The Afrofuturism of Sun Ra and George Clinton: specific in themes, global in scope

 Afrofuturism refers to a concept that fuses the culture of the African diaspora with themes such as science and technology. Afrofuturism spans numerous mediums, from the science fiction novels of Octavia Butler to films such as Marvel’s Black Panther.

Within music, however, Afrofuturism is primarily associated with two figures: Sun Ra and George Clinton, who dabbled in numerous genres - from early jazz and soul to funk.

As the figure most commonly associated with Afrofuturism, Sun Ra could be considered the founder of Afrofuturist music. Originally a jazz musician, Sun Ra pushed the limits of the genre, beyond the ‘big band’ approach of musicians such as Duke Ellington and Thelonius Monk.

His song Calling Planet Earth, composed in the 1970s, exemplifies his style. Ostensibly a fairly traditional jazz song, Sun Ra introduces synths, African percussions and psychedelic vocal effects to create something unmistakeably unique. What is rather remarkable about Sun Ra is that his music, despite its strangeness, is highly accessible to the average jazz music listener. But it is fair to say that, with his Arkestra, Sun Ra is less of a bandleader, in the vein of say, Louis Armstrong, and more an orchestra conductor. While watching his performance on David Letterman, it struck me that perhaps Sun Ra aimed, with the Arkestra, to elevate his Afrofuturist music beyond jazz to classical music. And as the conductor, Sun Ra was also a performer, in his costumes, walking to his musicians (also in costumes); he essentially made sure that his ideas were not just heard but also seen. 

Sun Ra’s lyrics, of course, had science and space themes and his interest in these themes are also seen in his album covers. The cover of Jazz in Silhouette, one of his early and traditional works, is an illustration of a naked woman orbiting a moon. In this sense, even though the songs in Jazz in Silhouette are conventional jazz, Sun Ra still made sure that he was seen as an avant-garde artist.

While Sun Ra explored Afrofuturism within the confines of jazz music, George Clinton’s music is unmistakably modern. As one of the innovators of funk music, his output with Parliament and Funkadelic is generally considered on par with Sly Stone (who was the preeminent funk musician of the 1970s). While Clinton explores Afrofuturist themes in lyrics, his legacy, I think, is more rooted in his danceable sound. Listening to Parliament’s music, I was, as my fellow classmates, reminded of modern acts such as De La Soul, OutKast, Red Hot Chili Peppers (whose album Freaky Styley was produced by Clinton) and Janelle Monae, the latter of whom deals explicitly with Afrofuturist themes and sounds.

It is quite hard to summarise Afrofuturist music as it covers a dizzying array of concepts and music genres and styles. But one thing is clear: Sun Ra and Clinton changed music as a whole. Their influence still endures, decades later. The music we hear today - from hip hop to psychedelic rock to R&B - has its roots in these two artists. I think this makes Afrofuturism extraordinary; a concept supposedly restricted to specific themes and experiences is truly global in its impact.