At 84, George Clinton is a funk legend, ubiquitous hip-hop sample source, father of psychedelic Afrofuturism... and now, a painter with a show opening in Paris.

Through it all, the self-taught American artist, the force behind the celebrated groups Parliament and Funkadelic, has hewed to his signature vison: "Gotta have that funk."

Clinton exploded on the scene in the 1960s, making his debut in Motown before gathering a talented crew of artists to create P-Funk, a new, fusional musical style that would deeply influence the likes of Prince, Snoop Dog, Kendrick Lamar, D'Angelo and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

"We came out of the psychedelic era and everything was permissible," Clinton told AFP.

"I could free my mind, I could do whatever the music turned out to be."

Blending soul, funk, ro

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