[Column] The 100 most influential albums in music history: A new music history reconstructed solely based on its influence on modern music (Part 6, 51-60: Innovation in black music and the origins of modern R&B)

Column en Funk Neo Soul Soul

02 Jul 2026

[Column] The 100 most influential albums in music history: A new music history reconstructed solely based on its influence on modern music (Part 6, 51-60: Innovation in black music and the origins of modern R&B)

6th (51st to 60th)

Why has black music become the center of popular music

A revolution in soul, funk, neo-soul, and modern R&B

In Part 5, we traced the history of rock as it evolved while absorbing folk, punk, electronic music, art, and rhythms from around the world.

But during that same period, another revolution was quietly and decisively underway.

That is the black music revolution.

In the past, R&B and soul were often talked about under the category of “black music.” However, from the late 1960s onwards, they began to change from being just one genre to being a presence that determined the direction of popular music as a whole.

Much of today’s music, including pop, hip-hop, R&B, house, techno, neo-soul, and even K-pop, is based on the ideas of black music.

In other words, the history of music since the second half of the 20th century cannot be discussed without the evolution of black music.

Transition from “song” to “groove”

In the 1950s and 1960s, popular music centered around melodies and chord progressions.

However, in the late 1960s, the center of gravity gradually changed.

What became important was

Rhythm *Baseline
Drum rhythm
Physicality
Repeat (groove)

is.

flowchart LR A[Melody-centered] B[soul] C[funk] D[Groove-centered] E[modern music] A --> B --> C --> D --> E

This idea of ”“groove’’ later became the basis of hip-hop, house, techno, R&B, and even modern pop.

To music that reflects society

Another characteristic of black music is its closeness to society.

In America from the 1960s to the 1970s,

Civil rights movement
Vietnam War
Urban poverty
Racism
Black Power Movement

Major social changes were occurring.

This reality is strongly reflected in the lyrics and sounds of black music.

It’s not just about singing about love.

It evolved into music that critiqued society and recorded our own reality.

Fusion with electronic musical instruments

In the 1970s, synthesizers and new recording techniques began to become popular.

Black music actively adopted them not just as new instruments, but as the “sounds of the future.”

the result,

Synth Soul *P Funk
Boogie
Electro
House
Techno

A long lineage is born that continues.

This trend is deeply connected to the development of electronic music, which will be covered in Part 7.

10 photos appearing this time

In Part 6, we will feature the following 10 works that determined the evolution of black music.

51st place Songs in the Key of Life 52nd place Innervisions 53rd place Head Hunters 54th place Super Fly 55th place There’s a Riot Goin’ On 56th place Mothership Connection 57th place Maggot Brain 58th place Voodoo 59th place Mama’s Gun 60th place Channel Orange

Highlights of the 6th episode

If you follow these 10 photos in chronological order, you will see an epic story.

First, Stevie Wonder elevates soul music to the realm of art.

Then Herbie Hancock marries jazz and electronic music, while Curtis Mayfield and Sly and the Family Stone bring sociability and introspection to black music.

In addition, Parliament and Funkadelic expanded funk into a cosmic imagination, innovations that would later carry over into hip-hop, G-funk, and electro.

And in the 1990s and 2000s, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, and Frank Ocean redefined neo-soul and modern R&B, pushing black music to the center of 21st century pop music.

This is not a history of one genre.

**How has contemporary popular music itself been shaped by innovations in black music? This is the story of its magnificent evolution. **

6th Part 1 (51st place)

Songs in the Key of Life

“One of the greatest masterpieces of the 20th century that elevated soul music to ‘art’“

Songs in the Key of Life, released on September 28, 1976, transcends the boundaries of the soul music genre and is one of the most representative albums of 20th century popular music as a whole.

This work is not just a hit album.

It was an album that conclusively proved that ““black music can be a work of art,’’ integrating soul, R&B, funk, gospel, jazz, Latin music, classical music, and pop into one magnificent work world.

Until the 1960s, black music had developed in a singles-centered market.

But ““Songs in the Key of Life” accomplished for soul music what ““Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” and ““Pet Sounds’’ did for rock.

It was the greatest achievement of black music, pushing the album format itself into an artistic expression.

The pinnacle of “classic period”

In the early 1970s, Stevie Wonder renewed his contract with Motown, giving him unprecedented creative freedom at the time.

The resulting series of works,

*Music of My Mind (1972) *Talking Book (1972)

Innervisions (1973)
Fulfillingness’ First Finale (1974)

is now called the “classic period.”

"”Songs in the Key of Life’’ was produced as the culmination of that effort.

It took about two years to produce, and was recorded intermittently at multiple studios in Los Angeles.

It was originally scheduled to be released in 1975, but it was postponed because Stevie himself prioritized perfection.

It is this uncompromising attitude that led to the overwhelming perfection of this work.

“One man orchestra”

Stevie Wonder’s innovation goes beyond being a great singer and songwriter.

He was a pioneer of the modern ““self-producer’’ who integrated composition, arrangement, performance, and production to a high level.

Even in this work,

keyboard
Piano
drum *Base
Synthesizer *Harmonica

He plays many parts himself.

Of course, many talented musicians also participated, but the worldview that pervades the entire work was constructed almost entirely by the creativity of one person.

The “artist-producer” style that Prince, D’Angelo, and Kanye West would later adopt was heavily influenced by Stevie Wonder during this period.

The future opened by TONTO

What is essential when talking about this work is the existence of the huge modular synthesizer TONTO (The Original New Timbral Orchestra).

This system was developed by musicians and engineers Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff, and was known at the time as one of the world’s largest analog synthesizers.

