Head Hunters  by Herbie Hancock

The 1973 album Head Hunters by Herbie Hancock is one of the most significant milestones in music history, as it redefined the boundaries between jazz and funk. The album combines jazz-funk and jazz fusion. This album was the artist's twelfth record. Hancock abandoned the experimental sounds of the past for a more "earthy" sound, influenced by Sly Stone and James Brown.

The recording of Head Hunters was completed in just one week at Wally Heider Studios and Different Fur Trading Co. in San Francisco. The production used overdubbing and editing techniques that were then considered "forbidden" for traditional jazz. Electric keyboards (Fender Rhodes), Clavinet, and ARP Odyssey synthesizer dominate the sound. The producers of the album were Herbie Hancock and David Rubinson. Tracks like Chameleon and Watermelon Man have formed the basis for dozens of hip-hop and pop hits (e.g., by 2Pac, Nas, and George Michael).

Although initially criticized by jazz "purists" as overly commercial, today it is considered a masterpiece. It reached No. 13 on the Billboard 200, remaining on the charts for 42 weeks. In 2007, it was included in the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress as a culturally significant work.