Can a Song Change the World? The Power and Protest of "Sun City"one of the best examples of the mid eighties New York breakbeat-hiphop-electro fusion.

The Twelve Inch 110 : "Sun City" (The Artists United Against Apartheid)

This week’s episode of the Twelve Inch takes us back to 1985 and one of the most iconic songs/twelve inches of the year. In the annals of music history, certain songs not only shape the soundscape of their times but also mirror the political upheavals and societal shifts that define the period. "Sun City," a protest song against apartheid released in 1985, encapsulates the spirit of solidarity and resistance that characterized the 1980s. Conceived by Little Steven (Van Zandt), a guitarist for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, Danny Schechter, an ABC journalist and Arthur Baker, the song became an anthem that rallied artists across genres to take a stand against the racist policies of South Africa.

The inception of "Sun City" began with Van Zandt’s trip to South Africa in the early 1980s, where firsthand encounters with the brutal reality of apartheid galvanized him into action. Inspired by the cultural boycott against South Africa, Van Zandt envisioned a collaborative song that would …