"Funk is its own reward" : an analysis of selected Lyrics in popular funk music of the 1970s

This research examined popular funk music as the social and political voice of African Americans during the era of the seventies. The objective of this research was to reveal the messages found in the lyrics as they commented on the climate of the times for African Americans of that era. A content analysis method was used to study the lyrics of popular funk music. This method allowed the researcher to scrutinize the lyrics in the context of their creation. When theories on the black vernacular and its historical roles found in African-American literature and music respectively were used in tandem with content analysis, it brought to light the voice of popular funk music of the seventies. This research will be useful in terms of using popular funk music as a tool to research the history of African Americans from the seventies to the present. The research herein concludes that popular funk music lyrics espoused the sentiments of the African-American community as it utilized a culturally familiar vernacular and prose to express the evolving sociopolitical themes amid the changing conditions of the seventies era