There are few genres in the American pop lexicon that are as instantly identifiable as funk. The bass, the drums, the delivery of the vocals – every component of a funk song is placed there to do one thing and one thing only: make you sweat in the best way possible. This is precisely why Billy Ray Rock’s new single “Get the Funk” feels like the refreshing slice of heaven that it does this July; around every turn in this track, we’re asked to abandon inhibitions and embrace the sonic push of the music, which isn’t usually the case with most contemporary R&B.
SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/billyrayrock1
The old school elements in “Get the Funk” are just about impossible to miss, but there’s nothing about the construction of this hook that makes me think Billy Ray Rock was trying to make an homage to the classics here. There’s no point in rejecting the notion that he wasn’t listening to some Parliament when he structured the beat in this song, that much is obvious, but the actual melodic ribbonry is far more hip-hop than it is anything from the old guard, at least from an aesthetical point of view. This is a good mixture of iconic and ironically modern, which is always a winner in my book.
I really dig how Billy Ray Rock uses the rhythm to build a lot of tension as we get into the second half of “Get the Funk,” and overall, his conceptualism as a songwriter is a progressive attitude that I would be interested in seeing some of his peers adopt. He isn’t hiding behind any synthetic elements in place of generating real, honest catharsis with his words and music in this song, and as sad as it is for me to admit as a critic, that makes his performance in this single a bit of a diamond in the rough.
The vocal in this song has a lot more oomph than it actually needed, but I suppose it makes sense when taking into account how beefy virtually every part of this single is. Billy Ray Rock is an artist who loves sonic virtuosity a lot more than he does technological sophistication, and while some might see no problem in utilizing the latter to produce more of the former, this is one artist who appears to pride himself on being more of a purist than that situation would allow for.
Funk-lovers young and old alike needn’t look any further for fun in the summer sun than “Get the Funk” this month, and if you haven’t already, I’d recommend exploring the larger discography of Billy Ray Rock in general. He’s still finding his way into the spotlight, but for how much he’s accomplished in this year alone, I think we can assume that he isn’t going to let this present momentum slow down for anything. “Get the Funk” is an excellent measurement of his artistic legitimacy, and from where I sit, it solidifies his place as a funk player you need to be paying attention to right now.
Jodi Marxbury