Bootsy Collins is back to spread a message of peace through the Power of the One with his new single, “Funk Not Fight”. The collaborative track featuring Buckethead, Victor Wooten, and others heralds a forthcoming compilation album of the same name with big-name musicians recording original songs by aspiring artists.
“Funk Not Fight” is a quintessential Bootsy groove, updated for modern times with a contemporary message of peace. The former James Brown and Parliament-Funkadelic bassist opens the fittingly kaleidoscopic-colored music video saying, “I’m not a fighter / But I’m a lover.” Throughout the guest-filled video including verses from recent Collins collaborators Baby Triggy and Fantaazma, the extended ensemble trades protest chants for straight-up funk grooves that unify our commonalities rather than amplify our differences.
Bootsy said of the single, “We just wanna calm down some of that violence out there. Cause y’all know that it ain’t right! Come on now. Jump on board. Let’s get the One! For being funk, and not fight. Yeah that’s right baby.”
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Collins initially announced his Funk Not Fight project last October with an open call to aspiring instrumentalists, singers, rappers, poets, and all artists who can contribute to a groove. Powered by Syncr, Bootzilla took open submissions of original music that he planned to record for the new album, with help from Lettuce, Steve Lacy, Buckethead, and others. Submissions are open through June 30th.
Funk Not Fight goes beyond the studio, as Collins showed with a visit to Cleveland’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Thursday. During a panel conference with local mayors and community leaders, Collins revealed plans for the inaugural Funk Not Fight hub, a youth center in Cleveland designed to help curb teen violence by encouraging adolescents to follow creative pursuits. In addition to a music studio, the Funk Not Fight hub on Cleveland’s east side will connect local youths with certified professionals for mentorship.
The mission is a personal one for the 71-year-old funk master, as he explained in an interview with Cleveland Scene. Growing up in Cincinnati in the 1960s without a father, music became an outlet for Collins to escape his environment and ultimately landed him a spot with Brown in 1968.
“I didn’t know [music] was going to become my life. This is just something that makes us feel good, makes the kids and everybody feel good,” Collins said. “So it’s like, that’s why I was doing it: to get away from the street thing that we all fell into. And James gave us an opportunity to get out of that.”
Check out the music video for Bootsy Collins’ “Funk Not Fight” featuring Baby Triggy and Fantaazma. Stay tuned for more details on the upcoming album, and support the Funk Not Fight hub here.
Bootsy Collins – “Funk Not Fight” (ft. Baby Triggy, Fantaazma)
The post Bootsy Collins Is A Lover Not A Fighter On New Collaborative Single, “Funk Not Fight” [Video] appeared first on L4LM.
