"The Message" is a song by British

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

band

Cymande Cymande (pronounced ) is a British funk group that was originally active in the early 1970s. The band name derives from a calypso word for "dove", which symbolises peace and love; "Dove" is also the title of one of their best-known songs. Wi ...

from their self-titled debut studio album ''

''. Written by the group's members Patrick Patterson and Steve Scipio, it was recorded at De Lane Lea Studios in London, produced by John Schroeder, and released as a

7-inch single In music, a single is a type of release, typically a song recording of fewer tracks than an LP record or an album. One can be released for sale to the public in a variety of formats. In most cases, a single is a song that is released separate ...

through Janus Records in 1972. Released as a lead single, the song peaked at No. 48 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 22 on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

in the United States. The song can be heard in

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

's 2002 film ''

25th Hour ''25th Hour'' is a 2002 American drama film directed by Spike Lee and starring Edward Norton. Adapted by David Benioff from his own 2001 debut novel ''The 25th Hour'', it tells the story of a man's last 24 hours of freedom as he prepares to go t ...

'' and Seth Gordon's 2011 film ''

Horrible Bosses ''Horrible Bosses'' is a 2011 American black comedy film directed by Seth Gordon, written by Michael Markowitz, John Francis Daley, and Jonathan Goldstein, from a story by Markowitz. It stars Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer ...

''. British

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

group

Aswad Aswad are a British reggae group, noted for adding strong R&B and soul influences to the reggae sound. They have been performing since the mid-1970s, having released a total of 21 albums. Their UK hit singles include the number one "Don't Tur ...

recorded a

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...

of the song for their 1988 studio album '' Distant Thunder''. A cover of the song was performed by jazz-funk trumpeter Blue Mitchell, and released on his 1973 album, ''

The Last Tango = Blues ''The Last Tango = Blues'' is an album by American trumpeter Blue Mitchell recorded in 1972 and released on the Mainstream label in 1973.

''.

Track listing

Personnel

* Ray King – vocals, percussion * Peter Serreo –

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

* Michael "Bami" Rose –

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

, flute, bongos * Pablo Gonsales –

Conga The conga, also known as tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed drum from Cuba. Congas are staved like barrels and classified into three types: quinto (lead drum, highest), tres dos or tres golpes (middle), and tumba or salidor (lowest). ...

s * Sam Kelly – drums * Joey Dee – vocals, percussion * Derek Gibbs –

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

and

soprano saxophone The soprano saxophone is a higher-register variety of the saxophone, a woodwind instrument invented in the 1840s. The soprano is the third-smallest member of the saxophone family, which consists (from smallest to largest) of the soprillo, sop ...

* Steve Scipio – bass, songwriter * Patrick Eaton Patterson – guitar, songwriter * John Schroeder – producer

Charts

Sampled credits

The song was sampled by several hip hop recording artists, including: *

Ruthless Rap Assassins The Ruthless Rap Assassins were a British hip hop group from Hulme, Manchester, England. The group was formed by MC Kermit La Freak (later simply Kermit - real name Paul Leveridge) and brothers Dangerous Hinds (real name Anderson Hinds) and Dangero ...

in "And It Wasn't a Dream" from ''Killer Album'' (1990) *

Masta Ace Duval Clear (born December 4, 1966), known better by his stage name Masta Ace, is an American rapper and record producer from New York City. He appeared on the classic 1988 Juice Crew posse cut " The Symphony". He is noted for his distinct voice ...

in "Me and the Biz" from '' Take a Look Around'' (1990) * MC Solaar in "

Bouge de là "Bouge de là" (French, meaning: "move from there" or "get out of here", also translated as "take a hike") is the debut single by MC Solaar. It samples "The Message" by Cymande, a band formed in London in the early 1970s. This was the first single ...

" from ''

Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo ''Qui sème le vent récolte le tempo'' is the debut studio album by French rapper MC Solaar. The album title is a pun on the French version of the Biblical proverb "'" (he who sows the wind reaps the whirlwind, Hosea 8:7). It was released in 1 ...

'' (1991) *

King Tee Roger McBride (born December 14, 1968), better known by his stage name King T (formerly known as King Tee), is an American West Coast Hip hop rapper from Compton, California. Emerging as one of Compton's earliest hip hop artists, he was signed ...

in "On tha Rox" from ''

Tha Triflin' Album ''Tha Triflin' Album'' is the third studio album by West Coast hip hop artist King Tee. It was released on January 26, 1993 via Capitol Records. Recording sessions took place in 1992 in California. Production was handled by nine record producers, ...

'' (1993) * GRITS in "Fragmentation" from ''

Factors of the Seven ''Factors of the Seven'' is the second studio album released by GRITS, in 1998. Critical reception Awarding the album a ten from Cross Rhythms, Mike Rimmer writes, "No danger of that here with this top notch performance. You've got to respect ...

'' (1998)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Message Cymande Song Funk songs 1972 singles Song recordings produced by John Schroeder (musician)