These songs we talking about is my history. I have to fight for them. I think his early experiments with drugs, uh, very much like mine, psychedelic drugs, I I kind of, uh, influenced a lot of what he did and how he heard music, how he heard sounds. I’ve seen George do some very wild things on stage and, you know, the sheet uh, with not a thing under that sheet. The audience would respond to this though.
They loved it. They loved it. At 84, George Clinton confesses secrets from Parliament Funkadelic. And not all of them are funky. Behind the legendary Grooves was a band torn apart by lawsuits, addiction, and betrayal.
Because they were so talented and they had huge records as well and get paid.
Clinton opens up about the early name disputes that birthed Funkadelic, the drugfueled fallouts that cost him friends and bandmates, and the decadesl long royalty fights that stripped him of his own music. Filed a $100 million lawsuit against his former business partner, Armen Balladian, and several music companies, claiming they wrongfully acquired the rights to his music catalog. From Eddie Hazel’s heartbreaking exit to the shocking lawsuit from Bernie Warl’s widow, the truth is darker than the legacy suggests. This is the untold story of Punk.
Brilliant, chaotic, and still unfinished.
We were too black for white folks and too white for black folks. But the audience that we did have stuck with us, period. And every year there would be more and more with the colleges. In the late 1960s, the music world was about to witness the birth of a revolutionary force in funk music.
All thanks to a series of contractual disputes that led to the formation of Funkadelic.
George Clinton, the mastermind behind the pioneering sounds of Parliament and Funkadelic, found himself facing a major roadblock. The Parliaments, his original R&B group, were caught up in legal battles that stripped them of their rights to the band’s name. The story of these early disputes begins with the Parliaments, a group Clinton had formed in the mid 1960s. We was headlining over top of the OJS and Fresh, whole lot of big stars, and they was all wondering how do we become the headliners of the show.
Their initial success in the R&B and doo-op scenes had set them on a promising path. But as the band’s popularity grew, so did the complexity of their business dealings. By the late 1960s, the Parliament’s record label, Mottown, and other industry players had engaged in contract disputes over the band’s name and rights to their music.
This left Clinton in a precarious situation. He had a group of talented musicians, but no legal identity under which they could continue to perform and record.
To keep the momentum going, Clinton took bold action. In 1968, he formed a new band under the name Funkadelic, which would allow him to keep creating music while avoiding the legal restrictions tied to the Parliaments. This move marked the beginning of what would become a legendary musical era. George Clinton is like the other side in some ways of the MC5 coin in that he took Detroit and spun it. Funkadelic sound was marketkedly different from the soul and R&B that the Parliaments had been known for.
Clinton pushed the boundaries of music, blending psychedelic rock with funk, creating a new sound that was as wild and experimental as it was groundbreaking. It was the only music around that sounded better than the damn English music, which was so very good.
Black still sounded better. But the formation of Funkadelic wasn’t just about a new band, it was the birth of a dual band concept that would forever change the landscape of music. While Parliament would continue to focus on R&B and funk, becoming the iconic party band with groovy baselines and smooth vocals, Funkadelic was more experimental, embracing a psychedelic rock sound.
The two bands, though often using the same musicians, operated in parallel, allowing Clinton to explore different musical ideas without being confined to a single genre. Funkadelic’s debut album, Funkadelic, 1970, was an immediate departure from anything heard on the radio. It combined the freewheeling spirit of 1960s rock with the deep grooves of soul and funk, creating something completely new. This album set the stage for future releases like Maggot Brain 1971, which would become one of the band’s most influential works.
Funkadelic sound was raw, edgy, and unapologetic, blending elements of rock, jazz, soul, and funk into a chaotic yet beautiful concoction of musical experimentation.
While the parliaments were still working through their contractual issues, Clinton had established funkadelic as a new creative outlet. The new band allowed him to explore the heavier, more rebellious side of funk, tackling social issues and breaking musical boundaries. The Parliaments, on the other hand, continued to focus on a more mainstream R&B sound with hits like Give Up the Funk [Music] and Flashlight. solidifying Clinton’s status as a musical innovator in both genres. As the sound of Parliament Funkadelic evolved, so did the internal struggles.
