Funky Soul Music on YouTube

Looking for some good funky soul music to help get your groove on? Look no further than YouTube. There are tons of great soul and funk tunes to be found on the world’s largest video sharing site.

Introduction

YouTube offers a wide variety of soul music videos that can be enjoyed by funk lovers around the world. The following is a list of some of the most popular funky soul songs on YouTube.

The Birth of Funk

Funk is a music genre that arose in the mid-1960s when African American musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of soul, jazz, and R&B. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground.

Funkadelic

Formed in 1968 in Michigan, Funkadelic was a group that was at the forefront of the funk music movement. The band blended elements of rock, soul, and R&B to create a sound that was both danceable and psychedelic. They were one of the first groups to use electronic instruments like synthesizers and bass pedals to create a truly unique sound.

The group released their self-titled debut album in 1970, which featured the single “I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody’s Got a Thing.” The song became an instant funk classic and helped to launch the group’s career. They would go on to release a string of successful albums throughout the 1970s, including the classics Maggot Brain and One Nation Under a Groove.

Funkadelic remains an influential force in music today, and their influence can be heard in the work of contemporary artists like Janelle Monae and Kendrick Lamar. If you’re looking for some funky soul music to get your groove on, be sure to check out Funkadelic’s discography on YouTube.

James Brown

The Godfather of Soul, the Hardest Working Man in Show Business, Mr. Dynamite… when it came to James Brown, there were a lot of nicknames, but only one man who could live up to them all. The groundbreaking singer, songwriter, bandleader, and producer was one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music, and the architect of a new style called funk.

Brown was born into poverty in Barnwell, South Carolina on May 3, 1933. He first found success as a gospel singer before hitting it big with his proclivity for hard-hitting R&B. Releasing his debut single “Please Please Please” in 1956, Brown went on to have a string of hits throughout the decade like “I Got You (I Feel Good)” and “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag.” It was during this time that he began to develop his signature sound, centered around a relentless rhythm section that would come to be known as “the groove.”

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Brown entered into what is considered his most creatively fertile period. It was during this time that he released some of his most well-known songs like “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” and “Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine.” With their call-and-response patterns and infectious rhythms, these songs would go on to have a lasting impact on both R&B and funk music for decades to come.

Although James Brown passed away in 2006, his legacy continues to live on through both his music and the many artists he inspired. If you want to get funky, there’s no better place to start than with the Godfather himself.

The Golden Age of Funk

Funk music originated in the mid-1960s as a blend of soul music and R&B. The music was characterized by its heavy bass and drums, as well as its catchy melodies. Funk soon became popular with a wide range of audiences, and it continues to be popular today.

Sly and the Family Stone

Sly and the Family Stone were an American musical group from San Francisco. Active from 1967 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, rock, and psychedelic music. Headed by singer-songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist Sly Stone, and containing several of his family members and friends, the band’s music synthesized a wide range of styles into a distinctively chaotic but dynamic whole.

Their work was characterized by an eccentric mix of diverse genres including Soul, Funk, R&B, Psychedelic Rock, and Gospel – resulting in what is sometimes referred to as a “Multiplicity of Black musical influences”. The band’s top-selling songs include “I Want to Take You Higher”, “Everyday People”, and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”.

The band was inducted into the Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.

Parliament-Funkadelic

Formed in 1968 in Plainfield, New Jersey, Parliament-Funkadelic was a force to be reckoned with in the world of funk music. Made up of George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and a rotating group of musicians, the band was known for their wild stage shows, catchy tunes, and fusion of multiple genres. They produced a string of hit albums in the 1970s, including Mothership Connection (1975) and One Nation Under a Groove (1978). Parliament-Funkadelic continued to tour and record throughout the 1980s and 1990s, though George Clinton’s solo career began to take precedence in the new millennium. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997.

The Meters

The Meters were an American funk band, active from the late 1960s to late 1970s. The band was founded in 1965 by Zigaboo Modeliste, George Porter Jr., Leo Nocentelli and Art Neville. The Meters sound is defined by a deep groove, accentuated by drum and conga solos, with Nocentelli’s highly original guitar work as the band’s sonic centerpiece.