Stevie used this instrument not just as a special effect, but as a ““singing instrument.’’

Its soft string-like tones, rolling bass lines, and dreamy pads became the prototype for sound design that would later go on to synth pop, electro-funk, and modern R&B.

flowchart TD A[gospel] B[soul] C[funk] D[jazz] E[synthesizer] F[Songs in the Key of Life] A --> F B --> F C --> F D --> F E --> F

Putting “love” and “society” into the same work

The album includes odes to music, like ““Sir Duke,” and songs about love for family, like ““Isn’t She Lovely.”

On the other hand, ““Village Ghetto Land” takes a deep look at urban poverty and inequality, and ““Pastime Paradise” takes a deep look at society and the human condition.

A look at personal happiness and society.

Pop friendliness and artistry.

The fact that these two extremes were effortlessly integrated into one album is the biggest reason why this work has been praised throughout the ages.

Magnificent scale of 2 discs + EP

"”Songs in the Key of Life” was an extremely luxurious release at the time, coming as a double LP set and a four-song EP ““A Something’s Extra.”

The recording time is over 100 minutes, and it has a scale that can be called a “music world” rather than an album.

However, even though it is such a large work, the level of completion is extremely high until the end.

Up-tempo funk, warm ballads, songs with jazz elements, Latin rhythms, and gospel spirit naturally connect to form a flow that depicts a life.

This doesn’t just mean that there are a lot of songs.

The whole album has a symphonic structure.

“Encyclopedia of Black Music”

One of the reasons why this work is acclaimed as a historical work is that it condenses into a single work the main elements of black music that was cultivated up to the 1970s.

flowchart LR A[gospel] B[blues] C[jazz] D[soul] E[funk] F[Latin] G[Songs in the Key of Life] A --> G B --> G C --> G D --> G E --> G F --> G

In other words, ““Songs in the Key of Life’’ was not an album that perfected a genre, but an album that integrated the entire history of black music up to that point.

That is why many musicians cite this work as a “textbook”.

Evaluation at the time of release

Upon its release in 1976, this work received overwhelming support all over the world.

In the United States, the album reached number one on the album chart, and singles such as ““I Wish” and ““Sir Duke” were also huge hits.

It received rave reviews from critics and won major categories at the Grammy Awards the following year, including Album of the Year.

Stevie Wonder cemented his position as one of the most representative artists of the 1970s.

Since then, this work has been selected in numerous rankings of ““best albums of all time,’’ and is positioned as a monument not only in soul music but in the history of popular music as a whole.

Impact on subsequent artists

"”Songs in the Key of Life’’ influenced countless artists across generations and genres.

As a typical example,

*Prince *Michael Jackson

Quincy Jones *D’Angelo *Erykah Badu
Alicia Keys *John Legend *Kanye West

Others have openly said that they were influenced by this work, or it is strongly reflected in their works.

"”Pastime Paradise” was later sampled by Coolio on ““Gangsta’s Paradise,” and became an iconic song in 1990s hip-hop history.

This work continues to be referenced today as the origin of not only soul, but also a wide range of genres such as R&B, hip-hop, pop, jazz, and gospel.

Position in music history

"”Songs in the Key of Life” cannot be described simply as a ““soul masterpiece.”

This work marks a historical turning point in elevating black music from a ““genre” to a ““universal art.”

His musicality is extremely diverse, yet unified by his strong individuality as an artist.

There are very few works in 20th century popular music that so comprehensively express one person’s outlook on life, society, religion, love for family, and respect for music through the album format.

This spirit has been passed down to later neo-soul, contemporary R&B, hip-hop, and even self-produced culture that transcends genres.

Why is it ranked 51st?

"”Songs in the Key of Life’’ is a historical masterpiece that elevated black music to the level of art and had a decisive influence on subsequent R&B, neo-soul, hip-hop, and pop.

On the other hand, in this ranking, works that changed the paradigm of music history as a whole are placed within the top 50, so this work was ranked 51st.

However, from the perspective of black music, this is one of the greatest albums of all time, and its cultural and musical influence is immeasurable.

”“‘Songs in the Key of Life’ integrates soul, funk, jazz, and gospel and elevates black music into a universal artistic expression.It is ranked #51 in this ranking as a historical masterpiece that laid the foundation for modern R&B, hip-hop, and pop.’‘

6th Part 2 (52nd place)

Innervisions

“Black music has become an art form that speaks to society”

Released on August 3, 1973, Innervisions was a work that fundamentally changed the history of soul music.

If ““Songs in the Key of Life” was the culmination of black music, ““Innervisions” was the moment that revolution began.

Until then, soul music had developed as music that sang about love and life.

Of course, there were works that dealt with social issues, but they were limited to a few.

However, ““Innervisions’’ depicts social realities such as poverty, drug addiction, racism, injustice, faith, and hope throughout one album.

This is not just a “social album.”

This was the decisive moment when black music evolved into an art form that reflected society itself.

Works at the heart of the Golden Age

Following the huge success of 1972’s Talking Book, Stevie Wonder released Innervisions the following year.

During this period, he was at his most fulfilling both musically and spiritually.

Instead of chasing commercial success, they had the freedom to pursue the world they truly wanted to express.

The entire album is an extremely honest depiction of what one artist is feeling in this society right now.

In that sense, Innervisions is Stevie Wonder’s most personal work, and at the same time his most universal.

Synthesizer plays “emotion”

In the early 1970s, the synthesizer was still seen as an experimental instrument.

But Stevie used a giant modular synthesizer, TONTO, to transform it into an instrument for expressing human emotions.

It”s important to note that he didn”t use synthesizers as futuristic sound effects.

Soft pads, flowing bass lines, and fantastic chords.

