Who Owns The Funk!?: The Genealogy of George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic
During the commercial and cultural ascent of rock and R&B music, George Clinton’s Parliament-Funkadelic set new standards for how both styles could work together toward a successful unity. P-Funk remains a distinctive part of our shared vocabulary for pairing its innovative sound with otherworldly science fiction imagery and language.
Through a detailed multimedia presentation, we will explore the origins of the P-Funk sound and aesthetic, and how its unique philosophy filtered down to pop acts ranging from Prince and Red Hot Chili Peppers to Snoop Dogg, OutKast, and Kendrick Lamar. In addition to pop music history, we’ll discuss delicate subjects such as the nature of intellectual property, the role of music sampling in pop music, and to what extent listeners will tolerate co-option in original works.
Location
The Third Floor/Slim's Diner
4201 Georgia Ave. NW
Washington,
DC
20011
Neighborhood: Petworth
Classes will take place on the third floor. Enter through the side door on Ninth Street NW. This location has stairs, but no elevator.
Past event
Instructor
Neal Fersko grew up in suburban New York and has lived in the D.C. area since 2003. He has written on music for Spectrum Culture and Canonball.