God Made Me Funky (GMMF) is a
Canadian
Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
funk music group, formed in 1996 in
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...
.
["God Made Me Funky: Welcome To Nu Funktonia"]
''Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'', August 4, 2009. The group started as an "instrumental funk fusion experiment",
["God Made Me Funky: Enter the Beat"]
''Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'', June 17, 2008. and developed a popular following in the Toronto music scene.
[
Their self-titled debut album was released in 2005,]["God Made Me Funky: God Made Me Funky"]
''Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'', August 1, 2005. and was supported by a cross-Canada concert tour and airplay on CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a Canadian digital radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which plays a relatively freeform mix of indie rock, indie pop, alternative hip hop, folk, country and electronic music.
The service, which lanuc ...
.
Their second album, ''We Can All Be Free'', was released in 2007,["God Made Me Funky: We Can All Be Free"]
''Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'', February 20, 2007. and garnered a Juno Award
The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall o ...
nomination for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year at the Juno Awards of 2008
The Juno Awards of 2008 were held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada on the weekend ending 6 April 2008. These ceremonies honoured music industry achievements in Canada in the latter part of 2006 and in most of 2007.
Country performer and multiple Juno ...
.["Junos bring the funk"]
''Calgary Herald
The ''Calgary Herald'' is a daily newspaper published in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Publication began in 1883 as ''The Calgary Herald, Mining and Ranche Advocate, and General Advertiser''. It is owned by the Postmedia Network.
History
''The Ca ...
'', April 9, 2008. The album featured guest appearances by Maestro
Maestro (; from the Italian '' maestro'' , meaning " master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music and opera, in line with the ubi ...
, Michie Mee and Thrust
Thrust is a reaction force
In physics, a force is an influence that can change the motion of an object. A force can cause an object with mass to change its velocity (e.g. moving from a state of rest), i.e., to accelerate. Force can al ...
.["NuFunk's roots deep; GMMF's hip-hop fusion turns heads". '']Windsor Star
The ''Windsor Star'' is a daily newspaper based in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Owned by Postmedia Network, it is published Tuesdays through Saturdays.
History
The paper began as the weekly ''Windsor Record'' in 1888, changing its name to the ''Bor ...
'', July 19, 2008. The single "Won More Time" charted in the top 10 on Canadian modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
and campus radio
Campus radio (also known as college radio, university radio or student radio) is a type of radio station that is run by the students of a college, university or other educational institution. Programming may be exclusively created or produc ...
charts and the top 100 on the contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...
charts,[ and the single "Luv T'Day" was featured on the soundtrack to the comedy film '' American Pie Presents: Beta House''.][
Their third album, ''Enter the Beat'', was released in 2008.]["God Made Me Funky - In Full Effect"]
''!earshot
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'', June 2008.
The band has collaborated with a variety of female vocalists both on tour and in the recording studio, including Breanne Arigo,["Funk band develops theatre stars"]
. ''Sault Star
''The Sault Star'' is a Canadian broadsheet daily newspaper based in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. It is owned by Postmedia.
In 2015, the newspaper had a daily paid circulation of 7,577 weekdays and 7,763 on Saturdays. Its total circulation inclu ...
'', March 27, 2015. Leah Daniels, former ''Canadian Idol
''Canadian Idol'' is a Canadian reality television competition show which aired on CTV, based on the British show '' Pop Idol''. The show was a competition to find the most talented young singer in Canada, and was hosted by Ben Mulroney. Jon Dor ...
'' winner Melissa O'Neil[ and Dana Jean Phoenix.][
Their music has also been used in advertisements for ]Parmalat
Parmalat S.p.A. is a dairy and food corporation which is a subsidiary of French multinational company Lactalis. It was founded by Calisto Tanzi in 1961.
Having become the leading global company in the production of long-life milk using ultra- ...
and Coors Light
Coors Light is a 4.2% (US) ABV light beer brewed in Golden, Colorado; Albany, Georgia; Elkton, Virginia; Fort Worth, Texas; Irwindale, California; and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It was first produced in 1978 by the Coors Brewing Company. The Canad ...
.[
Their most recent album, ''Funky, Fly, N' Free'', was released in 2015.]["God Made Me Funky: Funky Fly 'N Free"]
''Exclaim!
''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...
'', March 24, 2015.
Awards and nominations
*Best RnB Band, Toronto Independent Music Awards 2005[
*Nominated for Favourite Urban Artist/Group/Duo of the Year, ]Canadian Independent Music Awards The Canadian Independent Music Awards, also known as the Independent Music Awards or Indies, are national awards presented annually to musicians to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. They were first inaug ...
, 2007"Welcome to Nu-Funkistan"
. '' The Gauntlet'', February 11, 2010.
*Nominated for R&B/Soul Recording of the Year, Juno Awards, 2008[
]
Albums
* ''God Made Me Funky'' (2005)[
* ''We Can All Be Free'' (2007)][
* ''Enter the Beat'' (2008)]
* ''Welcome to Nu Funktonia'' (2009)[
* ''Vive Le NuFunk'' (2012)
* ''Funky Fly N' Free'' (2015)][
]
References
External links
Profile
at CBC Radio 3
CBC Radio 3 is a Canadian digital radio station operated by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, which plays a relatively freeform mix of indie rock, indie pop, alternative hip hop, folk, country and electronic music.
The service, which lanuc ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:God Made Me Funky
Musical groups established in 1996
Musical groups from Toronto
Canadian contemporary R&B musical groups
Canadian funk musical groups
1996 establishments in Ontario