Roger

• Genre: Electro-Funk

About

G-Funk rolled into suburban homes in the Midwest on souped up funk hydraulics, wheezing keyboards and vocodor boxes -- all of which were borrrowed from Electro-Funk. By the time Dr. Dre became a megastar, Electro-Funk's biggest vocodor advocates and innovators, Zapp and their frontman-turned-solo-artist Roger Troutman, had stopped releasing music due to fading public interest. Which isn't to say they hadn't left their mark: Zapp earned several chart notches, while Roger's solo "I Want to Be Your Man" and "Computer Love" -- two sublime songs that twist and turn with every wriggling note -- did the radio and Billboard rounds. After the records stopped selling and he threw in the towel, Roger's role as G-Funk predecessor was highlighted by an appearance on the Dre/2Pac hit "California Love." In 1999, Troutman's brother (and former Zapp member) Larry ended both their lives in a double murder/suicide.

- Kali Holloway