George Clinton Honored By Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis At Hollywood Star Ceremony

Parliament-Funkadelic legend George Clinton received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Friday (January 19), a long time coming for the 82-year-old. Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Anthony Kiedis, civil rights attorney Ben Crump and longtime Motown songwriter Janie Bradford joined Clinton in speaking at the ceremony in front of the Musicians Institute, which Kiedis nicknamed “Hollywood and George.”

During his speech, Kiedis talked about his introduction to Parliament-Funkadelic in the mid-’70s and how a “seed was planted” to forge his own musical path. He continued, “George Clinton is a national treasure where we all got rich. It’s true.” He then touched on the some of records Clinton has produced for the Chili Peppers, including 1985’s Freaky Styley.

“We started writing,” he explained, “and George started teaching us, and for me personally, George became an instant friend, a teacher, a mentor, a father figure, a coconspirator, an instigator, and honestly a conductor of alien enterprises, truth be told.”

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When it was time for Clinton to step up to the mic, he appeared simply grateful for the inclusion, telling the crowd, “This is an honor to receive this star alongside the many names and notables from the world of entertainment. This is something very special for me […]  I found out there’ll be times when it seemed like everyone knew your name, and there were times when no one knew you. I learned to respect the balance. If I needed to hear my name spoken out loud, I would go to the airport and page myself.”

Clinton’s star is the 2,769th since the completion of the Walk of Fame in 1961 with the initial 1,558 stars.

“One thing I realized is that there is not a single name on this street that did it by themselves,” he added. “There are so many that I stand on that I can’t name them all. But for each and every one of you, I give thanks.”

Parliament-Funkadelic is one of the most sampled funk groups in Hip-Hop. In fact, Dr. Dre’s seminal solo album, The Chronic (1992), leaned heavily on the band’s music to usher in the G-Funk era. The chorus of “Let Me Ride” is comprised of a sample and an interpolation of the chorus of the 1976 Parliament song “Mothership Connection (Star Child),” which itself quotes the Negro spiritual “Swing Down Sweet Chariot.” Listen below.