Singled Out: Billy Ray Rock 4 Fingers Get Up

The King of Funk Rock, Billy Ray Rock, just released his new single "4 Fingers Get Up", and to celebrate we asked him to tell us about the track. Here is the story:

I wanted to come up with a concept for a song that makes people want to dance, but also has breaks in it-much like you would typically find in an EDM track. I wanted to incorporate funk with breaks in the action to allow people, when they're listening, to slow down their thoughts before jumping back into a high-energy part. I felt like that was not being done, or hadn't been done, in quite some time in music.

My commitment to funk music has to do with making music that's fun. As I often say, you can't spell funk without the F-U-N. This track was created in that spirit.

Of course, I play all the instruments on this song, and in creating all the instrumentation, I wanted to make sure it was devoid of too many verses. I feel like music nowadays sometimes has too many verses, and people really just want to get to the chorus-because with the chorus, the fun happens.

In creating this track, I also wanted the end of the song to feel like there was a party going on that wasn't going to end anytime soon. Oftentimes, songs just kind of fade into the sunset and don't leave you wanting more. I tend to create songs with an old-school mentality, with a lot of different elements and parts, so it can be pleasing for everybody. For example, one person might like a particular break, another person might like a certain lead into the chorus, and another person might just like the chorus itself.

Look, I know that when I create songs, everybody isn't going to like every part, and everybody isn't going to like the song in its totality. But when you make a song like "Four Fingers Get Up," I wanted to give people as many reasons as possible to like it-reasons that promote a good time when they listen and ultimately make them want to get up and dance, bob their head, or do something that brings enjoyment.

Every song I've ever made has been created so people who don't know me can hear it and find enough enjoyment that, as they move on with their lives, they'll sometimes reflect back on that song and what they were doing at that time in their life. That has always been my primary mission in creating music: to give people a reference point in their lives-sometimes for good, sometimes not so good-but at least give them a tool to reflect and maybe enjoy their life more. That could be because things weren't so good back then, or because they're looking back at a great time in their life.

The point of this song was to encompass slow grooves, breakdowns, and outrageous funk throughout the track.

Hearing is believing. Now that you know the story behind the song, listen and watch for yourself below and learn more here

Singled Out: Billy Ray Rock's Get the Funk

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