10 Most IMPORTANT Rock Musicians Of The 90s
6. Flea
After all of the hair metal acts of the previous decade were left in the past, it seemed like anything was fair game as far rock music was concerned. So long as it had conviction and wasn't trying to pump out any sell-out stuff, it had just as much of a chance of actually making it on the charts. Then again, no one could have possibly been prepared for the arrival of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Though these California rockers had been making waves on the scene as far back as the early '80s, the real draw came to the forefront once Flea took to the stage. While always in the trenches with Anthony Kiedis, Flea gave the entire bass community a gold standard to live up to, being one of the few superstars behind the four-string aside from Gene Simmons or Sting.
Once you dug a little deeper beyond the hits though, there was a lot more to offer than just the simple funk rock licks, with bits of punk rock and even some free jazz elements incorporated into his playing style along with the funk side. Instead of just kicking the typical funky jam, this was Parliament Funkadelic by way of Black Flag, which only grew melodically with each passing record. For as much as the Chili Peppers may be looked at as a democracy, Flea is still the living embodiment of everything awesome about these kings of the West Coast.