During the Philadelphia interview/soundcheck dvd Prince was asked "What is Funky?" by the interviewer. He was not able to give a difinitive answer. So I'm curious, for you folks on the org, I pose the question to you.

In your opinion, "What is Funky?"

Word History: When asked which words in the English language are the most difficult to define precisely, a lexicographer would surely mention funky. Linguist Geneva Smitherman has tried to capture the meaning of this word in Talkin and Testifyin: The Language of Black America, where she explains that funky means “[related to] the blue notes or blue mood created in jazz, blues, and soul music generally, down-to-earth soulfully expressed sounds; by extension [related to] the real nitty-gritty or fundamental essence of life, soul to the max.” The first recorded use of funky is in 1784 in a reference to musty, old, moldy cheese. Funky then developed the sense “smelling strong or bad” and could be used to describe body odor. The application of funky to jazz was explained in 1959 by one F. Newton in Jazz Scene: “Critics are on the search for something a little more like the old, original, passion-laden blues: the trade-name which has been suggested for it is ‘funky’ (literally: ‘smelly,’ i.e. symbolizing the return from the upper atmosphere to the physical, down-to-earth reality).”

Source:Dictionary.com

U know it when u hear it but the funk in funky will 4 ever live on but 2 answer your question p-funk, rick james,delfonics,confunk shun! but in reality funk is the party baby!

C'mere...
smell my finger.

That
is funky.

Funk is the basement of your soul; that private, primal escape from self-consciousness.

...& sometimes Prince does fake the funk

There is a good reason funky can't be described or defined. Funky does not, but funky is."

"Say Maceo, they trying to describe funk"

"If you can describe it ...it ain't funky"

I think "funky" is one of those words that has almost lost its meaning. I heard a girl say she'd bought a pair of "funky" shoes the other day...wtf does that mean?

When it comes to music alot of people use "funky" to describe anything with a strong beat and prominent bassline, e.g. dance music, or anything with the word "muthafucka" in it ( hence the commonly made assertion that the black album is Prince's funkiest work), neither of which I think are useful definitions. Funk is the musical equivalent of sex, which is why Michael Jackson was never all tha funky - you have to have been through puberty to really get it.....uh!...good god!
[Edited 1/15/06 2:42am]
[Edited 1/15/06 2:43am]

Funk or "funky" I would say is just that face you make, you know, when it's...funky!

ITs everything.....classy..dirty...nastay...sweet...schooled... unschooled
soft...and hard...its polyrhythms talking to each other in a way africa would approve of...

SDNafka said:

Definately, it's long been a buzzword like 'cool' to describe anything, well, cool.

Apparently Britney Spears is even funky these days.

1nonly said:

A band is playing a funky beat. They stop, and then they start all over again.
That first beat, the 1, would make me feel funky. Before i was just bopping my head, or dancing. But that moment...uh! It`s funky.

Nature is funky too, sometimes. A rainbow can be funky, rain and thunder too.
Even some highways produce a cool sound. It´s [/i]true[i].
A person you like or maybe even adore gives you a handshake. That might be funky too.
Things i like i could call funky in most cases.
Oh yeah, i like funk

hard to describe....you hear it!

with P-Funk, most of the times you count to 8 between the cymbals.....try it, it's true.....I bet TonyWilliams knows!

luv2lick said:

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Compared to who. Some of the lame ass rappers are faking it 24/7. P got is funk got is funk card back on this last tour.

SDNafka said:

-----

strong beat and prominent bassline, e.g. dance music, This is good definition

GoldenGlove said:

Well - it`s true. But even that would be a description...

I win

Music is a mathematical expression of sound, I'm sure there's mathematical formula to describe all kinds of music genres and forms, but that would kinda take the fun out of it, and funk, is fun - you can't take yourself seriously with funk, the minute you do, it isn't funky.

Rappers might sample funk, but most of them aren't funky because they're not fun.

F.... U....N.... 'Kay?!

[quote]

NouveauDance said:

,


Is that like.... 1+1+1 = 3 ???


Funky is that feelin you get when you hear some tune that makes you want to jump up and freak out !! lol....Well thats what it is to me !!

TonyWilliams said:

Wait a second..!
No one tol' me this was a competition!
I wanna change my answer!

carlpenn said:[quote]

According to Prince and his lyrics, no.

But maybe Pythagoras thinks differently

Funk is escapism, funk is feeling sexy on the dancefloor, funk is heavy bass and a good beat, funk is about the silence in between notes, funk is about the Holy ONE. That's my definition of funk...

PS: it makes you pull funky faces.

NouveauDance said:

EH ????

I was trying to be humorous and failed.....lol

It's when your body moves and does something before your brain comprehends and sends signals. Pure, unbridled, funk-when you just FEEL it and don't THINK it.

"Grooving" to something is not funky. Your brain has already felt the rhythm and is sending signals.

"Funk" and "Funky" is pure, unbridled feeling. Before you know it and realize it, you're ALREADY in the center of the dance floor, SO GETTING BUSY on the 1.

you really wanna know what funky is????


Check it out:


Having a moldy or musty smell: funky cheese; funky cellars.
Having a strong, offensive, unwashed odor.

Music. Of or relating to music that has an earthy quality reminiscent of the blues.
Combining elements of jazz, blues, and soul and characterized by syncopated rhythm and a heavy, repetitive bass line.

Slang. Earthy and uncomplicated; natural: “At the opposite end of Dallas's culinary spectrum is funky regional fare” (Jacqueline Friedrich).
Slang.

Characterized by originality and modishness; unconventional: “a bizarre, funky [hotel] dressed up as a ship, with mock portholes and mirrored ceilings over the beds” (Ann Louise Bardach).
Outlandishly vulgar or eccentric in a humorous or tongue-in-cheek manner; campy: “funky caricatures of sexpot glamour” (Pauline Kael).

TonyWilliams said:

funkaholic1972 said:

And you know I agree with you all the way!

FUNK GRANNY = James Brown

FUNK PAPI = George Clinton

FUNK DADDY = Prince

Put on any of the above's music, and you can at least get a little taste and smell of "THA FUNK". Thats the family tree. Ask Maceo, HE KNOW!!!!
[Edited 1/17/06 8:33am]

It's hard to put into words. You have to hear it, and then you feel it. Most people react the same way to funk; you could be in the U.S., Europe, Japan, Africa - it doesn't matter - funk hits you the same way. Other things are easier to describe: country, classical, maybe even the blues or jazz. But funk is a feel. And for me, it just comes from the heart. - Larry Graham, Bass Player Magazine Presents Legends Of Funk + R&B
[Edited 1/17/06 9:51am]