Editing Sly Stone (section)

== Legacy ==
Along with [[James Brown]] and [[Parliament-Funkadelic]], [[Sly and the Family Stone]] were pioneers of late 1960s and early 1970s funk. Their fusion of [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]] rhythms, infectious melodies, and [[psychedelia]] created a new pop/soul/rock hybrid, the impact of which has proven lasting and widespread. [[Motown]] producer [[Norman Whitfield]], for example, patterned the label's forays into harder-driving, socially relevant material (such as [[The Temptations]]' "Runaway Child" and "[[Ball of Confusion]]") based on their sound. The pioneering precedent of Stone's racial, sexual, and stylistic mix, had a major influence in the 1980s on artists such as [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] and [[Rick James]]. Legions of artists from the 1990s forward – including [[Public Enemy]], [[Fatboy Slim]], [[Beck]], [[Beastie Boys]] and [[LL Cool J]]'s popular "Mama Said Knock You Out" along with many others – mined Stone's seminal back catalog for hook-laden samples.<ref name="RSbio" />

"The most talented musician I know is Sly Stone," [[Bootsy Collins]] said in an interview with ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''. "He's more talented than anybody I ever have seen – he's amazing. I worked with him in Detroit from 1981 to '83, and to see him just fooling around, playing, jamming, is a whole other trip. He's the most amazing musician."{{Citation needed|date=November 2023}}