Funk legend Bootsy Collins has finally delivered his new project, Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, via Bootzilla Records/Roc Nation.
The 18-track offering was preceded by the title track (featuring Bootdullivan and Myra Washington), “The InFluencers” (featuring Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Dave Stewart, Westcoast Stone and Fantaazma), “Pure Perfection” (featuring Bedroom Bootsy, Giz and Fantaazma) and “The JB’s Tribute Pastor P” (featuring Harry Mack, Clyde Stubblefield, John “Jabo” Starks, Fred Wesley and Daru Jones).
The latter song was made in honor of Stubblefield and Starks, two influential drummers and Collins’ former James Brown bandmates, who passed away in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
“One thing I’ve learned is they have a distinct signature, meaning nobody plays like them. Clyde has a distinctive fire to his way of playing. Nobody sounds like Clyde but him. Back in the day, he was just having fun with it. He didn’t know he had created something that people would sample for years,” Collins told Rated R&B in an exclusive interview.
He added, “Jabo was like the King of New Jack Swing. You know that new jack beat? Well, that’s Jabo’s beat. People have no idea that that’s where that came from. And so it’s like I was there in the middle of those cats growing and learning because that’s where I learned how to play drums, by watching them.”
Speaking on Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, Collins shares, “When I start on a project now, it’s about getting the energy from people around me. Because the way I came up, with a band, I don’t ever want to lose that. It’s important to me to see who the universe brings for me, and I’ve been really blessed that every time I want to do a new record, I get these incredible musicians around me, right on time. And that’s what this album is about—hooking up with different musicians and artists, and mainly a lot of young people.”
Album of the Year #1 Funkateer includes additional appearances by Collins’ alter egos — Bootdullivan, Bootzilla, Caspar the Funked Up Ghost, Zillatron and Bootronix — Musiq Soulchild, October London, Kurupt, Ice Cube and others.
Soulchild and London appear on the slow-burning standout “Reach the Zone” alongside Bedroom Bootsy. Here, their vocals glide effortlessly over the lush production while Collins smooth-talks about intimacy like no other.
Songs like “I.Am.AI” and “Ubiquitous” are more forward-thinking as Collins contemplates a world shaped by artificial intelligence.
Album of the Year #1 Funkateer, Collins’ 23rd album, is the follow-up to his 2020 project, The Power of the One.
Stream Bootsy Collins’ new album The Power of the One below.