These blend naturally with the human voice and piano, giving the album a warm, organic feel.

This sound creation is

Neo Soul
Synth R&B
Electro Funk
modern pop

It is passed down from generation to generation.

The reality depicted in “Living for the City”

The song ““Living for the City”, which represents ““Innervisions”, depicts the cycle of racism and poverty in American society.

The story of a young black man who grew up in the countryside heads to the city in search of work, is treated unfairly, and is eventually sent to prison, which was an extremely realistic portrayal of society at the time.

Furthermore, in the middle of the song, a drama-like production is introduced that incorporates environmental sounds, conversations, police voices, etc.

This isn’t just a song.

The structure is like a short film, allowing the listener to relive the protagonist’s experiences.

This technique also had a major influence on concept albums and hip-hop storytelling in later years.

flowchart TD A[soul] B[social issues] C[synthesizer] D[cinematic composition] E[Innervisions] A --> E B --> E C --> E D --> E

The revolution of looking within

The album title ““Innervisions” means ““inner perspective” or ““vision in the heart.’’

In this work, Stevie is not only looking at society.

It is a dialogue between human desire, faith, fear, hope, and self.

"”Higher Ground” focuses on spiritual growth, and ““He’s Mistra Know-It-All” offers a sharp critique of those in power.

What makes Innervisions unique is that social commentary and personal spirituality coexist effortlessly in a single album.

A new era of self-production

Another historical value of ““Innervisions” is that it demonstrated the perfect form of ““self-production,” in which the artist himself controls the entire work.

In popular music until the 1960s, the roles of artist, composer, arranger, and producer were generally clearly separated.

But Stevie Wonder turned that paradigm on its head.

He writes and composes his own songs, plays many instruments, and is involved in everything from arrangement, sound design, and production.

He was not just a singer, but an ““author’’ who created the world of his works by himself.

This production style was later

*Prince *Todd Rundgren *D’Angelo *Trent Reznor *Kanye West

It has been passed down to many other artists.

"”Innervisions” showed the complete form of the idea that ““the artist produces the entire work,” which has become commonplace today.

Evaluation at the time of release

Immediately after its release in 1973, Innervisions received enthusiastic support from critics and listeners alike.

The album was a huge hit on the US charts, and ““Higher Ground” and ““Living for the City” were successful singles.

Furthermore, it won the album of the year award at the Grammy Awards.

It was also a symbolic event in which soul music was widely recognized as a work of art on a par with rock and pop.

Also, a few days after its release, Stevie Wonder was seriously injured in a traffic accident.

Fortunately, he recovered, but this experience is thought to have had a considerable influence on his outlook on life and his later creations.

Impact on subsequent artists

Innervisions had a far-reaching influence not just on black music, but on popular music as a whole.

As a representative artist influenced by this,

*Prince

George Michael *D’Angelo *Erykah Badu
Maxwell
Alicia Keys *John Legend *Kendrick Lamar

Examples include.

In particular, the attitude of balancing social messages with high musicality has been passed down from neo-soul to hip-hop and even contemporary R&B.

The spiritual lineage of Innervisions can be seen in works like To Pimp a Butterfly.

flowchart LR A[Innervisions] B[Prince] C[neo soul] D[modern r&b] E[hip hop] F[self-produced culture] A --> B A --> C A --> D A --> E A --> F

Position in music history

Innervisions is not just a masterpiece of “social soul.”

This work fused black music with ideology and artistry, presenting a new model for artists to face society as individual expressors.

At the same time, he utilized the synthesizer as an emotionally rich instrument and achieved a high level of self-produced work, which has had a great influence on subsequent music production.

"”Innervisions” symbolized the deepening of black music from ““music for dancing” to ““music for thinking.’’

Why is it ranked 52nd?

"”Innervisions’’ is a historical turning point that brought new values to black music: sociality, spirituality, electronic instruments, and self-production.

Many say that it is comparable to ““Songs in the Key of Life’’ in terms of completeness.

However, in this ranking, we place emphasis on the fact that ““Songs in the Key of Life”’ is the culmination of Stevie Wonder”s creation and a work that integrates black music as a whole, and placed it one place below it at number 52.

That said, if we look only at the history of black music, these two works can be called twin masterpieces.

“‘Innervisions’ fuses sociality, spirituality, synthesizers, and self-production, pushing black music into the realm of thought and art. It ranks 52nd in this ranking as the origin of creativity that extends to modern R&B and hip-hop.”

6th Part 3 (53rd place)

Head Hunters

“The moment when jazz heads to the club”

Head Hunters, released on October 26, 1973, was one of the biggest turning points in jazz history.

Up until then, jazz had developed into bebop, hard bop, and mode jazz, but it still had a strong aspect of being ““music for performers.’’

However, this work greatly shakes up that structure.

He transformed jazz from an ““art of listening” to ““groove music” that you can feel with your body.

Reinvention of jazz funk

Herbie Hancock deconstructed the traditional jazz context and boldly incorporated funk rhythms, electronic instruments, and repetitive structures.

Particularly symbolic is the minimal yet powerfully propulsive groove.

Rather than focusing on complex chord progressions like traditional jazz, it is based on the idea of ”“digging deeply into a single rhythm.’’

This change was decisive.

For the first time, jazz acquired strong characteristics as dance music.

A new musical language called “Chameleon”

"”Chameleon,’’ which opens the album, is a monumental piece of jazz-funk that lasts about 15 minutes.

The structure, which starts with a simple bass line, synthesizers and keyboards overlap, and gradually amplifies the layers of sound, was almost unheard of in jazz up until then.

The feature of this song is not “development” but “circulation”.

