THERE ARE TWO major contributors to the sound of Hip Hop music: James Brown and George Clinton, his P-Funk with Bernie Worrell, Bootsy Collins and Eddie Hazel. This has produced some interesting noises in the vocals of Mystikal, the beats of the Public Enemy’s Bomb Squad and the drippings of Ice Cube.

What is most painful to me as a lover of language is that very little of the lyrics of these two are in the music—especially the lyrics of George Clinton. What we have sampled here is the full context around one of those famous P-Funk quips, “Free your mind and your ass will follow.” Please take the time to read the entire piece containing these words. You will find that its spiritualism is almost unparalleled in North American popular music.

For the truly dedicated prosumer, you should definitely listen to these words as well. It’s all on the Funkadelic CD Standing on the Verge of Getting It On. Ah, if only the Red Hot Mama can shake her thang and dig the very deepest meaning of these words… I would definitely be licking her funky emotions.