Short answers, pulled from the story.
Funk music emerged in the mid-1960s when James Brown shifted the focus of the groove to the downbeat, the first beat of the measure. This new approach called On the One began with the 1964 hit single Out of Sight and solidified with the 1965 releases Papa's Got a Brand New Bag and I Got You (I Feel Good).
In a typical funk band the rhythm section serves as the heartbeat of the entire composition consisting of the electric bass drums electric guitar and keyboards. The bassline plays the hook of the song often using syncopated eighth notes or sixteenth notes to create a driving feel while drummers emphasize the downbeat with an even-note syncopated guitar rhythm.
George Clinton and his bands Parliament and Funkadelic created the P-Funk subgenre which referred to the music by George Clinton's bands and defined a new era of musical expression. Clinton played a principal role in several other bands including Parlet the Horny Horns and the Brides of Funkenstein all part of the P-Funk conglomerate.
Funk music addressed issues faced by the African American community in the United States during the 1970s such as poor economic conditions and themes of poor inner-city life in the black communities. Songs like One Nation Under A Groove from 1978 and Chocolate City from 1975 raised awareness about the challenges that Blacks overcame during the 1960s civil rights movement and the potential power that Black voters wield.
In the 1980s electronic instruments drum machines and synthesizers began to replace the core elements that formed the foundation of the P-Funk formula. Electronic drum machines such as the Roland TR-808 Linn LM-1 and Oberheim DMX replaced the funky drummers of the past while the slap and pop style of bass playing were often replaced by synth keyboard basslines.