Bootsy started working with Clinton again in 1980. The results were the next album 'Ultra Wave' for Warner Bros. and the 'Sweat Band' record for Clinton's Uncle Jam label, both falling short commercially and artistically of his previous recordings, but P-Funk and Bootsy did hit the road again later that year.

The 'Greatest Funk on Earth' tour was followed by the final record for Warner 'The One Giveth, The Count Taketh Away' and the dance remix single 'Body Slam', his biggest success since 'Bootzilla'. After a brief stint with Clinton on the Atomic Dog Tour in 1983 Bootsy finally decided to break from the P-Funk camp and start to do session work. In 1987 he appeared on the Sly&Robbie album 'Rhythm Killers' produced by Bill Laswell. Bootsy appeared on several records produced by Laswell in the late eighties like Herbie Hancock's 'Perfect Machine' and the first 'Colorcode' album by Stevie Salas.Their co-operation eventually led to the release of Bootsy's next album 'What's Bootsy Doin'?' for Sony Music in 1988. He would contribute hugely to Laswell's diverse projects, eventually becoming a core member of the ever growing community of musicians around Laswell for a few years. Together, they would take the evolution of Funk into the age of cyberpunk and virtual reality in the early nineties by creating Bootsy's alter ego Zillatron. But first, Bootsy did join an upcoming young band from the New York club scene: Deee-Lite.