“Five Minutes of Funk” by Whodini
As its title implies this track is indeed five minutes long – and then some. And for the most part it is straight-up rapping. And in all, we can say it is intended to show off the vocalist’s lyrical talents. And yes, it is in fact braggadocious in nature. But it came out way back in the mid-1980s, before rappers took pride in being tough guys or richer than their neighbors. And what the Whodini homeys are actually bragging about is being able to rock the party, again through their lyrical skills. And they go about doing so by dropping what was in fact one of the dopest raps ever up until that point in time.
This is the opening song on the playlist of Whodini’s classic sophomore album, Escape. Jive Records issued the tune on 1 January 1984. And even though it was apparently never released as a single, it was still a big hit in the ‘hood and managed to appear on the Billboard Hot 100.
Who wrote “Five Minutes of Funk”?
“Five Minutes of Funk” was written by Whodini’s main lyricist Jalil Hutchins, alongside his partner John “Ecstasy” Fletcher (1964-2020). And another pioneer in the world of rap music and regular collaborator of the crew, Larry Smith (1951-2014), also co-wrote the tune in addition to producing it.
