Afrika Bambaataa & (The Godfather Of Soul) James Brown – Unity (EP) (1984) (Vinyl) (FLAC + 320 kbps)
“Unity” is a song recorded by Afrika Bambaataa and James Brown as a duet in 1984. It was the first recording in which Brown collaborated with a performer associated with hip hop, a then-new idiom heavily influenced by Brown’s own funk music. The record’s title and its cover showing the two performers clasping hands express solidarity between the two styles. The song’s music is similar in its structure to Brown’s own funk songs of the late 1960s and 1970s, but uses the drum machine and keyboard-generated timbres of electro. The song’s rapped lyrics are on the themes of “Peace, unity, love, and having fun”. The single charted #87 R&B.
“Unity” contains several references to Brown’s earlier recordings. The song’s a cappella opening paraphrases the beginning of his 1970 song “Get Up, Get Into It and Get Involved”, and an instrumental passage in the middle of part 1 is borrowed from his 1969 hit “Give It Up or Turnit a Loose”
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