In the late 1960s, a new movement of Black music grew out of the end of the civil rights era. Black artists proudly declared their Black power and rocked the airwaves with the sound of funk.    

Funk music was more than just a genre with excellent grooves. It had a deeper social and political meaning. Funk began as a reaction to tumultuous times and would ultimately lay the foundation for the hip hop and R&B we listen to today. 

That’s the argument Reiland Rabaka makes in his recently published book The Funk Movement: Music, Culture, and Politics.  

Rabaka is a professor of African, African American, and Caribbean studies at the University of Colorado Boulder. He is also the founder and director of the Center for African American Studies at CU, and hosts a podcast called The Cause. 

He spoke with Erin O'Toole last year about the importance of funk, and why it deserves respect for its singular impact on music and culture. We’re listening back to that conversation today. 

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner
 
Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.