"Freedom" is a

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake str ...

song released on

Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. In the United States, it i ...

featuring a chorus of over 60

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

female artists and groups of note in hip-hop, pop and R&B music including

En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single ...

, Aaliyah, Vanessa L. Williams,

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rap music, rapper, Disc jockey, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 19 ...

SWV SWV (Sisters with Voices) is an American R&B vocal trio from New York City whose members are Cheryl (Coko) Gamble, Tamara (Taj) Johnson, and Leanne (Lelee) Lyons. Formed in 1988 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B g ...

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

, and Monica. It is a cover of Joi's song of the same name from her 1994 album '' The Pendulum Vibe''. Both versions were produced by

Dallas Austin Dallas L. Austin (born December 29, 1970) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, and film producer. Biography Early life During a 2019 interview with DJ Vlad, Dallas Austin detailed previously unknown or unconfirmed events in ...

and

Diamond D Joseph Kirkland (born April 5, 1968), better known by his stage name Diamond D, is an American hip hop MC and record producer from The Bronx, New York City, and one of the founding members of the Diggin' in the Crates Crew, abbreviated as D.I.T. ...

Background

The all-star recording of both the song and solemn black-and-white video for "Freedom" took place directly after the

American Music Awards of 1995 The 22nd Annual American Music Awards were held on January 30, 1995, at the Shrine Auditorium, in Los Angeles, California. The awards recognized the most popular artists and albums from the year 1994. Performances Notes * " Tutti Frutti"'s 40th ...

. According to its promotional single's liner notes, the song was a tribute to women of the past like

Harriet Tubman Harriet Tubman (born Araminta Ross, March 10, 1913) was an American abolitionist and social activist. Born into slavery, Tubman escaped and subsequently made some 13 missions to rescue approximately 70 slaves, including family and friends, u ...

, Sojourner Truth,

Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "th ...

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was married to Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his death. As an advocate for African-American equality, she ...

Shirley Chisholm Shirley Anita Chisholm ( ; ; November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional distr ...

, and

Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, philosopher, academic, scholar, and author. She is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A feminist and a Marxist, Davis was a longtime member of ...

who played major roles in black resistance, as well as the empowerment of women of the present. "Freedom" is a cover of a song originally performed by underground R&B singer Joi on her 1994 album ''The Pendulum Vibe''. The song was re-recorded as the official theme for the award-winning film ''

Panther Panther may refer to: Large cats *Pantherinae, the cat subfamily that contains the genera ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' **'' Panthera'', the cat genus that contains tigers, lions, jaguars and leopards. *** Jaguar (''Panthera onca''), found in So ...

''. The song was produced by

and

, and reached the top twenty of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1995. The song featured established and up-and-coming female R&B and pop singers. The vocals were arranged by singer

Angie Stone Angela Laverne Brown (born December 18, 1961) known professionally as Angie Stone, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. She rose to fame in the late 1970s as member of the hip hop trio The Sequence. In the early 1990s ...

, and

Me'Shell Ndegéocello Michelle Lynn Johnson, better known as Meshell Ndegeocello (; born August 29, 1968), is a German-born American singer-songwriter, rapper, and bassist. She has gone by the name Meshell Suhaila Bashir-Shakur which is used as a writing credit on so ...

contributed bass guitar. A music video was also released to promote the song. It went top five on the

MTV Jams BET Jams is an American pay television network controlled by BET Networks and owned by Paramount Media Networks. The channel features hip-hop and urban contemporary music videos. The network, formerly known as MTV Jams, was rebranded under the B ...

countdown, and number two on BET's

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlant ...

Video Soul ''Video Soul'' is a two–hour long American music video program that originally aired on BET (Black Entertainment Television) from June 26, 1981 to September 1996. The program was devoted to showcasing R&B and Soul recording artists and perfo ...

'' Top 20 weekly countdown. Retail and promotional releases of the single also featured a rap-only version of the song featuring Salt-N-Pepa,

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...

, Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes of TLC, Yo Yo,

, Da 5 Footaz, Patra, and

. The music video for this version was directed by

Antoine Fuqua Antoine Fuqua (born May 30, 1965) is an American filmmaker, known for his work in the action and thriller genres. He was originally known as a director of music videos, and made his film debut in 1998 with ''The Replacement Killers''. His critica ...

. The single peaked at number 10 on ''Billboard'''s R&B Singles Chart and number 45 Pop, contributing to the success of soundtrack album on the charts (number 5, R&B Albums and number 37 Pop Albums).

