Where did the funk go?

What does the term "funk" mean? The pocket drumming of the Meters, guitar riffs of Melvin "Wah Wah Watson" Raglin, slap bass of Larry Graham, wah-bass of Bootsy, and clav work of Stevie died a miserable death in '90 when the Time had their last hit with "Jerk Out." It was an old Prince-track resurrected for their final reunion album and made popular merely because the world was happy to see the group who'd all seen solo success either on stage or backstage reunite as the unit who whipped "The Kid's" ass in Purple Rain. But has anyone truly succeeded being "funky" w/o sneaking it in since?

Chuckii Booker's bass work and pockets on his albums Chuckii and Niice 'N Wiild fell on deaf ears as his prettier R&B melodies soared to the top of the charts. Mint Condition soon followed and met with the same fate. [A sin, I say. No band as good and funky as Mint should only be known for ballads.] Me'shell N'degeocello was heralded by Rolling Stone as "the future of the funk" when she released her sophomore masterpiece Peace Beyond Passion. But who cared? Really, who bought her album because they missed the slapping funk of Slave's Mark Adams, Cameo's Aaron Mills, or Prince? I dare say the "rainbow coalition" had more to do with Me'shell's fanfare than funkheads. [Another sin, I say. The funkiest musician on the planet in the last 20 years should be known for more than banner carrying.]

They slid some funk in on us while we weren't looking though. Keith Crouch behind Brandy's five-millon selling debut claved and mooged us some nasty stuff, even if "Moesha" was so cute and captivating we thought it was about the sanging. Crouch laid the funkiest keys and grooves beneath Lalah Hathaway, Montell Jordan, Rahsaan Patterson, Ray J, Kenny Lattimore, Toni Braxton and others and has perhaps the most underrated and unappreciated sound in black music of the 90s.

The slickest of all were Timbaland, Raphael Saadiq and Rich Harrison. Timbaland's ASR-10 programmed beats behind Aaliyah, Ginuwine, and Missy for starters was the closest thing to Prince's innovative Linn Drum programming of the 80s. (check “When 2 R in Love” vs. “One in a Million.”) Saadiq continues to slip in pockets, wah wah effects, and Louis Johnson-level bass work in his countless productions. Rich Harrison, a Washington DC area native, incorporated go-go sounding breaks in his productions of Beyonce, Amerie and Jennifer Lopez making the entire world dance to funk whether they understood it or not.

So how funky is your chicken? In your very own collections, it's right there. Still not convinced?
Here's 20 to get you started:
1. Blood Sugar Sex Magik - Red Hot Chilli Peppers
2. Funky Ride - Outkast
3. My High - Mint Condition
4. Touch - Chuckii Booker
5. Come & Get Me - Jay-Z
6. Let it Go - Ray J (from Set it Off or Everything You Want)
7. I Got it Bad - Tevin Campbell
8. The Way - Me'shell N'degeocello
9. Trippin' - Lucy Pearl
10. Sumthin' Sumthin' - Maxwell
11. Sprung on You - CeCe Peniston
12. Bulls on Parade - Rage Against the Machine
13. Shiver - Maroon 5
14. Bad Habit - Joss Stone
15. Bad Habits - Maxwell
16. Talking in His Sleep - Toni Braxton
17. Glow - Kelis
18. Hit 'em Wit Da Hee (Remix) - Missy Elliott
19. I'm So Famous - Joi
20. Cold Blooded - Common