Disco legends Kool & the Gang on making music 'fun' again, their new album, and being the most sampled R&B act of all time

• Disco legends Kool & the Gang are releasing their 26th studio album, "People Just Want to Have Fun," on July 14.
• Founder and drummer George Brown spoke to Insider about the project and wanting to make music "fun" again.

Disco legends Kool & the Gang released their debut, self-titled studio album in 1969. They've since sold over 70 million albums worldwide and won two Grammy Awards, seven American Music Awards, and a BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award.

They've even been given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Now, 45 years on from announcing themselves to the world, the band are preparing to release their 26th studio album, "People Just Want to Have Fun."

"You've got the funk, you've got the jazzier tracks, we have a few ballads on there, then there are songs that cross over to a pop sort of thing," Kool & the Gang founder and drummer George "Funky" Brown, who also produced the new album, told Insider of the project.

The album, which releases on July 14, will be the last to feature the work of the group's founding members, Ronald Bell and Dennis Thomas, who passed away in 2020 and 2021 respectively.

Brown and bass player Robert "Kool" Bell are the only other two founding members to feature on the project, with the group having recruited a host of young talent, including singer Sha Sha Jones and rappers Ami Miller & Ole', to complete their lineup.

"We go from the '70s, the '80s, right into now. It's old school, it's new school — we kinda captured it all here," Brown added.

Listening to the music of Kool & the Gang, whether it's the snazzy "Celebration," the funky "Fresh," or the groovy "Get Down On It" — one word that always springs to mind is "fun."

The bass lines are fun. The drums are fun. The lyrics are even more fun. Hell, they even released a song in 1982 called "Big Fun."

"People Just Want to Have Fun," is, as the title suggests, no different.

"That's always been our trademark," said Brown."The positive lyrics, the guitars, the horns — that's the Kool & the Gang sound."

"Modern music is missing a lot of that, you know, fun," the 74-year-old musician added. "You hear so much detriment in today's music: 'Look what I've got, what I have, or who I am.' It's not about getting out on the dance floor anymore."

Speaking of modern music, a large number of modern, and older, artists have sampled Kool & the Gang's songs in their work.

In fact, Kool & the Gang boast the impressive title of being the most sampled R&B act of all time.

According to the website WhoSampled, the group's songs have been sampled over 1,900 times, largely in the world of hip-hop, including memorable turns on Mase's "Feel So Good," Luniz's "I Got 5 On It," and Eric B. & Rakim's "Don't Sweat the Technique."

More recently, their music has been sampled by R&B star Jhené Aiko and rapper The Game.

Brown said the band considers it an "honor" to have been sampled by so many other artists.

"We are honored and blessed," he said. "We think it's a compliment to the music. We like it and we like to utilize it ourselves at our shows, too."

Brown added that Jade's sampling of "Jungle Jazz" on their 1992 smash hit "Don't Walk Away" is among his favorites.

"That track came out so wonderful," he said. "I love reminiscing."

Listen to Jade's "Don't Walk Away" here:

And Kool & the Gang's "Jungle Jazz" here:

The new-look Kool & the Gang will take "People Just Want to Have Fun" on tour this summer as part of their Rock the World Tour.

Starting on May 5, the group will be visiting a host of major cities in the United States, including Los Angeles, Orlando, and Las Vegas, as well as the United Kingdom and Bulgaria.

"Touring is fun," Brown said. "When we get ready to step out on that stage, when you exhale and people just light up, that's when you know you're going to have a great time."

"We all have a great time on stage, from the heart, a seriously great time. The people have a great time and so do we," he added. "We're happy when the people are happy."

"People Just Wanna Have Fun" is released on July 14.