10 Musical Artists Who Are Keeping Funk Alive

There's something to be said for prolific output, a quality Diamond Ortiz has in spades. The Bay Area talent has been on a tear since 2015, when he released his EP Boomerang. He followed that up with Special Request and Loveline in 2016, along with his newest album, Baby Lotion, this year. Ortiz isn't just about quantity, though, his music also has an authentic 80s P-Funk spirit - laced with talkboxes, keyboard synths, and precisely programmed drumbeats.

Ortiz's output is made even more amazing by the realization that he's doing a good deal of the heavy lifting himself. The artist plays the bass, guitar, synths, and drums (in addition to laying down his own vocals). Mix that level of skill with features from the likes of Crystal Jackson, Moniquea, and John Payne, and the result - sexed-up funky-pop with timeless lyrics - seems inevitable.

The West Coast charm is ratcheted up even further by Ortiz's hilarious music videos, like I Love California. This ode to the "best place in the world" is complete with classic lowrider cars, vintage clips of 90s teens and bikini girls, and the trademark "fun in the sun" attitude Californians are known for the world over. "We love Cali girls," indeed, Mr. Ortiz.