George Clinton's 'Gon Make U Sick' Of All This Funk In 2018

We're dang near a quarter-century into the new millennium and George Clinton is still out here slingin' gut buckets of funk. At this point, the good Dr. Funkenstein is more than a living institution; he's half-man, half-amazing.

This week he dropped a new single — featuring the rapper Scarface — and conducted a rare Reddit AMA. True to form, both are full of explicit doo-doo. (Click the link if you want to hear about the craziest thing he's ever witnessed onstage and his preference for making love with or without a diaper.)

Fortunately, "I'm Gon Make U Sick O'Me" is of the eargasm variety, with Clinton singing lead as he promises to provide the illness and the antidote to his love thing. The song rides a knee-deep synth bass groove with horny horn embellishments from Fred Wesley, Pee Wee Ellis, Greg Thomas and Benny Cowan. The first song in 38 years from Parliament — billed as the more soulful/R&B-leaning outfit within Clinton's P-Funk empire back in the day — it leads off the forthcoming album, Medicaid Fraud Dog, the follow-up to 1980's Trombipulation.

Last time we heard from Clinton, he was fronting the return of Funkadelic with featured artist Kendrick Lamar on "Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard On You," the lead single to 2014's First Ya Gotta Shake The Gate. That album followed the release of his totally engrossing memoir, Brothas Be, Yo Like George, Ain't That Funkin' Kinda Hard On You.

But it's hip-hop and other descendants of the funk that have him in a headlock right now. When asked during his AMA what artists are currently floating his boat, Clinton name-checked a wide range, including experimental producer Flying Lotus, Billboard record-setter Cardi B, former collaborator Kendrick Lamar and "[a]ll that s*** coming out of Atlanta," he added. "All that trap s***. I'm trapped in it."

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