Day 0498 - The Message

Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five "The Message" (1982)

 
One of the first 'rap' albums, though this is packed with everything from funk, soul and almost krautrock grooves with robot voices over it. 

It's similar to a few of the early hip hop records, both in its socially conscious (if sometimes mildly homophobic and misogynist) lyrics, and its magpie-like approach to creating musical tracks.

Day 0410 - One Nation Under a Groove

Funkadelic "One Nation Under a Groove" (1978)

 
I love George Clinton's funk bands (Funkadelic, Parliament, Brides of Funkenstein etc.) and I definitely dig the guitar-heavy, tight funk sound being rocked here by Funkadelic in one of their most popular (though I don't actually own... yet) and commercially successful albums. 

The first couple of tracks are tight, yet smooth grooves.  There are a couple of distorted guitar-backed funk-rock tracks, and amongst all of this there is still the space for looser extended jams like "PE Squad/Doo doo chasers".

Interesting fact that I did not know: Funkadelic bassist and solo artist in his own right, Bootsy Collins was originally a member of James Brown's backing band, the JBs. Not such a crazy idea I guess, Hendrix used to be in the backing band for the Isley Bros before he did his own thing.