As the same riff is repeated, subtle changes accumulate, leading the listener into a trance-like feeling.

This method was later

House
Techno
Acid jazz
breakbeats *Hip hop loop culture

will have a direct impact on.

flowchart LR A[jazz] B[funk] C[repeating groove] D[club music] E[hip hop] F[Head Hunters] A --> F B --> F C --> F F --> D F --> E

Fusion of electronic instruments and jazz

This work actively uses Fender Rhodes piano and synthesizers.

As a result, jazz significantly departed from its traditional acoustic-centered sound and changed to a more futuristic, urban sound.

This sound symbolizes the urban culture of the 1970s.

Skyscrapers, night city, car lights, club smoke.

For the first time, a sound image that completely matched this urban image was established.

Commercial success and popularization of jazz

"”Head Hunters’’ was an unusual commercial success for a jazz work.

At the time, it was unusual for a jazz album to be widely accepted on the pop charts, and this success was a major breakthrough in genre boundaries.

It’s not just a hit.

It was the moment when jazz was repositioned from elite music to popular music.

Impact on subsequent

The influence of Head Hunters is far-reaching.

As direct and indirect effects,

Miles Davis (especially the electric period)
Weather Report
The Brand New Heavies
J Dilla
Madlib
A Tribe Called Quest

Examples include.

In particular, the sampling culture in hip-hop is strongly connected to the idea of the “loop-like groove” in this work.

Jazz now became a music connected to both clubs and studios.

Position in music history

"”Head Hunters’’ is not the end of jazz.

In fact, the opposite is true.

This is an album that reboots jazz into the future.

Maintaining the tradition of improvisational music that began with bebop, but opening it up in the direction of dance music and electronic music, greatly extended the genre’s lifespan.

Without this work, much of modern club jazz, hip-hop, and electronic music would not be what it is today.

Why is it ranked 53rd?

Head Hunters is a historic work that redefined jazz, connected funk and electronic music, and created the foundation for club culture and hip-hop.

However, in this ranking, works that directly changed the structure of a broader range of popular music are ranked higher, so it was ranked 53rd.

Still, the work remains “one of the biggest turning points” in jazz history, and continues to underlie modern music.

“‘Head Hunters’ connects jazz to the club and establishes a new musical language centered on repetition and groove. As the source of hip-hop and electronic music, it ranks No. 53 in this ranking.”

6th Part 4 (54th place)

Super Fly

Released on July 11, 1972, Super Fly is more than just a movie soundtrack.

This is a social criticism album that sharply depicts the reality of American urban society while borrowing the framework of blaxploitation films.

Until then, film music had basically been an aid to the images.

However, this work does the opposite.

Rather than music explaining a movie, music itself has become the subject that speaks about society.

Curtis Mayfield’s POV

At the center of this work is Curtis Mayfield, also known as the poet of soul music.

He has been deeply involved in the civil rights movement since the 1960s, and has consistently incorporated social messages into his music since his time with The Impressions.

"”Super Fly’’ is the clearest fruition of this idea.

What is depicted here is the reality of drugs, poverty, urban decay, and the human struggle to escape from it.

However, the important thing is not to portray it as just a ““tragedy’’.

He doesn’t stop with criticism, but visualizes the structure itself as music.

Reinventing funk and soul

The sound of ““Super Fly’’ is distinctly different from traditional soul music.

The characteristic is that

Cinematic arrangement with strings
Minimal guitar cutting
Low center of gravity baseline
Subdued vocals
Floating chord progression

By combining these elements, the ““urban reality’’ comes to the fore rather than the glamor.

While maintaining the funk groove, it doesn’t overstimulate it.

It is this restraint that supports the reality of this work.

Relationship with blaxploitation

In the early 1970s, blaxploitation films were proliferating in America.

These films featured the black community and depicted urban realities, violence, successes and setbacks.

"”Super Fly’’ is also in this vein, but there is a crucial difference.

While movies tell a story visually, this album depicts the same social structure only through sound.

In other words, this work was not a supplement to the movie, but ““another story’’ parallel to the movie.

The reality shown by “Freddie”s Dead”

His signature song “Freddie”s Dead” is a song that depicts the tragedy of a young man living in a poverty-stricken environment in the city.

However, the tone is not one of emotional grief, but rather calm and observational.

This sense of distance is important, allowing the listener to understand reality as a structure rather than being swallowed up by emotion.

This had a great influence on later street depictions of hip-hop and the expression methods of social R&B.

Works that reduce the distance between music and society

Curtis Mayfield’s innovation lies in the fact that he turned music into an observation rather than an escape.

Until then, in popular music, one of the values was to distance yourself from reality.

However, ““Super Fly’’ puts reality itself at the center of the music.

As a result, soul music transcends entertainment and takes on the character of social documentation.

Impact on subsequent

"”Super Fly’’ had a direct influence on later black music and hip-hop.

A typical genealogy is

Ice Cube (street depiction)
Kendrick Lamar (Social Critical Concepts)
Kanye West (cinematic sampling)
A Tribe Called Quest (jazz/soul fusion)

Examples include.

In particular, the format of ““storytelling + social criticism’’ in hip-hop strongly inherits the structure of this work.

Position in music history

"”Super Fly’’ is a work that liberated soul music from the realm of film music and transformed it into a medium of social criticism.

It was not just a soundtrack, but an attempt to musicalize the very structure of urban society.

In that sense, this work is one of the turning points in the history of black music toward ““music that speaks.’’

Why is it ranked 54th?

"”Super Fly’’ brought social criticism and cinematic structure to soul music, and had a major influence on later hip-hop and contemporary R&B forms of expression.

