​In 1968, Junior Walker & The Allstars released What Does It Take (To Win Your Love). The song, written by Johnny Bristol, Harvey Fuqua and Vernon Bullock, was featured on the groups Home Cookin' album. Motown had determined that the song was not worthwhile releasing as a single, but radio station DJ's pushed the song up the charts. The single for the song was released the following year and it was one of the the groups biggest records - selling over a million copies.  

In the early 1970's, jazz composer and vibraphone player Roy Ayers formed a band called Roy Ayers Ubiquity. In 1973, Ayers, with his group, wrote and produced the soundtrack to the blaxploitation classic Coffy starring Pam Grier. After the success of the heavily praised soundtrack, Ayers began to move away from his jazz-funk sound, and to more of a R&B sound. In 1976, the group released Vibrations album, which included the jazz-funk song Vibrations. The same year the they released Everybody Loves The Sunshine, which included the often-sampled R&B title track.

In 1942 Peggy Lee had her first number one hit. The following year Lee married guitarist and composer Dave Barbour - the two had a child that same year. By 1960, Lee had been married and divorced three times. In the mid-1960's she give marriage a final shot, but it lasted only a year. In 1962 she had a minor hit with the Jerry Leiber and Michael Stoller penned song I'm A Woman. The song was originally recorded in 1962 by R&B singer Christine Kittrell. After covering the song at her live shows, Lee recorded the song later that year, and in 1963 it became the title of her album that featured the song. Leiber and Stoller worked with Lee on the song, re-working the vocal interpretation, and adding in the horn and sax.

In the 1960's, influential New Orleans jazz pianist Allen Toussaint wrote and produced hit songs for Art & Aaron Neville, Irma Thomas, Lee Dorsey and others. In 1965, R&B and pop star Lee Dorsey had a hits with Toussaint's Ride Your Pony, and the follow-up single Get Out Of My Life Woman. In the 1970's Toussaint wrote and produced for The Meters, Dr. John, B.J. Thomas, Robert Palmer and many many more. In 1974, Toussaint produced - and performed on - LaBelle's Nightbirds album, which spawned the provocative worldwide sensation Lady Marmalade. In 1974, Toussant also recorded Rock Show with Paul McCartney & The Wings for their Venus and Mars album.

In 1969, Sly & The Family Stone released the single for Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin), which was later included on the groups 1970 Greatest Hits album. Larry Graham thumped the inventive bass line using the groundbreaking technique he was well know for. Graham developed his technique playing in a duo with his mother, in attempt to make-up for the lack of a drummer. The style inspired other 1970's funk, as well as artists like Prince and The Red Hot Chili Peppers. In 1990, Janet Jackson had a huge hit with Rhythm Nation - which was constructed over a sample of Graham's commanding bass line.

In the 1960's and 1970's, Jive Turkey was a popular and commonly used urban derogatory slang - at the time it was one of the most insulting names to call someone. The term was used by several funk groups, most memorably by the Ohio Players on their song Jive Turkey off their 1974 Skin Tight album. The insult was further popularized in the 1980's by popular sitcom The Jeffersons, reaching a more mainstream audience. By the 1990's the decades old insult was again popularized by Homer Simpson - whose use of the term showed that he was completely out of touch with current slang and trends.

In 1990, American rocker Billy Squire released his solo debut album Tale Of The Tape, featuring The Big Beat - which was once the most sampled beat used in hip-hop history. Squire had previously been a member of other successful bands including Piper, who famously opened for KISS on their 1977 tour. Piper's self-tited debut album was called "the greatest debut ever produced by a US rock band" by popular monthly Circus Magazine. After Piper's second album, Squire signed with Capitol Records to release his solo debut, enlisting KISS lead guitarist Bruce Kulick to the recording studio. The Big Beat has been sampled over 200 times on songs including on Jay-Z's 99 Problems, and on Girl On Fire by Alicia Keys.

In the 1980's electro funk hip hop group The Jonzun Crew preached a science fiction-based message of Afro-futurism. Pack Jam (Look Out For The OVC) was the first single of their 1983 Lost In Space debut album on Tommy Boy Records. OVC is a reference to Sun Ra - a pioneer of Afro-futurism. The OVC was a visual synthesizer that Sun Ra was known for playing, that merged music with visual effects. The Jonzun Crew played all their synthesizers live, which gave them a unique sound in the new age of sequencers. And despite the use of drum machines, most of the albums songs used a life drummer as the main drum track. In 1990, Jonzun Crew released their third and final album Cosmic Love. In the seven years the group pioneered electro and hip-hop, meanwhile group member Maurice Starr also discovered and produced New Edition and New Kids On The Block, and produced records for ConFunkShun, Tom Browne and others.

Masta Ace made his debut on the 1988 hip-hop classic The Symphony, featured as part of the Queensbridge-based Juice Crew. Three years sfter releasing his 1990 solo album, Masta Ace released SlaughtaHouse - the first album from his assembled rap group Masta Ace Incorporated. The group, which was well know their unique style of mixing west coast beats with New York rhyming, also featured rappers Lord Digga, Paul Perry, Eyceurokk and Leschea. The following year, in 1994, Masta Ace Incorporated released Born To Roll - a bass-heavy remix of Jeep Ass Niguh. The highly acclaimed single determined the direction and sound of the groups following Sittin' On Chrome album. Re-releases of SlaughtaHouse have include Born To Roll.

In 1996, hip-hop group Lost Boyz released their debut Legal Drug Money album, featuring their most successful single Renee. The song was also featured in the movie and soundtrack for Don't Be A Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood - which was released two weeks before Legal Drug Money hit the streets. Renee samples Janet Jackson's Funny How Time Flies (When Your Having Fun). The song narrates s story of young man who falls in love with a girl, but the relationship is suddenly ended when she is tragically shot and dies. The songs chorus is a reminder that "ghetto love is the law that we live by."