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NEWS : STORIES
It's the tail end of prom season, and teen-age couples across the land are looking mistily into each other's eyes as they decide what songs will be "theirs" until the end of time. For some, it will be LeAnn Rimes' cover of Debbie Boone's "You
But the less saccharine-minded among the Stridex set may be checking out the street-smart sonic romance purveyed by R&B vocal quartet Sons of Funk on their debut, The Game of Funk. It could be that with titles like "Make Love to a Thug," no Sons of Funk song is likely to serve as a prom theme anytime soon. And that's just how Sons of Funk like it. "We're the bad boys of R&B," group member Rico (a.k.a. Rico Crowder) explained from his Richmond, Calif., home last week. "We have a different edge. We're not like Boyz II Men; we've got more of a rap edge to [our songs]." Adding some street-smart raunch to smooth, hip-hop flavored grooves such as "Pushin' Inside You" and "Side to Side," the vocal quartet aims to offer listeners the best of both worlds. "People are looking for music that's smooth as silk," Rico explained, "but they also want something sexual with a gritty rap edge. When you listen to a Sons of Funk record, that's what you get." What you also get are songs that borrow liberally from the masters of the genre. "You and Me," for example, nods to the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets," while the structure of "I Got the Hook Up" is very similar to Earth, Wind and Fire's "After the Love Is Gone." Sons of Funk also actually cover an EWF song, turning that group's love ballad "Reasons" into "Sons Reasons" (RealAudio excerpt). Perhaps the most interesting appropriation occurs on "Makin' Luv to My B...." (RealAudio excerpt). Instead of building the song's sound-structure on a familiar hook to ensure wider exposure, the group based the rhythm on the Prince B-side "She's Always in My Hair." "For someone who's a little bit older, that rhythm might be a treat," Rico explained, "but for someone younger, they'll be like, 'Oh shit, that's nice!' " "I'm really into Prince," Rico said. "I've got all Prince's material, and he was really influential to me as a guitarist." For group member Renzo (a.k.a. Lorenzo Chew, 22), the song is a perfect summary of what Sons of Funk are about. "We was trying to take [the song] to a controversial level," he said. "A little something to show people what we're about." Interestingly enough, the four members of the group (Rico, Renzo, Des and G- Smooth) first came together as a vocal group while singing in the choir at the Rhema Christian Center in San Francisco. It was while on a trip to Los Angeles that they first met up with No Limit impresario and fellow Bay Area rapper Master P (a.k.a. Percy Miller), bumping into him in the lobby of a hotel. It wasn't long before they were drawn into the Master's musical orbit. Before releasing their own album on Master P's No Limit label, the quartet logged a few recording sessions with the gangsta rappers who make up the No Limit army, including Master P himself on "I Miss My Homies" and Fiend on "Take My Pain." "We just feel privileged to have that opportunity," Renzo said of the group's pairing with such unlikely partners in rhyme. "They're still a new company, so they really did take a chance on us. We're very appreciative."
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