California rapper Jay Worthy’s new single “P Funkentelechy” is a tribute to Parliament’s original with  appearances from George Clinton and Leven Kali. Clinton’s band Parliament released “Funkentelechy” 48 years ago and Worthy’s single reiterates P-Funk’s lasting influence on hip-hop and pop. Clinton and Kali are in the video for the alternate version of the single, representing three generations of funk appreciators. The song is on Worthy’s debut solo album, Once Upon A Time. The double album will be released in two parts and the first half comes out September 26th. Fans are still listening to the Magic Hour collaboration album Worthy did with Dam-Funk, which came out last year. 

Sly Stone has passed at the age of 82 decades after his rise as a soul and funk pioneer of the ’60s. Stone was a native of Vallejo, California, and he grew up in a religious household with parents who had a great appreciation for music. When he was a child, he and his siblings Freddie, Rose, and Loretta formed the gospel group, The Stewart Four. They released the single “On The Battlefield” locally in 1956. Sly’s musical gifts were recognized while he was still a kid, and by the time he was 11 he was proficiently playing keyboards, guitar, drums, and bass. As a teenager he was a brief member of a local doo-wop group called the Viscaynes. Sly and his friend Frank Arellano, who was Filipino, were the only non-Black members. It was at this time that he also released a few songs under the name Danny Stewart and formed The Stewart Brothers with his brother Freddie. Stewart was Sly’s formal surname and he later chose Stone as his recording alias. He became an influential DJ heard on KSOL-AM and KSAN while playing keyboards for other prominent artists, including Dionne Warwick, Marvin Gaye, Chubby Checker, and many more. Freddie had a band called Freddie and the Stone Souls and Sly’s was called Sly and the Stoners. They decided to combine both groups and released their first album, A Whole New Thing, in 1967. 

Sly and the Family Stone were unusual because they were a multiracial, coed unit. Their soul and funk fusion was built on Sly’s gospel foundation and they wouldn’t get a hit until “Dance To The Music,” which was the title track from their sophomore album. It wasn’t until their fourth album, Stand!, that their popularity took off with the success of the song “Everyday People.” It was during the summer of 1969 that they achieved stardom and Sly became one of the most important voices in music, with an influence on his genre and artists who didn’t even record soul or funk music. They were the only band to perform at Woodstock and the Summer of Soul concerts. 

Sly and the Family Stone were labeled as progressive soul pioneers for their sound that pulled rock, gospel, and R&B together with lyrics that could sometimes be political. Their music changed after 1971 when they released There’s A Riot Goin’ On. This album had a deep, muddled sound thanks to Stone’s overdubbing of the songs instead of their previous recordings, where the band played live together. Larry Graham’s slap bass style burst through and became a blueprint for countless bass players. It was their fifth album and one of the first to use a drum machine. The band’s drug use started to interfere with their ability to tour. Concert promoters became hesitant about booking them because of a pattern of not showing up and being able to perform. The original lineup recorded two more albums together before Stone became the main member of the band’s last recordings. He also released a solo album in 1975. The changes in the group did not alter his ability to create foundational soul and funk gems. Heard Ya Missed Me Well I’m Back, Back on the Right Track and Ain’t but the One Way all had some of the brilliance of his earlier music. 

In the 80s he participated in some powerful collaborations with George Clinton’s Funkadelic and Jesse Johnson. He also appeared on a Bar-Kays album and wrote a song for the Burglar soundtrack. In the ’90s Sly and the Family Stone appeared on the Red Hot Organization’s Red+Hot+Dance compilation. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993 and that would be Stone’s last major appearance before he disappeared into seclusion. Sly’s reclusive behavior was broken up with unpredictable performances, such as a show with George Clinton in 2009 at the African Festival of the Arts in Chicago. He also made some appearances with his daughter Novena Stone’s group, Baby Stone. The LOVE CITY convention in 2015 at the Den Lounge inside of the Fox Oakland Theater was a tribute to him and he showed up with four of his band members. He never recaptured his career but the tributes were forthcoming and he performed at the Grammy tribute to his band in 2006. Hip-hop has kept his music relevant because he has been sampled so much by rappers through the generations. Prince, D’Angelo, Janelle Monáe, and Amp Fiddler are but a handful of the artists to feel Sly’s influence. 

In 2023, he released his memoir, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) and he completed a screenplay about his life in 2024. There are four documentaries about Sly Stone: Coming Back for More, On The Sly: In Search of the Family Stone, and Questlove’s Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius), which was released this year. 

“Soft and Wet” is Prince’s first solo single, released on June 7, 1978, which was his 20th birthday. He co-wrote the song with Chris Moon as part of the work done for his debut album, For You. Prince operated as a one-man band on the album, and for “Soft and Wet,” he played synthesizers, guitar, drums, and clavinet. The sensual funk of “Soft and Wet” introduced Prince’s falsetto, dripping with desire, on a bed of slinky synths, smacking handclaps, and an enchanting solo that was a precursor to the sound of Dirty Mind. “Soft and Wet” was a Top 20 hit on the Soul Singles chart and For You made it to 163 on the Billboard 200. For You introduced one of the most important artists of the 20th and 21st centuries and was the start of a very long recording career. Londell McMillan announced a Ryan Coogler-directed musical movie about Prince, a box set of Around The World In A Day and vinyl versions of Hit and Run Phases One and Two at the Prince Celebration 2025.

Musician, artist, and producer Alissia has released her debut single, “Hypnotic Night,” featuring Nile Rodgers and EARTHGANG. The single straddles the worlds of funk, hip-hop, and R&B, held together by a groove instigated by Alissia’s bass. It is a big year for the artist who has made history as the ninth woman to be nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, at the 67th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The honor comes after years of working with the likes of anderson.paak, Coco Jones, Kaytranada, Calvin Harris, Cee-Lo Green, Mary J. Blige and more. She also had the blessing to be recognized by Prince, Quincy Jones, and Bootsy Collins, the latter of whom she earned her first executive producer credit for work on his World Wide Funk album. Alissia has also shared behind-the-scenes footage of her working with Rodgers and EARTHGANG in the studio on “Hypnotic Night.” Check out the single via Amazon and see the BTS video below.