Inner Circle Founder Ian Lewis says he want to take a proactive approach to reclaiming market share for reggae music and one such way is to a do a “we are the world” type of song. Speaking exclusively with WMV, from his Miami home, Lewis said, “We could push for a ‘We Are The World’ song, a unity song, everybody come together and let’s show the unity.”
“We Are the World” is a charitable anthem originally recorded by a supergroup of singers in USA for Africa in 1985 penned by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie. The song was produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian. It holds the distinction of being the eighth-best-selling physical single of all time, with over 20 million copies sold. The idea started in December 1984, when musician and activist Harry Belafonte, along with fundraiser Ken Kragen, envisioned an American benefit single for African famine relief.
Lewis didn’t identify a charity that would benefit from the proceeds of the single in the same way “We Are The World” did, but he asserts that his mission is to show the world a united front with talented reggae musicians.
“We want to show the world what reggae is all about. One Love and unity,” he said.
More recently in response to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, a remake titled “We Are the World 25 for Haiti” was released on February 12, 2010, featuring another all-star cast. The proceeds from this version contributed to aid efforts in Haiti.
In March 2020, Lionel Richie proposed the idea of creating a third version of the song to convey a message of global solidarity during the COVID-19 pandemic and to raise funds for aid efforts.
As for who will be a part the “Reggae Unite” song, Lewis, owner of Circle House Studios in Miami said every artist doing reggae from bother coasts are invited.
“Just bring your heart and soul, check your ego at the door, we want people to understand this is not a music to disrespect.”
Lewis’ idea for a “Unity Song” comes as reggae music sales and streams take a dip in the US and new albums were nowhere be found on the major Year-End Charts. “Legend: The Best Of Bob Marley & The Wailers” by Bob Marley and The Wailers was the only reggae album on the Billboard 200 Year-End Chart revealed last week. The album first released in May 1984 moved up to No. 66 (No. 77 last year and No. 60 in 2021) on the Year-End chart, which ranks albums across all genres. While on the Top Albums Sales chart Legend lands at No. 34. Legend, released by Island Records also topped the Year-End Reggae Chart for a fourth consecutive year.
Last year’s Engaging Music Report conducted by the International Federation Of the Phonographic Industry showed that reggae was at the bottom of the top 10 most listened genre globally.
In reflecting on his past success Lewis identified his RIAA Gold selling song “Bad Boys” as an example of what reggae music can achieve even beyond the song. “‘Bad Boys’ was one song that spanned four movies and made over two billion dollars. A song is a song and you don’t know where it will go,” he said.
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s “Bad Boys” movie franchise which just concluded production for the latest installment was named after the song, and “Bad Boys” was selected as the theme song for the TV series Cops because the producer was a fan of Inner Circle.
“Bad Boys” was first release October 1987 as part of the album “One Way,” then its gained renewed attention when it was included in the 1992 “Bad to the Bone” album. In 1993, the track was re-released as the second single from the album. It reached at No. 52 on the UK Official Charts and peaked at No. 8 in the United States. 1993 was the most successful for reggae and dancehall music in general accounting for the most artist to enter the chart in a single year including Shabba Ranks, Parta, Super Cat, Buju Banton and others.
“Brazil is the biggest audience I play for over 150,000 people on the beach in Rio de Janeiro,” Lewis recalled, adding that the band also performed at Woodstock.
