Funk

UK rap legend Rodney P reveals how the first generation of British-born black kids was inspired by the avant-garde musical fusions of black America in the 70s to lay the foundations of modern-day multiculturalism by creating the first black British music culture with the jazz-funk movement. Jazz funk resists any simple description. It’s a scene, not a genre; an attitude, not a sound; a movement, not a fashion. In this film – the first to deconstruct, explain and contextualise this most British of underground music genres – we show the importance of jazz funk as the very first home-grown black British music culture, a world created by the first generation of British-born black kids who were determined to make a space for self-expression that they could truly call their own.

In the 1970s, America was one nation under a groove as an irresistible new style of music took hold of the country - funk. The music burst out of the black community at a time of self-discovery, struggle and social change. Funk reflected all of that. It has produced some of the most famous, eccentric and best-loved acts in the world - James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone, George Clinton's Funkadelic and Parliament, Kool & the Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire. During the 1970s this fun, futuristic and freaky music changed the streets of America with its outrageous fashion, space-age vision and streetwise slang.

During the early 90s the G Funk style of hip-hop emerged from Los Angeles, combining melodic elements of Motown, Funk, and R&B with socially-aware gangsta rap. For the first time in history, a hip-hop album debuted at #1 on the pop charts and the genre became a staple of mainstream American culture. The movement began with Warren G, Snoop Dogg, and Nate Dogg. As childhood friends, the trio formed the group 213 and were discovered by Death Row Records. Death Row went on to support Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg, and while the two rose to international stardom, Warren G moved back to Long Beach with hopes of making it on his own. The film follows his rise and the impact of G Funk on pop culture.

Funk Queen Betty Davis changed the landscape for female artists in America. She 'was the first', as former husband Miles Davis said. 'Madonna before Madonna, Prince before Prince'. An aspiring songwriter from a small steel town, Betty arrived on the 70s scene to break boundaries for women with her daring personality, iconic fashion and outrageous funk music. She befriended Jimi Hendrix and Sly Stone, wrote songs for the Chambers Brothers and the Commodores, and married Miles – startlingly turning him from jazz to funk on the album she named 'Bitches Brew'. She then, despite being banned and boycotted, went on to become the first black woman to perform, write and manage herself.

In the 1970s, America was one nation under a groove as an irresistible new style of music took hold of the country - funk. The music burst out of the black community at a time of self-discovery, struggle and social change. Funk reflected all of that. It has produced some of the most famous, eccentric and best-loved acts in the world - James Brown, Sly & the Family Stone, George Clinton's Funkadelic and Parliament, Kool & the Gang and Earth, Wind & Fire.

During the early 90s the G Funk style of hip-hop emerged from Los Angeles, combining melodic elements of Motown, Funk, and R&B with socially-aware gangsta rap.

This foot-stomping six-part series - made by the BBC team who produced the critically-acclaimed "Lost Highway", "Walk on By" and "Dancing in the Streets" series - charts the evolution of soul music, with a fascinating combination of rare archive footage and over 100 contemporary interviews.