*Welp! Now we know why Hollywood Boulevard looked like Chocolate City on Friday. George Clinton, the 82-year-old funkmaster himself, was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The man who helped spread the funk worldwide will forever be a part of Hollywood history now that his star joins the legion of other legends now that his star has been unveiled. It seems appropriate that Clinton, whose star is the 2,769th is enshrined at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard, directly in front of the Musicians Institute
“This is an honor to receive this star alongside the many names and notables from the world of entertainment,” Clinton said during the ceremony. “This is something very special for me.”
The man behind some of the world’s greatest funk songs also spoke on how he had to keep things in perspective so he wouldn’t develop a big ego: “I found out there’ll be times when it seemed like everyone knew your name, and there were times when no one knew you. I learned to respect the balance. If I needed to hear my name spoken out loud, I would go to the airport and page myself,” Clinton said, drawing a big laugh from the audience.
The speakers at the ceremony included Clinton, Red Hot Chili Peppers lead vocalist Anthony Kiedis, famed civil rights attorney Ben Crump, and longtime Motown songwriter Janie Bradford.
George Clinton, also known to his fans as Dr. Funkenstein was born July 22, 1941, in Kannapolis, N.C.. Clinton was raised in Plainfield, N.J., where he formed the barbershop doo-wop ensemble called The Parliaments when he was 15 years old. The group had a major hit with 1967’s “(I Wanna) Testify.”
Clinton would later develop a sound that merged the polish of Motown acts, the rawness of James Brown, the bohemian style of Sly Stone, and the pop sensibility of the Beatles. He has forever set himself apart from the Motown era. By the early ’70s, the group’s songs evolved into sprawling jams drenched in funky rhythms.
Around the same time, Clinton spawned Funkadelic, a rock group that fused acid-rock guitar, bizarre sound effects, and cosmological rants with danceable beats and booming bass lines. Funkadelic had several influential concept albums, including Free Your Mind… and Your Ass Will Follow, Maggot Brain, and America Eats Its Young. Rolling Stone and Spin recently named Parliament/Funkadelic as one of the top bands of all time.
Being one of the most sampled artists ever, the funkmeister is recognized as the godfather of modern urban music. Beats, loops, and samples of P-Funk have appeared on albums by 2Pac, OutKast, Dr. Dre, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, De La Soul, Ice Cube, Public Enemy, and Childish Gambino to name but a few. Clinton has collaborated with Kendrick Lamar on the influential rapper’s Grammy-winning album To Pimp a Butterfly and just appeared on Travis Scott’s latest track “HYAENA” from his critically acclaimed album UTOPIA.
With his 83rd birthday coming up this summer, George Clinton is as busy as ever. Along with touring, he is working on three recording projects that feature collaborations with a “who’s who” of top artists from the last four decades. We can’t wait to experience that.
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