Creative differences and personal disputes led to the departure of several key members, highlighting the difficulties of balancing individual artistry within a collective group.
One of the most notable departures was guitarist Eddie Hazel, whose legendary solo on Maggot Brain remains one of the most iconic moments in funk music. Hazel left due to both personal and professional disagreements, marking the beginning of a series of departures that would affect the group throughout its history. Eddie Hazel’s exit was a significant loss as his guitar work was a defining part of Funkadelic’s early sound. But even with Hazel’s departure, Clinton’s creative vision continued to attract new talent.
In 1970, Bernie Warl, a brilliant keyboardist, joined the band, adding depth and texture to the music. In 1971, Gary Schneider, an extraordinary singer and guitarist, joined, bringing more vocal power to the group. That same year, Bootsie Collins, the legendary basis from James Brown’s band, came aboard, solidifying Funkadelic’s lineup and cementing its reputation as one of the tightest funk bands of the era. In 1974, Clinton revitalized Parliament after signing with Casablanca Records. With the New Deal, Clinton introduced a horn section called the Horny Horns, which also included former members of James Brown’s band.
Parliament’s music began to shift toward smoother, more orchestrated funk with strong vocal harmonies and intricate horn arrangements, while funkadelic continued its raw guitar-based funk rock sound.
Despite this creative division, both bands played together under the collective name Parliament Funkadelic or Punkk, a moniker that represented the diverse musical styles the group had come to embody. A key figure in Parliament’s success was Glen Goens, known for his powerful voice and his role in calling the mothership during live shows. Do you believe that the mothership’s coming? Yeah.
His distinctive voice was an essential part of the band’s iconic Mothership Connection album. And he also contributed to Funkadelic’s recordings during this time, leading songs like Bop Gun, Endangered Species, and Fantasy is Reality. Goens became a fan favorite, but in 1977, he left Parliament Funkadelic due to issues with Clinton’s management, particularly a lack of fair compensation. Goens went on to form his own funk band, Quazar. But tragically, he passed away from Hodkdins lymphoma in 1978 at just 24 years old.
His untimely death left a gaping hole in the funk community. Another influential musician was Billy Bass Nelson, the basist who played a crucial role in Funkadelic’s early albums.
But of course, at the time, I was an arrogant Funkadelic and didn’t care about doing no studio work. Nelson was one of the founding members and is credited with coining the name Funkadelic. His baselines were integral to the band’s distinctive sound, especially on albums like Funkadelic 1970, Free Your Mind, and Your Ass Will Follow 1970, and Maggot Brain, 1971.
However, Nelson left the band in 1971 after a money dispute with Clinton, becoming the first member to leave over financial disagreements. His departure foreshadowed a pattern of musicians leaving due to similar frustrations with Clinton’s management style. After leaving Funkadelic, Nelson played with the Temptations and later had a successful career collaborating with artists such as Lionel Richie, Smoky Robinson, and Fishbone. Nelson, like many other former members of Parliament Funkadelic, gained recognition later as a funk legend. His influence on bass players is immense with modern musicians like Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and John Norwood Fiser of Fishbone citing him as a major influence.
Nelson’s work with Funkadelic was sampled extensively in hip-hop music, securing his place as an icon in the world of funk.
In the 1980s, things started to fall apart for Parliament Funkadelic. Some members felt left out and unhappy with the way the band was being run. Clarence Fuzzy Haskins, one of the original members, decided to start his own version of Funkadelic. This move caused a big problem because both groups were using the same name.
Fans were confused and arguments began over who had the right to perform under the name Funkadelic. It turned into a legal fight with both sides claiming they were the true band. These rival bands showed that there were deep disagreements behind the scenes. Each side had a different idea of what the band’s legacy should be, and no one wanted to give up control. I’m going to make you sick.
I’m going to make you sick of me. At the same time, George Clinton, the leader of the band, was struggling with his own problems. George had a hard battle with drugs during these years. His substance abuse began to affect his leadership and the way the band worked together. People close to him said his behavior would change a lot and sometimes he made decisions that hurt the group.
