As far as I can see, back in 1984, people used it to refer to black communities that people believed had a strong unpleasant body odor, which they called a funk or referred to as funky. in Ki-Kongo, the term lu-fuki was used to praise a person for their art, which may have been adopted and modified in America, praising black artists for their hard work and artistic skills. This is still a term used in the Kongo. It is thought that the music that black people were making, that had a strong, earthy, and distinct quality, was described using this word and the meaning was transformed.

James Brown really revolutionized Funk music with his work in the 80’s. His Funk Beat was a highly syncopated and aggressive rhythm that was kind of a blue print for many funk artists who came after.

The whole thing about music being mathematical and rational is something that I really get excited about. I learned how to do fractions because I played the piano when I was a kid, and any music theory student will be the first to tell you that there’s a lot of hidden math in music. I had never thought about how music is written into the universe. Why do we have the notes we do? What is the logic behind music? To make a chord, you need three notes (one is a root note), and a note a third away, and a fifth away – which is a MAJOR chord, which is comforting to listen to compared to a minor chord. 

I think it is very interesting how minor chords sound sinister and dangerous compared to major chords to westerners. I don’t really know why they do but even I feel kind of uncomfortable listening to them, even though the notes should be harmonious together. I wonder if there is any evolutionary reason behind this.

I think that sampling is a really interesting way to build upon musical history. I don’t really see anything wrong with it and feel like it should be encouraged. In other forms of art, people have influences. In many cases, famous works of art are very heavily influenced by other pieces. For example, Andy Warhol’d “The Last Supper” is an amazing piece that is really similar to Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”. When you look at American Gothic again, that is a piece of art that is heavily parodied and influences so many newer pieces of art that try to get the same feeling or message across. Art will always have influences, and I don’t think it is a bad thing.