Their early work was characterized by a relatively straight-ahead, guitar-driven sound that incorporated influences from New Orleans R&B and pop music; however, their later records saw the band veer more towards a psychedelic funk style that incorporated elements of soul, jazz and rock. The band’s popularity peaked in the late 1960s and early 1970s with a string of hits including “Cissy Strut,” “People Say,” “Hey Pocky A-Way” and “Fire on the Bayou.”

The Meters disbanded in 1977, but reformed in 1989 with all four original members. The group continued to tour and record sporadically until Nevilles’ death in 2015.

The Funk Revival

The 1970s were a decade of great change, and music was no exception. With the rise of Funk, a new style of soul music was born. Funk was a way to get people moving and shaking their hips, and it quickly gained popularity. YouTube has been a great platform for funk musicians to showcase their talents and get their music out to the masses. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best funk musicians on YouTube.

Red Hot Chili Peppers

Red Hot Chili Peppers are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group’s musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk rock and psychedelic rock. When performed live, their music incorporates elements of jam band due to the improvised nature of much of their performances. Currently, the band consists of founding members vocalist Anthony Kiedis and bassist Flea, longtime drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer. Red Hot Chili Peppers are one of the best-selling bands of all time with over 80 million records sold worldwide, they have been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards, winning six, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012.

The band’s history can be traced back to 1981 when high school friends Flea and Anthony Kiedis reconnected after a brief period apart and began playing music together; they then recruited drummer Cliff Martinez and guitarist Hillel Slovak. The lineup was completed by the addition of guitarist Jack Sherman for their first album turned tour aptly named ‘The Red Hot Chili Peppers’ in early 1984; Slovak however had from the start been unhappy with Sherman as he did not share his vision for the band’s music. He was fired mid tour leading to his eventual replacement by ex- Ellis Hollow bassist Darryl Jones later that year. The addition of Jones marked a turning point for the band as they began to move away from their earlier punk sound towards a more funk/rock style.

Prince

Few artists in the history of popular music were as innovative, unpredictable, or prolific as Prince. During his four-decade career, Prince released 39 studio albums, won seven Grammy Awards, and sold more than 100 million records worldwide—making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He was also a talented multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, and producer who could play more than 27 instruments. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Prince at No. 27 on its list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time.”

Born Prince Roger Nelson on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince was the son of jazz pianist John L. Nelson and his wife Mattie Shaw. His father performed under the name Prince Rogers—hence his son’s stage name—and Prince grew up immersed in the music world. When he was seven years old, his parents divorced and he spent most of his childhood shuttling between the homes of his father and mother. As a teenager, he began performing with area bands before striking out on his own in 1978 with his debut album For You.

Over the next few years, Prince released a string of hit albums and singles that established him as one of the biggest pop stars of the 1980s. His 1984 album Purple Rain sold more than 13 million copies in the United States alone and won Prince an Academy Award for Best Original Song Score. He followed this success with a series of well-received albums including Around the World in a Day (1985), Parade (1986), Sign ‘O’ The Times (1987) and Batman (1989). In 1993, he changed his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol—often referred to as “the Love Symbol”—in an effort to loosen Warner Bros. Records’ control over him and his music.

During the 1990s and early 2000s, Prince continued to release critically acclaimed albums including Diamonds and Pearls (1991), Emancipation (1996) and Musicology (2004). In addition to his solo work, he collaborated with many other artists over the years including Sheena Easton, Chaka Khan ,and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers . On April 21 2016—just two weeks after releasing HITnRUN Phase Two —Prince died suddenly at his Paisley Park recording studio in Chanhassen ,Minnesota , at age 57 . The world mourned the loss of one of its most iconic musicians .

Conclusion

Wrapping up our series on funky soul music on YouTube, we want to thank you for sticking with us till the end. We hope you enjoyed our selection of videos and that you found some new artists to check out. As always, if you have any suggestions or feedback, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We’d love to hear from you.