However, this ranking ranks works that have changed the broader genre structure at the top, so it was ranked 54th.

Nevertheless, this work remains an important reference point today as ““a definitive work that allowed music to speak about society.’’

“‘Super Fly’ is a historical work that transformed soul music into a medium of social criticism and visualized the reality of the city through music. We rank it at number 54 in this ranking as a turning point that expanded the expressive realm of black music.”

6th Part5 (55th place)

There’s a Riot Goin’ On

“The moment when the festive funk collapses inward”

Released on November 1, 1971, There’s a Riot Goin’ On occupies a unique place in the history of black music.

Until then, Sly and the Family Stone had presented a celebratory, open-minded funk, as exemplified by ““Dance to the Music” and ““Everyday People.”

However, in this work, that light is almost extinguished.

What emerges is a heavy, sinking groove, a fragmented sound, and an extremely inward-looking worldview.

This isn’t just a change in style.

This was the moment when the music called funk transformed from a ““community celebration” to ““the collapse of the individual”.

Solitude of Sly Stone

The background to this work is Sly Stone’s mental and physical exhaustion.

In the late 1960s, he quickly became an icon on the music scene, but his success also brought intense pressure and isolation.

He mostly stays alone in the studio, and due to the influence of drugs, production becomes fragmentary and takes a long time.

The resulting sound has a completely different texture from traditional band recordings.

The drum is mechanically shaken
The base is heavy and sinks
Vocals are distant and distorted *Mix is intentionally vague

Rather than ““completed music’’, it was music in the process of collapse.

The innovation of groove “collapse”

The biggest feature of this album is that the ““groove’’, which is the core of funk, is not stable.

Funk usually creates physicality through repetition.

But on “There’s a Riot Goin’ On,” the repetition keeps slipping ever so slightly.

This discrepancy gives the listener an unstable sense of immersion.

This “unstable groove” later influenced the following music.

*Hip-hop chopped sampling

Feels like a broken dub mix *Decadent sound of trip hop
Lo-fi hip-hop texture

In other words, this work is one of the earliest works to present the aesthetics of a “broken beat” rather than a “perfect beat.”

New reality shown by “Family Affair”

Their signature song ““Family Affair’’ is very different from traditional funk.

There is no cheering, no call and response.

All there is is an atmosphere of near silence and an indifferent rhythm.

This song depicts not a celebration of community, but the quiet division of families and relationships.

This depiction of “quiet decay” became the prototype for later introspective expression in R&B and neo-soul.

Anticipating dub-like thinking

The mix of this work is extremely unique.

Sounds are not clearly separated, and echoes and reverberations overlap vaguely.

This feeling has a structure very similar to Jamaican dub music.

Importantly, however, this is less a deliberate style and more a sound that is the result of a collapse.

This ““aesthetics of chance’’ would have a major influence on later dub, trip-hop, and post-production-centered music production.

flowchart LR A[funk] B[collapse] C[dub] D[hip hop] E[lo-fi] F[Riot Goin' On] A --> F F --> B B --> C B --> D B --> E

Turning point in 1970s black music

There’s a Riot Goin’ On represents a shift from the optimistic black music of the early 1970s to something more realistic and introspective.

If What’s Going On from the same period is ““introspection looking at society,” this work is ““introspection as the collapse of the individual.”

These two directions formed the two major genealogies of black music that followed.

Impact on subsequent

The influence of this work is very wide-ranging.

Prince (closed room funk)
D’Angelo (Voodoo groove)
J Dilla (broken beat feeling)
Portishead (decadent sound)
Massive Attack (trip hop)

It had a strong influence on.

Especially since J Dilla’s ““beat sense that includes human deviations’’ is an extension of this album.

Position in music history

"”There’s a Riot Goin’ On” is not a complete version of funk, but a ““deconstruction” of it.

But it was this deconstruction that laid the foundation for later hip-hop, dub, neo-soul, and electronica.

In other words, this work did not end the genre.

**This is a work that created the future by “breaking down” genres. **

Why is it ranked 55th?

"”There’s a Riot Goin’ On’’ is an extremely important work that turned funk inward and transformed the collapse of the groove into musical expression.

However, this ranking ranks works that more directly institutionalize new genres at the top, so it was ranked 55th.

Nevertheless, this work continues to have an extremely large influence as a ““quietly disintegrating revolution’’ in the history of black music.

“‘There’s a Riot Goin’ On’ deconstructs the celebratory nature of funk and transforms decay and introspection into musical expression. It ranks No. 55 in this ranking as a historical work that formed the aesthetic foundation of hip-hop and neo-soul.”

6th Part 6 (56th place)

Mothership Connection

“Funk left Earth and headed for space”

Mothership Connection, released on December 15, 1975, is both the boldest escapism and the most creative redesign of reality in the history of black music.

Parliament dismantled the ““earthly musicality’’ that funk had had up until then - the city, the body, rhythm, society - and brought in science fiction imagination.

The result was the space mythology system called P-Funk.

Mythology of George Clinton

At the center of this work is George Clinton.

He’s not just a bandleader.

He is a “myth creator” who created the fictional cosmic world called P-Funk.

In that world,

Spaceship “Mothership”
Saviors of Funk
A groove that transcends global civilization
A thought system that mixes religion and science fiction

exists.

"”Mothership Connection” is an album that functions as the ““central text” of that myth system.

“De-realization” of funk

Until then, funk was basically an extension of reality.

dance
Street
Sexuality
Society
Community

But P-Funk takes a step away from that.

Instead of painting reality, they created a universe to redefine reality itself.

This shift is extremely important.

This is because it was the moment when music changed from a ““record of reality” to a ““blueprint for a worldview.”

