Fela Kuti is the best of the afrobeat musicians. Zombie, Water No Get Enemy and Expensive Shit are timeless funk jams. The only problem with these songs is they might be too long for some...
Janelle Monae's Tightrope
Julius Hemphill's Dogon A.D.
Al Green's Love and Happiness
Art Ensemble of Chicago: Theme de Yoyo
Blackstreet: No Diggity
Mystikal: Bumpin' Me Against the Wall
Charles Wright: Express Yourself
D'Angelo is probably the best funk artist in the neo-soul movement of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Donald Byrd jazz-funk, The Emperor
Erykah Badu has quite a few funky jams as well. Penitentiary Philosophy, Honey, Love of My Life Worldwide, etc.
Funkadelic
Gil Scott-Heron's funk always has a social message and features collaborations with Brian Jackson, who often played flute and piano.
The Heath Brothers wrote this jam as part 2 of the Smilin' Billy Suite. The use of mbira and the funky bass and drums made it quite distinctive to me and it has been sampled by Nas for One Love (produced by Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest).
The Heliocentrics and Mulatu Astatke combine Ethio-jazz with avant garde funk. Good stuff.
Fire in the Zoo is my jam
Herbie Hancock and the Headhunters did some essential 70s funk
Jill Scott has some really funky stuff as well
Jimi Hendrix recorded some funky stuff as well, especially during his black band, Band of Gypsies. Who Knows represents the best of this fusion of rock and funk
Jimmy Smith's Root Down is a jazz-funk classic that was sampled by the Beastie Boys
Lauryn Hill's Every Ghetto, Every City
Karl Hector and the Malcouns recorded some great afrobeat/African funk numbers here
Lee Morgan's The Sidewinder is a great example of Blue Note 1960s funk. Listen to that funky drumming!
Marvin Gaye's Got to Give It Up, essential funk
Michael Jackson got funky multiple times throughout his recording career
Mulatu Astatke
Otis Redding also got funky
Outkast
Parliament, one of George Clinton's great funk groups
Flashlight is one of the greatest funk songs of all time
Stevie Wonder
Sun Ra
Prince
James Brown, the king of funk
The Roots: Seed 2.0 is a great funk song
Wilson Pickett, Engine Number 9
James Brown, Papa Don't Take No Mess http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDh5QbPoDdo
Lou Donaldson's jazz cover of It's Your Thing http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acF8NtEKTWI
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