Funk
Funk is a dance music built on a strong, syncopated groove, where bass, drums, guitar and horns lock into tight repeating rhythmic patterns.
It grew out of soul and R&B in the United States in the mid-1960s, with James Brown's bands leading the way by putting heavy stress on the first beat of the bar. Funk songs often stay on one chord for long stretches and favor rhythm over melody, with slapped or thumping bass, scratchy guitar and punchy horn lines. That focus on the groove separates it from soul, and it became a foundation for disco and hip hop.
Artists it is known for: James Brown, Sly and the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic, Earth, Wind & Fire.
- Family
- R&B & Soul
- On Spotify
- A current genre
- What it is
- A genre
- From
- United States, mid-1960s
- Also called
- funk music
- Trackify listeners who play it
- 6%
About 4,800 of 83,000 Trackify listeners with public profiles have funk among their top artists of the last four weeks. Rounded; updated 13 November 2026.
Funk artists
Marvin Gaye
Stevie Wonder
Prince
Earth, Wind & Fire
D'Angelo
The Jacksons
Al Green
Kool & The Gang
Bill Withers
Mint Condition
The funk artists most Trackify listeners have in their top fifty. Each opens on Spotify.
Sources
The definition is written for this site from open sources, and was checked against them on 13 November 2026.