Legacy of Kool & The Gang
Artists and genres Kool & The Gang directly influenced — one hop forward on the family tree of music.
Red Hot Chili Peppersartist
Here Come the MummiesartistHere Come the Mummies (HCTM) is an American funk band best known for its live performances and anonymous band members.
Black Ivoryartist
EPMDartistEPMD is an American hip hop duo from Brentwood, New York. The duo's name is an initialism for "Erick and Parrish Making Dollars", referring to its members: emcees Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. During an interview on college radio station WHOV in 1987, Parrish Smith stated that the name evolved from the original: "We were originally known as "EEPMD", but chose to go with EPMD because it was easier to say." He also stated that they dropped the two "E's" because N.W.A's Eric Wright was already using "Eazy-E" as his stage name. The group has been active for 39 years.
Liberty Xartist
DJ Koolartist
Kylie Minogueartist
Frank Farianartist
Jimmy Cliffartist
Van HalenartistVan Halen was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guitarist, Eddie Van Halen.
Michael Jacksonartist
Elton Johnartist
Bob Geldofartist
Princeartist
Guy Berrymanartist
Atomic Kittenartist
KylieartistKylie Ann Minogue is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and the fashion world as a major style icon. Her accolades include two Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards and eighteen ARIA Music Awards. Minogue is the highest-selling Australian-born female artist of all time, with sales surpassing 80 million records worldwide. Minogue received two Guinness World Records. In 2024, Time included her in its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Uptown Funkartist"Uptown Funk" is a song by British-American DJ and record producer Mark Ronson featuring American singer Bruno Mars. It was released on 10 November 2014, as the lead single from Ronson's fourth studio album, Uptown Special (2015). "Uptown Funk" was written by Ronson, Mars, Jeff Bhasker, and Philip Lawrence; it was produced by the aforementioned first three. The song began during a freestyle studio session while they worked on a jam Mars and his band had been playing on tour. Copyright controversies arose after the song's release resulting in multiple lawsuits and amendments to its songwriting credits.
Saving All My Love for Youartist"Saving All My Love for You" is a song written by Michael Masser and Gerry Goffin. Originally recorded by Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis Jr. for their album Marilyn & Billy in 1978, it was revisited by American singer Whitney Houston, who recorded the ballad for her self-titled debut studio album in 1985. It was released on August 13, 1985 by Arista Records, as the second single from the album in the United States, and third worldwide after "All at Once".
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Princeartist
Dirty MindartistDirty Mind is the third studio album by the American singer-songwriter and musician Prince. It was released on October 8, 1980, by Warner Bros. Records.
Tsunkuartist
Ooooooohhh... On the TLC TipartistOoooooohhh... On the TLC Tip is the debut studio album by American girl group TLC, released on February 25, 1992, by LaFace Records. The title of the album comes from the last line of Left Eye's rap on "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg".
N.Y. State of Mindartist"N.Y. State of Mind" is a single by American rapper Nas from his debut studio album Illmatic (1994). The song's production was handled by DJ Premier who sampled two jazz songs: "Mind Rain" by Joe Chambers and "Flight Time" by Donald Byrd. Additionally, Premier scratched up vocal samples from "Mahogany" by Eric B. & Rakim and Nas' vocals from his appearance on "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source co-featuring Joe Fatal and Akinyele. Nas raps two verses on the song in which he talks about his rapping talent and describes the dangerous environment that is the city of New York over a drum break sample of "N.T." by Kool & the Gang. Nas has attributed the song "Streets of New York" by Kool G Rap as one of the song's primary influences. Sequels to "N.Y. State of Mind" can be found on Nas' 1999 album I Am... and on Nas' and DJ Premier's 2025 album Light-Years. On January 28, 2019, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).