"Unity" is a song

Song

In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...

 recorded by Afrika Bambaataa

Afrika Bambaataa

Afrika Bambaataa is an American DJ from the South Bronx, New York who was instrumental in the early development of hip hop throughout the 1980s. Afrika Bambaataa is one of the three originators of break-beat deejaying, and is respectfully known as the "Grandfather" and the Amen Ra of Universal...

 and James Brown

James Brown

James Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...

 as a duet in 1984

1984 in music

This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1984.-Janury-March:*January 21 – "Relax" by Frankie Goes to Hollywood reaches number one in the UK singles chart, despite being banned by the BBC; it spends a total of forty-two weeks in the Top 40.*January 27 – Michael Jackson's...

. It is notable for being the first recording in which James Brown collaborated with a performer associated with hip hop

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

, a then-new idiom heavily influenced by Brown's own funk

Funk

Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...

 music. The record's title and its cover

Album cover

An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially released audio recording product, or album. The term can refer to either the printed cardboard covers typically used to package sets of 10" and 12" 78 rpm records, single and sets of 12" LPs, sets of 45 rpm records , or the front-facing...

 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

Drum machine

A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums or other percussion instruments. They are used in a variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...

 and keyboard

Electronic keyboard

An electronic keyboard is an electronic or digital keyboard instrument.The major components of a typical modern electronic keyboard are:...

-generated timbre

Timbre

In music, timbre is the quality of a musical note or sound or tone that distinguishes different types of sound production, such as voices and musical instruments, such as string instruments, wind instruments, and percussion instruments. The physical characteristics of sound that determine the...

s of electro

Electro (music)

Electro is a genre of electronic dance music directly influenced by the use of TR-808 drum machines, Moog keytar synthesizers and funk sampling...

. The song's rapped

Rapping

Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...

 lyrics

Lyrics

Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...

 are on the themes of "Peace, unity, love, and having fun".

"Unity" contains several references to Brown's earlier recordings. The song's a cappella

A cappella

A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...

 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

Give It Up or Turnit a Loose

"Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" is a funk song recorded by James Brown. Released as a single in 1969, it was a #1 R&B hit and also made the top 20 pop singles chart...

".

A videotape was shot of the vocal recordings of the song in Studio A at Unique Recording Studios

Unique Recording Studios

Unique Recording Studios was a technologically innovative five room recording studio operating in New York City during the years 1978 to 2004. The business got off the ground as a rehearsal studio with a Tascam 8 track recorder in 1978, but soon expanded to 16, and then 24 tracks with the first...

, NYC. The tape was given to Fred Seibert

Fred Seibert

Frederick "Fred" Seibert is a television and film producer and entertainment entrepreneur who owns Frederator Studios, and who has held leading positions with MTV Networks, Hanna-Barbera, and Next New Networks; he owns Frederator Studios...

 and Alan Goodman

Alan Goodman

Alan Goodman has played a key role in creating and launching many media brands since 1981, first in cable television and now for the internet and other platforms....

 of Fred/Alan Inc. to make into an inexpensive music video

Music video

A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...

. The team worked with their in-house producer/director

Music video director

A music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles...

 Tom Pomposello

Tom Pomposello

Tom Pomposello was an American roots musician, notably playing and recording with country blues musician Mississippi Fred McDowell, who also worked as a cable television and advertising producer for clients like Nickelodeon, Nick-at-Nite, and MTV...

 and creative director Marcy Brafman and Peter Caesar to create the video.

Personnel

• James Brown - co-lead vocal
• Afrika Bambaataa - co-lead vocal
• "Chops" - horns
• Brian Banks- keyboards
• Anthony Marinelli - keyboards
• Robin Halpin - keyboards
• Skip McDonald - guitar
• Doug Wimbish
  Doug Wimbish
  Doug Wimbish is a bass player, primarily known for his studio work for the rap/hip hop label Sugarhill Records and his membership of the funk metal band Living Colour. He has played for a vast range of artists, including Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger, Madonna, George Clinton, Paula Cole, Bomb the Bass,...
  
   - bass
• Keith LeBlanc - drums

12" version

A six-part version of "Unity" was released as a 12" record:

1. Unity (Part 1: The Third Coming) - 3:20
2. Unity (Part 2: Because It's Coming) - 3:20
3. Unity (Part 3: Nuclear Wildstyle) - 3:29
4. Unity (Part 4: Can You See It) - 6:47
5. Unity (Part 5: The Light) - 4:15
6. Unity (Part 6: World 3) - 2:44

External links

• [ Review of the Unity 12"] from Allmusic