RHCP: White boys who brought funk to MTV.

Fishbone: Black geniuses who brought funk to the future.

Don’t get it twisted — without Fishbone, there’s no RHCP.

Before the Red Hot Chili Peppers ever swayed and strutted on MTV with their infectious funk-rock sound, Fishbone had already been the unsung pioneers of this fusion, pushing boundaries and breaking down walls long before mainstream audiences could even grasp what they were doing. Fishbone didn’t just play music—they deconstructed it, blending punk, ska, funk, metal, and soul into a kaleidoscopic chaos that was too raw, too real, and way too ahead of its time for most people to comprehend. They were a bridge between cultures, styles, and sounds, effortlessly blending influences in a way that felt revolutionary.

Meanwhile, RHCP took the pieces that Fishbone had crafted—funky basslines, frenetic energy, and that irresistible groove—and polished it for the masses, making it digestible, catchy, and mainstream. They brought funk to the forefront of the 90s rock scene, making it cool for a wider audience. But don’t for a second think they did this alone. Fishbone showed them the way, walked the path, and paved the road they would later stroll down in their own light. Without Fishbone‘s fearless experimentation, RHCP’s funky hits wouldn’t have had the same foundation.

Fishbone took the musical landscape by storm, forging an entirely new sound that wasn’t just ahead of its time—it was time-defying. They had everything: the raw energy of punk, the complexities of jazz, the passion of soul, and the infectious beats of funk, all wrapped in an unapologetically black and bold ethos. They weren’t about fitting in, they were about making people sit up, pay attention, and rethink the very essence of genre itself. And yet, they never got the recognition they deserved in the mainstream.

In contrast, RHCP took what Fishbone had ignited and ran with it, catapulting into stardom and becoming the face of funk-rock for a generation. They made funk rock mainstream and even iconic—but they never would have reached those heights without Fishbone’s untamed genius laying the groundwork.

So, next time you hear RHCP grooving to a funky beat or belting out their signature mix of rock, remember who showed them how it’s done. Fishbone didn’t just influence them—they created the blueprint. Fishbone was the spark that lit the fire for the funk revolution, and while RHCP may have made it a household name, they never would’ve reached that point without the creative revolution Fishbone had already set into motion.