Funk emerged in the mid-1960s as a revolutionary hybrid of soul, jazz, and blues — one of the first genres to place rhythm above melody and harmony. James Brown and his band pioneered the "funk beat" in the late 1960s, shifting emphasis from the traditional backbeat (beats 2 and 4) to a heavy pulse on beat one, accented by syncopated bass lines and displaced snare patterns. Other pioneers like Sly and the Family Stone, Parliament-Funkadelic, The Meters, and Tower of Power further shaped the genre's identity. Funk typically sits in 4/4 time at 90–115 BPM and is driven by a tight rhythm section of bass, drums, and often wah-wah guitar or Hammond organ. The drum style is distinguished by ghost notes, syncopated kick patterns, displaced backbeats, and linear hand patterns that create a breathing, elastic groove. Its influence is immense — funk rhythms became the foundation for disco, hip-hop, and virtually all modern dance music.