When the leader of a band is not stable, it makes the whole group unstable. Members started losing trust and friendships began to break. Drugs did not only hurt George but also started to spread through the band, creating even more problems. I think his early experiments with drugs, uh, very much like mine, psychedelic drugs, I kind of, uh, influenced a lot of what he did and how he heard music, how he heard sounds. Years later, George Clinton faced a major lawsuit from the estate of Bernie Warl, the band’s famous keyboard player.
After Bernie died, his widow claimed that George had not paid him the money he was owed. She said they had made a deal back in 1976 to share royalties from music sales and live shows, but George broke that promise. According to her, George kept most of the money for himself and gave band members drugs instead of their fair share.
She accused him of using drugs to control the group and keep them loyal to him. The lawsuit also made shocking claims about how George treated his bandmates.
Bernie’s widow said George had a long history of breaking contracts and making false promises. She claimed he handed out drugs freely, making it easy for members to become addicted. Many band members struggled with addiction for years because of this. Some needed professional help to get clean, while others sadly never recovered. A few even lost their lives because of drug problems that started during their time in the band.
A documentary called Tear the Roof Off, the untold story of Parliament Funkadelic, also supported these claims.
Some members said George would give them drugs and then later take money out of their paychecks to cover the cost. Grady Thomas, another member, said George would walk around with drugs and use his long fingernail to hand them out. The widow said this was how he kept control of everyone. Instead of paying them fairly, he made them depend on him for drugs.
This created a toxic cycle that hurt many lives. I’ve seen George do some very wild things on stage and you know the sheet uh was not a thing under that sheet. The audience would respond to this though they loved it. They loved it because it was you know anarchy. The lawsuit painted a dark picture of George’s leadership.
It showed how drugs and broken promises tore the band apart and ruined lives.
Many members spent years trying to fight their addictions. Bernie WH’s widow believes George must take responsibility for the damage done. Even now, while George is still performing on his final tour before retirement, these painful stories continue to follow him. He was a pioneer of funk music, but he says others profited from his talent.
And now, legendary musician George Clinton wants his fair share. Many members of the band started to complain about not getting the money they felt they earned. They said royalties, which are payments for songs and albums sold, were missing or not shared fairly. Some members believed the leaders of the group were not open about how the money was handled. This lack of trust made friendships inside the band weak.
Arguments about money turned into bigger fights, and some members decided to leave because they felt cheated. Handling money in a big band is hard.
And when people think they are not paid fairly, it can break the whole team apart. Copyright infringement of Mr. Clinton’s music based on fraud.
We’re here to write this historic wrong. George filed a big lawsuit against music executive Armen Badian and several of his companies. Clinton says Balladian ran a decadesl long plan to cheat him out of his money and the rights to his own music.
According to Clinton, Balladian and his businesses, including Bridgeport Music, Westbound Records, Nine Records, Southfield Music, and Eastbound Records, fraudulently took about 90% of his music catalog. Clinton believes this is not just a legal fight, but a fight for his life’s work and legacy.
“I am fighting for my life’s work and to make sure future artists are treated fairly,” Clinton said in a statement. The lawsuit explains how Balladian worked closely with Clinton between 1968 to 1975 and again from 1981 to 1991. During that time, Balladian acted as Clinton’s business partner, publishing administrator, financial adviser, and agent. Clinton now claims that while acting in those roles, Balladian was secretly taking control of his music. He says Bladian used abusive, deceptive, and fraudulent practices to steal his songs and profits.
Clinton’s legal team says this was not just a mistake or misunderstanding. They believe it was a planned effort to strip Clinton of what he had created over decades. Clinton also accuses Balladian of keeping royalties that belonged to him and not giving proper financial records to show what money was made.
The lawsuit further claims added fake songwriters to Clinton’s music so that the royalties would be divided into more pieces, leaving Clinton with less of the earnings. In the music business, royalties are a big source of income, especially when songs are used in movies, commercials, or sampled by other artists.
Clinton says Balladian took advantage of this system for his own gain. The complaint also calls Balladian a copyright troll. In the music industry, a copyright troll is someone who collects the rights to music, sometimes in questionable ways, and then sues producers or artists who sample the songs.
Clinton says Badian has been doing this for years with his music. According to the lawsuit, Balladian even created different versions of contracts in the 1980s to make it look like Clinton agreed to give him and his companies a bigger share of royalties.