“Give Up the Funk” and the groove community

Their signature song, ““Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker),’’ most clearly shows P-Funk’s philosophy.

The groove here transcends the individual body and extends into a collective celebration.

The audience becomes participants in the ritual rather than listeners.

This structure is later

Hip hop live culture
Rave culture *EDM festival
Block party

It becomes one of the prototypes.

“Universe” as sound

The sound image of “Mothership Connection” was extremely different at the time.

Heavy undulating base
Synthesizer floating in space
Call and response vocals
Radio broadcast-like production
Sci-fi sound effects

By combining these, music becomes a “space” rather than a “performance.”

This spatiality had a strong influence on later club music, ambient funk, and Detroit techno.

P-Funk and Black Identity

The importance of this work goes beyond mere musical innovation.

In America in the 1970s, black culture remained socially repressed.

In doing so, P-Funk did not depict the constraints of reality as they were, but instead expressed liberation by creating an “another universe” outside of them.

This is a different method than directly conveying a political message, and is a more fundamental way of ““liberation through the imagination.’’

Huge impact on successors

Mothership Connection has had far-reaching influences across genres.

Dr. Dre (Fundamentals of G-Funk)
Snoop Dogg (West Coast Funk Culture)
Kendrick Lamar (inherited P-Funk concept)
Bootsy Collins (funk-based aesthetic)
A Tribe Called Quest (jazz x funk structure)

In particular, G-Funk can be said to have directly transferred the sonic world of this album to hip-hop.

Position in music history

"”Mothership Connection” is a work that expands funk from ““earthly music” to ““space music.’’

It’s not an escape.

Rather, it was a strategy to augment reality.

With this work, music has become a medium that can not only depict society but also create a new world itself.

Why is it ranked 56th?

"”Mothership Connection’’ is a historical work that redefined the concept of funk and had a huge influence on hip-hop and club culture.

However, in this ranking, works that institutionalized the genre itself and works that directly brought about changes in music technology and the industrial structure are placed higher, so it was ranked 56th.

Nevertheless, this work continues to have a strong influence today as a definitive work that expanded black music into a “cosmic imagination.”

“‘Mothership Connection’ is a historical work that expands funk into space mythology and gives black music a new dimension of imaginative liberation. As the core of P-Funk culture, it is ranked 56th in this ranking.”

6th Part7 (57th place)

Maggot Brain

“The moment when funk fell from the universe to the inside”

Released on July 12, 1971, Maggot Brain stands at the extreme of the funk genre of the period.

Funkadelic, like Parliament, is part of George Clinton’s cosmic P-Funk philosophy, but this one goes in a decidedly different direction.

It is not an “expansion” but an extreme inward dive.

10 minutes of title song “Maggot Brain”

"”Maggot Brain,’’ a 10-minute guitar instrumental at the center of the album, is unique in funk history.

The performer was Eddie Hazel.

There is an anecdote told that the producer instructed him to play while imagining his mother’s death, but what is more important than the authenticity of this is the fact that this performance is an extremely personal expression of emotion.

There’s no rhythm or groove here.

What exists is extended sadness itself.

“Stop” of funk

Funk is usually rhythmic music.

But at the center of “Maggot Brain,” that rhythm comes to a complete halt.

The drums and bass recede into the background, leaving only the guitar dominating the space.

This structure marks a pivotal shift in the history of funk.

Physicality → Emotion
Groove → Stillness
Group → Individual

In other words, this work puts the funk genre on hold and exposes its inner emotional structure.

“Sadness” as sound

The guitar on ““Maggot Brain”’ isn”t technical fast-playing or flashy phrases.

In fact, it’s the opposite: extremely stretched out sounds, shaky vibrato, and blank spaces dominate.

This “pause” is important.

The boundary between silence and sound becomes blurred, and the listener is guided into a state where they are not “listening” to the performance, but “feeling” it.

This method was later

Ambient
Drone music
Post lock
slow core

It also affects expressions such as

Foreign objects in the funk myth

If ““Mothership Connection” is a cosmic utopia in P-Funk’s worldview, ““Maggot Brain” is the opposite.

There are no spaceships or celebrations here.

All that exists is a collapsed spiritual world and the inner lives of isolated individuals.

It is this bipolar structure that complicates the musical world around George Clinton.

Mothership Connection → outward expansion
Maggot Brain → Collapse inward

This contrast makes P-Funk not just funk, but a multi-layered musical universe.

The boundary between rock and funk disappears

Although ““Maggot Brain’’ is a funk work, it is also often talked about in rock history.

In particular, it is positioned as an extension of electric guitar expression since Jimi Hendrix.

But it’s not just an imitation.

It is unique in that it expresses emotions not through heavy distortion, but through delicacy and emptiness.

This “quiet extreme” also parallels the later post-rock and shoegaze sensibilities.

Impact on subsequent

Although Maggot Brain is not an immediate hit, its musical influence is huge.

Prince (introspective guitar expression)
D’Angelo (Voodoo-like silence groove) *Eddie Hazel’s guitar aesthetic
Post-lock in general
Drone/Ambient music

In particular, the idea of ”“expressing emotions not through rhythm but through the expansion and contraction of time’’ is an important legacy of this work.

Position in music history

Maggot Brain is not an evolution of funk.

Rather, it is the ““inner landscape’’ seen once the funk has collapsed.

Funk, the music of groove, has completely lost its groove here, and instead only the emotional density is stretched to its limits.

This paradox is the essence of this work.

Why is it ranked 57th?

"”Maggot Brain’’ is a work that collapses the concept of funk and presents the extremes of music as an emotional expression.

