Clinton Gives New Funk

Colorful music legend celebrates fifty years in the biz

George Clinton will celebrate his fiftieth year in the music business with a new album, How Late Do U Have 2BB4UR Absent, due August 23rd. The funk legend — who started out with a vocal group called the Parliaments in 1955 — will be joined by members of his bands P-Funk All-Stars and Parliament Funkadelic, as well as superstar disciple Prince, on the double-disc set.

“It’s one of the best records we’ve ever done,” says Clinton.

Clinton will hit the road this summer, beginning at Los Angeles’ Greek Theater. The tour features an opening act composed of Jane’s Addiction drummer Stephen Perkins, bassist Me’Shell Ndegeocello and R&B man Raphael Saadiq, with a revolving door of special guests.

“Flea will play at some of the shows, and Big Boi from OutKast, Snoop, Redman, Flavor Flav, Chuck D, Gwen Stefani, Lenny Kravitz, Fishbone, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Musiq, the Black Eyed Peas and the Roots.”

Clinton has further reason to celebrate. Last week he won a court ruling that gave him the rights to the master recordings of four classic Funkadelic albums: Hardcore Jollies (1976), One Nation Under a Groove (1978), Uncle Jam Wants You (1979) and The Electric Spanking of War Babies (1981). The catalog is a goldmine, as Funkadelic samples have been staples of blockbuster hip-hop records, most notably Dr. Dre’s 1992 The Chronic.