Funkadelic

Psychedelic soul collective Funkadelic pushed the boundaries of music in the ’70s with far-flung sounds and sociopolitical commentary. The band, formed in the late 1960s, was led by the fearless, future-thinking George Clinton, who started his creative career as a teenager singing doo-wop. With their self-titled 1970 debut album, led by the dynamic “I Got a Thing, You Got a Thing, Everybody Got a Thing,” Funkadelic further diversified the uninhibited, funk-influenced style of rock ’n’ roll that was popularized by Sly Stone and Jimi Hendrix. The same year, they released Free Your Mind... And Your Ass Will Follow, a liberating compilation of thought-provoking material. By 1971, the group delivered its breakthrough album, Maggot Brain, which was highlighted by the winding and ambitious title track. After transitioning to a more dance-oriented, R&B-adjacent sound — an effect of merging with its sister group, Parliament, also helmed by Clinton — Funkadelic achieved commercial success, chiefly with 1978’s lively One Nation Under a Groove.