However, in this ranking, works that redefine the genre structure are placed at the top, so it was ranked 57th.

Nevertheless, this work stands alone as the “culmination of internalization” in the history of black music.

“‘Maggot Brain’ turns the emotion itself into music by collapsing funk. We rank it at number 57 in this ranking as the pinnacle of inner expression in black music.”

6th Part8 (58th place)

Voodoo

“The groove has become something that “sinks” instead of “ringing”“

Voodoo, released on January 25, 2000, was a work that presented the ““completed form’’ of neo-soul before the term was fully defined.

D’Angelo deliberately dismantled the clarity and structure of R&B up until that point, pulling the music in a direction that was more vague, slower, and heavier.

The result was neither a song nor a beat.

“Music as the density of air”.

“Inner extreme” continues from Maggot Brain

There is a clear lineage in the prehistory of this work.

This is the ““extremeization of emotions” in ““Maggot Brain,” which I covered last time.

Funk → Collapse
Guitar → Continuation of sadness
Groove → Stop

This trend was once absorbed into hip-hop and R&B in the 1990s, and was reconstructed.

And ““Voodoo’’ emerged as the culmination of that goal.

“Slowness” becomes the center of music

The most distinctive feature of ““Voodoo’’ is its extreme sense of tempo.

The drums drag back, the bass sinks to the ground, and the vocals float above it.

Here, the very concept of ““getting on the beat’’ becomes ambiguous.

Rather, what is important is

How “slow” does it feel?
How “heavy” does it feel?
How much “space rules”

That’s the feeling.

This is a completely different aesthetic from traditional R&B, and you could call it a redesign of time.

Questlove”s “Drums Behind”

Questlove’s drums symbolize the rhythm of this work.

His playing doesn’t exactly keep up with the beat, but is slightly “off the beat.”

This discrepancy decisively changes the overall groove.

In normal music, discrepancies are errors.

However, in ““Voodoo,’’ that gap is central.

This idea was later

Lo-fi hip hop
Chill R&B
Reinterpretation of breakbeats
Experimental Soul

have a strong influence on

Redefining physicality as “Untitled (How Does It Feel)”

The album’s signature song, ““Untitled (How Does It Feel),’’ has an extremely minimal structure.

Although the rhythm and chords are simple, the space has an unusual density.

What is important here is that songs have changed from being something that conveys emotions to something that presents the body itself.

It’s a return to soul tradition, but also a complete reinvention.

Evolution from Brown Sugar

His debut album, Brown Sugar, still had an R&B framework.

However, in ““Voodoo,’’ that framework is completely dissolved.

Groove over melody
Air over structure
Texture more than song

This change has made neo-soul more than just a genre, but a movement that changes the very perception of music.

“Revolution in the sense of time” in black music

The biggest change brought about by ““Voodoo’’ is the redefinition of the sense of time in music.

Until then, the music was

move forward
Expand
uplift

It had a linear structure.

However, in this work,

stagnate
Circulate
sink

The focus is on non-linear time.

This sense of time is

Chillwave
Lo-fi hip hop
Ambient R&B

It becomes the basis for etc.

Impact on subsequent

Beyond its commercial success, ““Voodoo’’ has been extremely influential musically.

Representative artists who have been influenced include:

*Frank Ocean *The Weeknd *Erykah Badu

Solange
Anderson .Paak

There are others.

The ““spatial R&B” and ““delayed grooves” common to their music are an extension of this work.

Position in music history

“Voodoo” is a masterpiece of neo-soul, and at the same time, it is a work that perfects the “aesthetics of silence” in black music.

There are no flashy developments or excessive embellishments here.

There is only deeper layers of time and groove.

With this work, R&B changed from ““singing music” to ““sinking music.”

Why is it ranked 58th?

"”Voodoo’’ is the pinnacle of the neo-soul genre, and a work that had a decisive influence on black music from the 1990s onwards.

However, in this ranking, historical turning points that created or reorganized the genre itself are placed at the top, so it was ranked 58th.

Nevertheless, this work occupies an extremely important position as the completion of the “redesign of time” in black music.

“‘Voodoo” changed R&B from groove music to “time music’. As the complete form of neo-soul, it is ranked 58th in this ranking.”

6th Part9 (59th place)

Mama’s Gun

“Neo-soul has turned into “inner politics”“

Mama’s Gun, released on November 21, 2000, is an important work that shows that the neo-soul movement is not just a musical style, but is moving toward a reconstruction of values itself.

Erykah Badu further deepens her position as a ““contemporary soul storyteller’’ established with her debut novel Baduizm, delving into more complex, personal, and social themes in this work.

The focus here is not on the outside world.

"”Politics within the universe of oneself’‘.

Inheritance from Voodoo’s “silence”

"”Voodoo”, which was featured in the previous work, presented a new groove concept of ““slowness,” ““silence,” and ““spatiality.”

“Mama”s Gun” is an extension of that, but goes in a different direction.

Groove is something that sinks
Beats can be vague *More fluctuation than perfection

While inheriting this aesthetic, the importance of “words” and “perspective” increases.

Neo-Soul as Femininity

A major feature of this work is the clear foregrounding of the female perspective in neo-soul.

“Femininity” here is not just gender;

Emotional complexity
Affirmation of ambiguity
Emphasis on relationships
Multi-layered inner surface

It refers to the values themselves.

This perspective fundamentally changed the “narrative structure” that had existed in soul and R&B up until then.

The floating time of “Didn”t Cha Know?”

Their signature song “Didn”t Cha Know?” focuses on “fluctuation” rather than a clear beat.

The rhythm does not progress, but drifts.

Codes don”t resolve, emotions don”t stay fixed.

