Zapp by Zapp

Zapp is the debut studio album by the American funk band Zapp, released on July 28, 1980 by Warner Bros. Records. The album's style was highly similar to Parliament-Funkadelic, as the band was working with and being mentored by both Parliament members William Earl "Bootsy" Collins and George Clinton during the album's production. The album was produced by Zapp frontman Roger Troutman and Bootsy. The Troutman family of the Zapp band had close ties with the Collins family, both being Ohio natives. This friendship proved instrumental in Zapp gaining a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in 1979. Zapp was recorded between late 1979 and early 1980 at the United Sound Studios in Detroit, Michigan, of which Parliament-Funkadelic frequented. The album reached #1 on the US Billboard Hot R&B tracks chart for 2 weeks in fall 1980. The album has been cited as one of the definitive albums of early 1980s electro funk, bringing the genre to mainstream attention. The album has also served as a partial source toward the creation of the G-funk sound of hip hop music, which became popular on the West coast of the United States during the early and mid 1990s. Zapp was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in November 1980.