(May 4, 2022) Funk master Elijah Baker brings a lot of elements into play on his latest single, “Just Dance 2.” The track is a reimaging of a song by the same name that appeared on Street Save ‘Ya, Baker’s 2007 album. Baker has always rested comfortably in that place where funk and hip-hop intersect, and that is definitely the case with “Just Dance 2.”
“Just Dance 2” moves from turntable scratching to New Jack Swing, to an homage to the bass line from “Atomic Dog” to the kind of tight brassy harmonics that were a staple of 1970s era funk. And all of that takes place in the first 45 seconds.
(May 4, 2022) Funk master Elijah Baker brings a lot of elements into play on his latest single, “Just Dance 2.” The track is a reimaging of a song by the same name that appeared on Street Save ‘Ya, Baker’s 2007 album. Baker has always rested comfortably in that place where funk and hip-hop intersect, and that is definitely the case with “Just Dance 2.”
“Just Dance 2” moves from turntable scratching to New Jack Swing, to an homage to the bass line from “Atomic Dog” to the kind of tight brassy harmonics that were a staple of 1970s era funk. And all of that takes place in the first 45 seconds.
Funk influenced musical genres like rap and New Jack Swing, and many fans of those musical styles found themselves bouncing on the one even if they might not have known much about funk music. Of course, rappers knew about funk music because they sampled rap songs and revered the pioneers of funk music like James Brown and George Clinton. So for an artist like Elijah Baker to incorporate those musical styles in a song makes “Just Dance 2” a musical history lesson. And a funky one at that. Check it out here.
By Howard Dukes
Elijah Baker - "Just Dance 2"