“Funky Beat” by Whodini

There isn’t really much to interpreting this song. It features Whodini celebrating the sound of their music, how they’re able to get the party jumping so to speak.  More specifically it serves as a shoutout to Grandmaster Dee, the group’s DJ. The implication would be that he created the “funky beat” that serves as the instrumental (although he didn’t).  And he is also applauded for his turntable skills.  Moreover, this particular track is a rarity in the band’s catalog in that it actually features Grandmaster Dee as a vocalist.

This is the opening track and lead-off single from Back in Black, Whodini’s third album. It was officially released by Jive Records and Arista Records with the rest of the project on 29 April 1986. And it broke the top 20 of the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, in addition to making it onto the Dance Club Songs listing.

The music video of this song was one of the first ever in the history of rap to feature who at the time was a nonmusical, A list celebrity. And that would be Malcolm-Jamal Warner of The Cosby Show fame, who is depicted getting busy in a dance club.

All three members of Whodini (Jalil Hutchins, John “Ecstasy” Fletcher and Grandmaster Dee) are credited as co-writers of Funky Beat. And so is the track’s producer, Larry Smith.