Kamala Harris likes this Rock and Roll Hall of Fame band from New Jersey
Vice President Kamala Harris knows the funk.
P-Funk, that is.
A video of Harris pulling a Parliament Funkadelic founder George Clinton Funko doll out of a bag is starting to recirculate on social media.
“So you want to know what I brought? So you want to know that I got the George Clinton doll. Does everybody know who George Clinton is?” Harris says.
More: Clarence 'Fuzzy' Haskins, original member of Parliament Funkadelic, has died
There appears to be screams of delight when the doll is pulled out, but silence from those immediately in front of Harris. A man with sunglasses behind her appears to be a Secret Service agent, and he's silent throughout.
“Do you know P-Funk? No. OK, well there are lessons to be taught,” Harris says. “Bootsy Collins. Does everybody know who Bootsy Collins is? OK, there's some education to be done, I can see that.”
Harris added that she also bought a Miles Davis album and later spoke of a women's right to choose.
More: George Clinton honored in Plainfield, Newark: P-Funk founder retraces his roots in big day
Clinton, 83, founded the Parliaments vocal group in a Plainfield barbershop. It grew from there into Parliament Funkadelic with a spirit-lifting merging of funk, R&B, rock, gospel, classical, doo-wop and jazz, all set off by outlandish stage costumes, fantastical narratives and stage props like the Mothership.
The Mothership now resides in the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture at the Musical Crossroads gallery. Clinton, Collins and P-Funk are in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Harris video, from Feb. 22 at Della Soul Records in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was filmed by C-Span and posted by Howard Mortman, communications director for C-Span, the same day it was shot. The vid was then shared by Clinton in February on his social media.
Harris is a music fan. Her campaign song is “Freedom” by Beyoncé, and she hosted a “50 Years of Hip-Hop” concert at the vice president’s residence in Washington, D.C., in 2023.
Harris and her husband Doug Emhoff, a native of Matawan, rocked to sets from Lil Wayne, Common, MC Lyte, Wale, Doug E. Fresh, Slick Rick and more.
“Hip-hop now shapes nearly every aspect of American popular culture, and it reflects the incredible diversity and ingenuity of the American people. I truly believe hip-hop is one of America’s greatest exports,” Harris said.
P-Funk songs have been sampled on multiple iconic hip-hop songs, including classics by Snoop Dogg, De La Soul, Grandmaster Flash, Public Enemy and more.
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Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Kamala Harris: Parliament Funkadelic is a favorite group
