Funk: Invented, popularized, and ruled by Black people. It’s a genre of the early 70s that helped later develop other genres like hip-hop and disco and encompassed the decade’s dance music. Sly & The Family Stone, a pivotal band for the funk scene, released their fifth studio album in 1971, “There’s a Riot Goin’ On,” which had twelve tracks of classic jazz-funk hits. Their second track, “Just Like a Baby,” is a simple, mellow, jazzy soul song with lots of percussion that carries throughout.

A more modern example of a funk album came out in 2016 by well-known multi-hyphenate Donald Glover (known as rapper Childish Gambino). His record “Awaken, My Love!” was a major spin on his prior work. The album is very reminiscent of Funkadelic’s “Maggot Brain,” (which also came out in 1971) but his track “Baby Boy” is the modern counterpart to Sly’s “Just Like a Baby.”

They have similar beats, themes, and soft vocals. It’s no secret that Glover was inspired by various funk albums and tracks when creating his third studio album, but it’s so jarring hearing them back to back. They are like two halves of one EP. This accurate recreation of 70s funk music in the modern day gives hope that more artists create music such as this. Music evolves, but sometimes a genre changes so much it becomes obsolete or completely abandoned. It’s nice to hear an album that could easily be 50 years old!