"Funky Stuff" is a

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

song written, produced, and recorded by

Kool & the Gang Kool & the Gang is an American Rhythm and blues, R&B, soul music, soul, and funk band formed in Jersey City, New Jersey, in 1964. Its founding members include brothers Robert "Kool" Bell and Ronald Bell (musician), Ronald Bell (also known as " ...

for their 1973 album '' Wild and Peaceful''. Released as a single, the song reached No. 5 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot Soul Singles The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by ''Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 po ...

chart and No. 29 on the US ''Billboard''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

chart.

Critical reception

Amy Hanson of

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

wrote "Recording at the tiny Media Sound Studio in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, one floor above Latin rockers

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

, the band jammed the track together as Santana's own session bled through the walls and floors. The resultant fusion was as inspiring as it was exciting -- certainly the sound of two so-disparate bands clashing in one tiny space helped to influence Kool's grooves and, by the time the session was over, this nine-minute marathon was on course to becoming a genre standard -- one of the best ever committed to vinyl grooves. Vital evidence of the band's new direction in sound, the song is the embodiment of heavy, deep funk, driven by horns and an effervescent beat. James Hamilton of

Record Mirror ''Record Mirror'' was a British weekly music newspaper published between 1954 and 1991, aimed at pop fans and record collectors. Launched two years after ''New Musical Express'', it never attained the circulation of its rival. The first UK Album ...

also found Funky Stuff is "Ideal disco, fare, It's a whistle and chanting supported monotonous honking instrumental with somepicky guitar over the braying brass and dully thumping rhythm. Parrty Pick." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said the song is "funk & fun from the gang and includes lotsa percussion and whistles." '' Irvine Herald'' reviewer Willie Freckleton named it "Freck's Freak of the Week for soul fans," saying that it's "a soul fan's paradise" with "whistle blowing, chanting the title and laden with atmosphere." Although popular in some regions, including New York, "Funky Stuff" was banned by some radio stations for using the word "funky."

Legacy

"Funky Stuff" has been sampled by artists such as the

Beastie Boys The Beastie Boys were an American Hip-hop, hip hop and Rap rock, rap rock group formed in New York City in 1979. They were composed of Ad-Rock, Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz (vocals, guitar), Adam Yauch, Adam "MCA" Yauch (vocals, bass), and Mike D, ...

Gangstarr Gang Starr was an American hip hop duo, consisting of Houston-born record producer DJ Premier and Boston-based rapper Guru. Gang Starr was at its height from 1989 to 2003, and is considered a widely influential MC-and-producer duo. They are rec ...

Mobb Deep Mobb Deep was an American Hip-hop, hip hop duo formed in Queens, New York (state), New York in 1990. Consisting of rappers/songwriters/record producers Prodigy (rapper), Prodigy and Havoc (musician), Havoc, they are considered to be among the pr ...

N.W.A. N.W.A (an abbreviation for Niggaz Wit Attitudes) was an American hip-hop group formed in Compton, California in 1987. Among the earliest and most significant figures of the gangsta rap subgenre, the group is widely considered one of the great ...

and

Dilated Peoples Dilated Peoples is an American Los Angeles-based Hip hop music, hip hop trio, composed of rapper and record producer Evidence (musician), Evidence, rapper Rakaa, and Beat Junkies deejay and record producer DJ Babu. The group is better known in t ...

. The tune has been covered by jazz guitarist

Chuck Loeb Charles Samuel "Chuck" Loeb (December 7, 1955 – July 31, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist and a member of the groups Steps Ahead, Metro and Fourplay. Early years and education Loeb was born in Nyack, New York, near New York City. At ...

and French singer-songwriter

Lizzy Mercier Descloux Martine-Elisabeth Mercier Descloux (16 December 1956 – 20 April 2004) was a French musician, singer-songwriter, and composer. Early life Mercier Descloux grew up in Lyon, France, but returned to her native Paris in her teens to attend art scho ...

Personnel

* Khalis Bayyan – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone, vocals * Robert "Kool" Bell – Fender bass guitar, vocals * George "Funky" Brown – drums, vocals * Robert Spike Mickens – vocals * Dennis "D.T." Thomas – conga, flute, alto saxophone, vocals * Clay Smith – guitar * Ricky West – vocals

Charts

References

{{authority control Kool & the Gang songs 1973 songs 1973 singles Songs written by Ronald Bell (musician) Songs written by Claydes Charles Smith Songs written by Robert "Kool" Bell Mercury Records singles