Acclaimed soul/funk outfit Con Funk Shun ruled the R&B charts with their 1977 smash “Ffun.” It was one of the top party anthems of the late ‘70s and Con Funk Shun’s biggest hit. This sizzling funk classic still hits as hard as it did when it was first released nearly 50 years ago. It has a badass intro that sounds like a mechanized funk factory coming to life. The track features powerful horns, an explosive beat, nasty guitar licks, and a ruthless bass line. Cedrick Martin ran his bass through a Mu-Tron III envelope filter pedal to give it that thick, rubbery, deep-funk sound. Paul “Maceo” Harrell sweetens the groove with an exquisite flute solo, and Michael Cooper and Felton Pilate serve up bucketloads of soul on their co-lead vocals. The song is about a couple going out for a fun night of dancing, romance, and excitement.
“Ffun” was written and arranged by Michael Cooper, Con Funk Shun’s lead singer and guitarist. He wrote the song on a tour bus between shows as a tribute to Atlanta-based R&B/funk band Brick, whose hit song “Dazz” greatly inspired him, specifically its fantastic flute solo and great horn lines. “Ffun” was the lead single from Con Funk Shun’s Gold-certified album Secrets (1977). Skip Scarborough produced the song, which spent two weeks at the top of Billboard’s R&B singles chart and reached #23 on the Billboard Hot 100.
“Ffun” has been sampled on 16 songs, including Beyoncé’s 2019 “Welcome (Homecoming Live)” and Ice Cube’s “My Skin is My Skin” (1994).
The full Con Funk Shun lineup for “Ffun” was Michael Cooper (guitar, lead vocals), Felton Pilate (trombone, lead vocals), Cedric Martin (bass), Karl Fuller (trumpet), Louis A. McCall Sr. (drums), Danny Thomas (keyboards), and Paul “Maceo” Harrell (saxophone, flute).
Con Funk Shun performing "Ffun" at Sinbad's Summer Jam 2: 70's Soul Music Festival in 1996
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