Michael "Clip" Payne

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Michael "Clip" Payne (born William Michael Payne on September 25, 1958 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American musician. He has been a member of Parliament , Funkadelic, The P-Funk Allstars and the Parliament-Funkadelic collective since 1977.

Career[edit]

First credited on Parliament's 1979 release "Gloryhallastoopid" with "Choir Chours", he has appeared on over 20 Parliament-Funkadelic collective recordings primarily as a vocalist and keyboardist.[1] Payne, who is sometimes called "The Man in the Box", typically acts as an on-stage commentator during Parliament-Funkadelic's live performances.

Payne's first professional work was the recording of Edwin Starr's "Twenty-Five Miles" with producer Norman Whitfield.[citation needed]

Payne founded WEFUNK International in the late 1980s as a vehicle for his solo projects which became WEFUNK AD2k Records and Filmworks in 1999. Payne is listed as the CEO of the company which is based in Woodstock, NY. Currently associated with the label are the groups DRUGS, 420 Funk Mob, and Cacophonic FM, all of which are led by Payne, as well as Stefanie Keys, Joey Eppard, and Stoney Clove Lane.[2]

The winter of 2019 Mike Clip Payne and Parliament/Funkadelic have begun the band's final "One Nation Under A Groove" Tour with Fishbone, Galactic, Dumpstaphunk and Miss Velvet and the Blue Wolf. This year has also seen the debut of Mr Payne as an actor, appearing in the Independent film "The Plagiarists". Variety stated, "Michael Payne is a musician and it shows in his delicious, melodic delivery of this prose-poem." His performance was singled out by the online publication, Film Threat, "Clip is welcoming but laconic. Payne does a formidable job balancing 'Warm and Erie'.. kudos to Payne who expertly handles a tricky scene."[3]

Selected discography[edit]