Clinton says he never signed such agreements and that they were made without his knowledge or consent. Clinton also claims that Balladian made secret deals with record labels and other companies to use his music without informing him. He says he found out only when he heard his songs in movies, TV shows, and ads. Examples in the lawsuit include the classic track Give Up the Funk, Tear the Roof Off the Sucker, being used for the ride soundtrack in Guardians of the Galaxy, Mission Breakout, and for the movie The Purge: Election Year. His famous song Atomic Dog was sampled for Digadiga Dog in the movie 102 Dalmatians.
Clinton also names ads for Apple and WhatsApp that used his music without proper payment to him. Clinton’s lawsuit is asking for compensatory and punitive damages, meaning he wants to be paid back for what he lost and for extra damages for the wrongdoing. He also wants his copyrights returned to him.
His lawyers say Clinton has been denied tens of millions of dollars in royalties. Some reports claim Clinton is seeking as much as $100 million in damages.
Clinton has been outspoken about why this fight matters to him. “When you are young and just starting out in music, it is easy for people to take advantage of you,” he said. “Now my eyes are open and I want to shine a light on the truth and stop the exploitation of musicians.” This is not the first time Clinton and Balladian have gone head-to-head in court. They have been fighting over music rights for more than 30 years.
In the early 2000s, Clinton tried to regain control of his publishing rights, but lost. However, in 2021, Clinton won a defamation case after Balladian sued over claims in Clinton’s memoir that Balladian fabricated documents and robbed him of his music. This long history shows how deep the dispute between the two men runs.
These songs we talking about is my history. I have to fight for them.
Attorney Richard Bush, who represents Boladian and Bridgeport, responded to the lawsuit. He told Variety, “This is just the latest in a series of lawsuits that Mr. Clinton has filed against Bridgeport and Armen Badian over the last 30 years raising the same exact issues. He has lost every single time, including in this very courthouse. We will be moving to dismiss this lawsuit and seek sanctions.
Balladian side insists Clinton has no case and that these accusations have been settled before. Clinton is also dealing with another major lawsuit. He has accused the Blackeyed Peas of copyright infringement for the third time in just 3 months. This time, Clinton says his signature was forged to clear a sample for two tracks by the group. His lawyers are seeking millions in damages over two remixes of their 2003 hit Shut Up.
The most recent remix, Shut the Funk Up, appeared on their 2009 album, The ND, and a live DVD. The songs used a major sample from Parliament’s 1979 track, Not just Knee Deep.
It didn’t work. Clinton says the producers asked him for permission, but he refused to sign any deal. He claims someone forged his signature on the licensing contract, making it look like he approved it when he did not.
This comes after two other lawsuits were filed against the Blackeyed Peas in October over different songs. Clinton’s case is especially strong because he has a long history of negotiating licenses for samples of not just kneedeep.
His music has been used by artists like Delisoul, Snoop Dogg, and LL Cool J. And Clinton has often defended his rights in court. In 2011, he even settled a case against the Black Eyed Peas over the same song.
Clinton has also been in another legal battle involving the famous lawyer Johnny Cochran Jr.’s ‘s law firm. Clinton sued the Cochran firm, claiming malpractice caused him to lose the copyright to his music. He says one of Cochran’s employees failed to represent him properly in a dispute with Bridgeport Music and did not file an important appeal on time. That mistake, according to Clinton, cost him ownership of part of his catalog.
In another blow, Clinton had to give up the rights to four of his classic songs to pay off debts to a law firm.
Hris and Lewis, which represented Clinton from 2005 to 2008, sued him for unpaid legal fees and won a $ 1.5 million judgment. To collect the money, a federal judge granted the firm the rights to hardcore jollies, the electric spanking of war babies, Uncle Jam Wants You, and the legendary One Nation Under a Groove. While Hrix and Lewis controls the rights, they can profit from the music in any way they choose until the debt is paid off.
Clinton has already paid a large portion of the debt and is fighting to get the rights back. For Clinton, this is more than just money. His music is his legacy, and losing control of it is deeply personal.
The songs in question are not just hits. They are part of funk history.
Clinton has said many times that he wants to protect his work, not just for himself, but for future musicians. He sees his legal fight as a warning to young artists to be careful with contracts and to make sure they keep control of their creations..
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