Music

To audience chants of “we want the funk; we gotta have that funk,” George “Dr. Funkenstein” Clinton received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

His star, the 2769th, is located at 6752 Hollywood Blvd. in front of the Musicians Institute. Speaking at the ceremony on Friday (Jan. 19) were Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, civil rights attorney Ben Crump and songwriter Janie Bradford. 

As the mastermind behind the legendary bands Parliament/Funkadelic, Clinton steered the way across the cosmos to such classics as “(I Wanna) Testify,” “P. Funk (Wants to Get Funked Up),” “Star Child (Mothership Connection),” “Tear the Roof Off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk),” “Flash Light,” “Aqua Boogie,” “One Nation Under a Groove,” “(Not Just) Knee Deep” and “Atomic Dog.” Along the way, Clinton also influenced a diverse range of artists from the Red Hot Chili Peppers to Kendrick Lamar. 

Acknowledging all the members of his bands over the years, Clinton said, “Lots of them are here, lots of them not. But for all of them I say thanks and I’m blessed to be representing a bunch of funky mothers. Thank you, Hollywood!”

Here are some additional soundbites from Clinton’s star ceremony:

Clinton: Noting to audience laughter that he was going to read his speech “because I’m so emotional and ain’t no way in hell I’m going to remember all this s—,” the newly minted Hollywood Walk of Fame inductee called it an “honor to receive a star alongside the many notables from the world of entertainment. The old fans and new fans who let the music move their souls; you all know who I’m talking about [because] I’ve always said it’s the people who make the funk. [Also] thank you to the Omega Psi Phi fraternity] brothers who adopted ‘Atomic Dog’ as their national anthem and keeping it relevant for over 40 years. Damn! 40 years. Now as we drop the star, let it be a symbol not just for George Clinton but for the power of the funk, the power of unity of one nation under a groove. This acknowledgement does not mark a destination or even a pause because we’re still going forward. I was encouraged by [artists] like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, De La Soul, 2Pac, Kendrick Lamar, Prince, Red Hot Chili Peppers and all those who said funk inspired them. They used the DNA of funk and that inspired me to go on in my fight for musical rights — thank you, Ben Crump — and not just for me but for all [artists’] rights that have been mishandled.”

Kiedis: “Welcome to the corner of Hollywood & George,” joked the RHCP shared that he first learned about George Clinton when a fellow student at Los Angeles’ Fairfax High brought Parliament’s Chocolate City album to school for show and tell. Years later in 1985, the Peppers released their Clinton-produced album Freaky Styley. “For me personally, George became an instant friend, teacher, mentor, a father figure, a co-conspirator, instigator. I love George Clinton with all my heart,” Kiedis concluded before leading the audience in a singalong of a “small spiritual hymn” as he warbled the chorus to “P. Funk”: “Make my funk the P-Funk / I wants my funk uncut …”

Crump: “Now more than ever in the world, we need music that brings us all together. And nobody’s music brings us all together quite like this brother’s brings us together — one nation under a groove. This brother got brothers and sisters all across the globe coming together through the Mothership Connection. He got people in Europe, Australia, Africa and North America walking around in daytime with a flashlight looking for the P-Funk. That’s why we celebrate the one and only, the iconic George Clinton: the father of funk music, Dr. Funkenstein himself.”

Bradford: Looking back at the ’70s heyday of Funkadelic, Bradford pointed out that Clinton “announced his retirement in 2018 and today in 2024, George [at 82] is still working [touring, readying three recording projects and painting]. “My kids think I’m cool because I know George Clinton. I think I am blessed that he is my friend and I am his. Congratulations, George!”