Introduction to Black Feminist Funk

The introduction argues that there is a long line of artistically adventurous African American women whose music made groundbreaking contributions to funk, but whose subtle forms of alternative feminism and intoxicating eroticism led to their marginalization in both historical and contemporary discussions of the musical genre. Their gender identities and intense sexual expressions fly in the face of long-standing narratives about funk, which almost invariably focus on male figures. Since the mid-1960s, when they were among the rhythm and blues-cum-soul artists who helped to produce and popularize the music that came to be called “funk,” African American women have made crucial contributions to the genre. Detailed stories of their participation in the invention and evolution of funk, however, have been few and far between, and they have been mostly relegated to other musical genres believed to be more appropriate for African American women (e.g., rhythm and blues, soul, and disco) or not discussed in the history of funk at all.