Track listing

;CD single # Freedom (Theme From Panther) (4:30) # Freedom (Theme From Panther) (Rap Version) (4:20) # Freedom (Theme From Panther) (Edit) (4:04) ;Vinyl single # Freedom (Theme From Panther) (

's Crystal Mix) (6:06) # Freedom (Theme From Panther) (The Black Bag Mix) (4:30) # Freedom (Theme From Panther) (Dallas' Vocal Rap Mix) (4:30) # Freedom (Theme From Panther) (Dallas' Dirty Half Dozen Mix) (5:08) # Freedom (Theme From Panther) (Dallas' Clean Half Dozen Mix) (4:20)

Contributing artists

* Aaliyah *Felicia Adams *May May Ali *

Amel Larrieux Amel Eliza Larrieux (née Stowell; born March 8, 1973) is an American singer-songwriter and keyboardist. Larrieux rose to fame in the mid-1990s as a founding member of the duo Groove Theory along with Bryce Wilson. After leaving the group in 199 ...

*Az-Iz * Blackgirl *

* Tanya Blount * Brownstone *Casserine * Changing Faces * Tyler Collins *

N'Dea Davenport N'Dea Davenport (born September 22, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and producer. She was the lead vocalist in the UK acid jazz band the Brand New Heavies and made pioneering contributions to the genre of acid jazz. Career He ...

*Da 5 Footaz *E.V.E. (Ebony Vibe Everlasting) *Emàge *

*Eshe & Laurneá (of

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) *

Female Female ( symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

For Real For Real is an American R&B and soul quartet, that formed in 1990. In the latter part of that decade they were nominated for a Billboard Music Award and a Soul Train Music Award. The ladies have now reunited and are touring. Biography For Real s ...

Penny Ford Penny Ford (also known as Pennye Ford, born June 11, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, she rose to fame in the 1980s after signing a recording contract with T ...

Lalah Hathaway Eulaulah Donyll "Lalah" Hathaway (born December 16, 1968) is an American singer. In 1990 Hathaway released her first album titled ''Lalah Hathaway''. After releasing another album, titled '' A Moment'' (1994), it debuted at number 34 on the To ...

* Jade * Jamecia *

Jazzyfatnastees Jazzyfatnastees is a vocal duo, Tracey Moore (born 1970) and Mercedes Martinez (born 1969). Originally a vocal quartet, they landed a deal with Tommy Boy in 1993. In 1997, their contract with Tommy Boy ended, two other members Stevvi Alexander ...

* Billy Lawrence * Joi *Brigette McWilliams * Milira * Miss Jones *Cindy Mizelle * Monica * Me’Shell NdegéOcello *Natasha *

Nefertiti Neferneferuaten Nefertiti () ( – c. 1330 BC) was a queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt, the great royal wife of Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a radical change in national religious policy, in which ...

* Patra * Pebbles *

Pure Soul Pure Soul was an American R&B girl group who were signed to Interscope Records in the mid 1990s. They are perhaps best known for their hit single We Must Be in Love, the debut single from their self-titled debut album. The "Pure Soul" album ( ...

*Raja-Nee * Brenda Russell *

* Salt-N-Pepa *

Chantay Savage Chantay Savage (born July 16, 1971) is an American R&B/dance singer. She experienced some success in the 1990s on various ''Billboard'' singles charts, one of which was "I Will Survive", a reworking of the Gloria Gaynor hit song. Savage has sc ...

*Sonja Marie *

Tracie Spencer Tracie Monique Spencer (born July 12, 1976) is an American singer–songwriter, actress, and model. Spencer first came to attention in 1987, when the then 11-year-old won the junior vocalist competition on the television show ''Star Search''. ...

Sweet Sable Ceybil Jefferies, also known by the stage name Sweet Sable, was an American house and R&B vocalist best known for her work during the 1990s, including the 1996 Dutch house single, " It's Gonna Be Alright" with Deep Zone, which hit No. 20 on th ...

Terri & Monica Terri & Monica was an R&B duo from the early 1990s which featured Terri Robinson (August 12, 1970) and Monica Payne (February 22, 1969), who were members of the short-lived late 1980s New Jack Swing R&B group The Gyrlz along with third member Tar ...

*Vybe * Crystal Waters * Caron Wheeler *

Karyn White Karyn Layvonne White (born October 14, 1965) is an American singer who was popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s. She is known for several hit singles including "Superwoman" (1988), " Secret Rendezvous" (1989), " The Way You Love Me" (19 ...

Vanessa Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resign ...

* Xscape * Y?N-Vee *

Zhané Zhané ( ) was an American R&B duo, best known for their 1993 hit " Hey Mr. D.J.", which reached No. 6 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Other popular hits include " Groove Thang" (U.S. No. 17) and minor hit " Sending My Love", both released i ...

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 1995 singles All-star recordings Song recordings produced by Dallas Austin Songs written by Dallas Austin Joi (singer) songs Songs about freedom Music videos directed by Antoine Fuqua Songs written by Diamond D