This instability creates a ““space for interpretation’’ for the listener.

At the same time, it functions as a mirror that reflects the listener’s own inner self.

Traditionally, black music focused on messages aimed at the outside world, such as social structures and discrimination.

However, in “Mama”s Gun” that structure changes.

What is dealt with here is

love affair
Self-awareness
Dependency and independence
Distortion in communication

This is a “relationship issue”.

In other words, this work is not a critique of society from the outside, but rather a work that musicalizes the internal structure of human relationships.

“Liveness” of the sound

Erykah Badu’s voice is not overly conditioned.

Rather, it includes elements such as breathing, shaking, and even noise.

This is an aesthetic that is the opposite of digital perfection, and the performances by Questlove, James Poyser, and others are similarly premised on a ““human oscillation’’.

This approach would become an important foundation for later R&B.

“Language” of neo-soul

The importance of Mama’s Gun lies in the fact that it elevates neo-soul into the realm of thought and language, rather than just sound.

Here, music not only conveys emotion;

think
ask
sway

It has this function.

This structure is later

Solange *Frank Ocean *SZA

It is passed down directly to artists such as:

Position in music history

“Mama”s Gun” is a neo-soul work that focuses on “introspection” and “relationships.”

It”s not just an R&B album, it”s also a musical document dissecting the fabric of emotion.

With this work, Soul has returned to individual music, but has also acquired a more complex psychological space.

Why is it ranked 59th?

“Mama”s Gun” is an important work that symbolizes the ideological and emotional deepening of neo-soul.

However, in this ranking, works that directly caused the creation of genres or technological changes are placed at the top, so it was ranked 59th.

Nevertheless, this work is extremely important as a work that completed the “internal politicization” of black music.

”“‘Mama’s Gun’ evolves neo-soul from social criticism to inner politics.It is ranked 59th in this ranking as a work that musicalizes the structure of emotions and relationships.’‘

6th Part10 (60th place)

Channel Orange

“The genre quietly disappeared here”

Channel Orange, released on July 10, 2012, was not an “end point” in the lineage of black music, but rather a work that signaled the disappearance of boundaries themselves.

Frank Ocean inherited the grammar of R&B and neo-soul, but instead of “perfecting” them, he chose to dissolve them in a vague way.

The result is not a genre.

Music is a collection of emotions and memories.

“After” Neo Soul

Neo-soul, represented by ““Voodoo” and ““Mama’s Gun,” perfected its aesthetic in the early 2000s.

slow groove
swaying beat
Introspective lyrics
Vivid performance

However, after that, neo-soul gradually lost its definition as a genre.

And what appeared after that disappearance was ““Channel Orange.’’

“An album without structure”

The biggest feature of this work is that there is no clear genre structure.

song by song

R&B
Seoul
Electro *Hip hop beat
Ambient space

can move freely and there is no fixed style.

However, this does not mean that there is no sense of unity.

In fact, it’s the opposite, only the flow of emotion runs through the whole thing.

Change in R&B after “Thinkin Bout You”

Their signature song, ““Thinkin Bout You,’’ does not have a clear climax like traditional R&B.

Even though the vocals rise to high notes, they end up hanging somewhere in the air.

There is no resolution or catharsis.

All there is is unfinished feelings.

This “unfinishedness” has become the basic structure of R&B since the 2010s.

Sound as memory

"”Channel Orange’’ does not directly depict urban scenes or personal experiences, but rather presents them as fragments of memory.

Night drive *Hotel room
Radio noise
Fragmented conversation
Ambiguous love relationship

These are not stories, but snapshots of memories.

This method will be used later

*The Weeknd *SZA *Tyler, the Creator

etc. have a major impact.

“Degenreization” of black music

The significance of ““Channel Orange’’ is not its fusion of genres.

Rather, it is an invalidation of the very framework of genre.

Until then, black music

Seoul
R&B
Funk
Neo Soul *hip hop

It has been discussed in such categories.

However, this work does not completely belong to any of them.

Here, for the first time, music becomes defined not by genre but by the ““inner world of the individual.’’

“Internalization” rather than “disappearance” of sociality

At first glance, ““Channel Orange’’ may seem to have a weak social message.

However, in reality, sociality has not disappeared.

It is folded inwards, not outwards.

Identity
Sexual orientation
Loneliness
City life
Consumer society

These are not direct assertions, but are embedded as layers of emotion.

Birth of new R&B

After this work, R&B no longer had a clear style.

Instead, it is important that

Atmosphere
Margin
ambiguity
Sustaining emotions

It is.

In other words, ““Channel Orange” changed R&B from a ““genre” to an ““emotional design concept.’’

Position in music history

"”Channel Orange’’ serves as a final stop in the long history of black music.

The physicality of the soul
Neo Soul Introspection
Fragmentation of hip hop
Electronic spatiality

All of these things are melting together and reaching a realm that can no longer be categorized.

Why is it ranked 60th?

Channel Orange is a seminal work that broke down genre boundaries and created a new standard for contemporary R&B.

However, in this ranking, works that were the direct starting point for historical genre formation and technological innovation are placed at the top, so it was ranked 60th.

Nevertheless, this work is a symbolic work that marks the transition of black music from the ““genre era” to the ““individual era”**.

“‘Channel Orange’ liberated R&B from a genre and turned it into music of emotion and memory. We rank it at number 60 in this ranking as a turning point in contemporary black music.”

Next preview (Part 7: Institutionalization of electronic music and the birth of post-clubs)

The innovations in jazz funk and black music in the 1970s eventually spilled into the new space of the club, creating an era of “institutionalized electronic music” such as techno, house, and bass music.