Africa Unite

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Africa Unite (in German about "Africa, unite") is a song by Bob Marley and his band The Wailers . It was released on the studio album Survival ( 1979 ) as the sixth of ten songs.

Africa Unite is one of the more well-known songs of Marley, especially since the publication of a Hip-Hop - Remixes by Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas in 2005. The song was played regularly on the world tour in 1979 and 1980 is at least one live performance known.

Surname

Like the album "Survival" and the other songs on the album, the name of the song refers to Africa and the need for the unification of African peoples and nations.

Statistical data

The album version is in the key of E minor ; The song was also played in E minor on live performances. The duration of the album version is a little less than three minutes.

Lyrics description

The lyrics include a call to Africa to unite as the African-born people in the Caribbean and African-American people are ready to emigrate from Babylon (the western system) to return to their native Africa. The return has already been announced, so it should be done. The African nations should unite for the benefit of Africans in Africa and Africans worldwide before it gets later than they think. Marley also refers to himself and his Rastafarian belief by saying that Africa is the milestone of his forefathers and that the unification should also be for the benefit of his children.

Music description

The song begins with a short solo of a flute-like woodwind instrument, accompanied by an African-sounding scat by Marley that ends in the chorus . In addition to the singing of Marley, the accompaniment of the I-Threes can be heard and the instrumentalists Tyrone Downie and Junior Marvin at every Africa Unite . The usual offbeat , which is taken over by the keyboard and the rhythm guitar , is joined by the then emerging rockers reggae style of drums . Overall, the music is not typical of the roots reggae popularized by Marley in the 1970s, but rather has an African overtone through the flutes.

Other versions

Alternative versions (e.g. dub versions or new recordings) are not known, however, individual demo recordings of the song have been published on the Internet in recent years . In 2005 the American hip-hop artist Will.i.am remixed the song for the  Black Eyed Peas for the compilation  Africa Unite: The Singles Collection , published on the occasion of Marley's 60th birthday ; the song was promoted on the iTunes Music Store prior to its official release . In addition to the original vocals from Marley and the I-Threes, this remix contains an underlayed hip-hop rhythm and a rap part from Will.i.am; the key of this remix is ​​also E minor and lasts a little over five minutes.

See also

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