The Ten Best Funk Tracks According to Onoe Caponoe

Heavily inspired by George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, London-based producer and rapper Onoe Caponoe wears his influences proudly on his sleeve. As showcased on singles Suicide City and Valentine’s Massacre, Onoe’s flow is that of the old school, and with the production on brand new album, Surf Or Die, throwing back to a 90s aesthetic, Bonafide asked him to list his top tracks from hip hop’s biggest influence: funk.

Surf Or Die is released on High Focus Records on 29 March 2019. Pre-order the vinyl, digital and CD here.

The Jones Girls – Nights Over Egypt

Dope late night cruising joint – mystic… luxurious… flamboyant, yet strong.

Keni Burke – Rising To The Top

Classic smooth funk joint. One of those infamously perfect bass lines.

The Brothers Johnson – Strawberry Letter 23

This joint is that type of funk that makes you dance real carefully and softly because the song is so damn sharp, you might just cut your damn self.

Johnny Guitar Watson – Ain’t That A Bitch

Johnny Guitar Watson is a big influence to me and an amazing song writer, guitar player and over all swag pioneer.

Rick James – Mary Jane

Ha ha, Rick James is dope.

James Brown – The Big Payback

It’s always gotta be on the one! This man was pure funk.

Screamin’ jay Hawkins – I Put A Spell On You

Now while I realise Screamin’ Jay Hawkins isn’t actually a funk artist, I wanted to include him in this list as I think more people should know about his music.

He was, in my opinion, one of the first musicians to incorporate a horror theme into his act. He was also apparently one of the first people to scream on a record or something like that, definitely a pioneer and influential to many different styles of music.