweight Dr. Dre were inspired by the funk movement. Dr. Dre in particular was influenced by George Clinton’s psychedelic funk:

“Back in the 70s that’s all people were doing – getting high, wearing Afros, bell-bottoms and listening to Parliament-Funkadelic. That’s why I called my album The Chronic and based my music and the concepts like I did – because his shit was a big influence on my music. Very big.”

James Brown
James Brown – Photo via Facebook
George Clinton
George Clinton – Photo via Facebook.

Furthermore, funk has become a centerpiece for many artists identified with the jam band scene – Phish, Galactic, Medeski Martin & Wood, Widespread Panic and Lettuce are a few of the bands who have fueled the funk emergence. Now you’re probably asking – what exactly IS Ghetto Funk? It all starts with the stylistic elements of funk music that were pioneered by James Brown himself:

Funky bass lines, dance-able drum patterns and syncopated guitar riffs. Take that funk foundation and blend it with mid-tempo breaks, hip-hop, and bass music and you’ve got the recipe for some party-rockin’, booty-shockin’ Ghetto Funk.

But enough of the jabberin’. Let’s get to the goods. Although this may be a brand new subgenre of electronic dance music to you; there are numerous artists, DJs, and record labels who have been shattering dance floors and pumpin’ the Ghetto Funk sound for quite some time. Without further ado…

Here are a handful of the biggest players in the Ghetto Funk movement!

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