Rapper Reacts to U.S.A. For Africa - We Are The World | FIRST REACTION

10:38 Stevie wonders runs are crazy

Definitely watch the netflix doco

You should definitely check out the remake USA for Haiti. Just as star-studded as the original. Plus Michael lives on through LaToya

While Dan Aykroyd just happened to be nearby and was asked if he'd like to join in the chorus, the funny thing is Dan Aykroyd has sold more albums than a lot of the others 😆 The Blues Brothers have sold over 7.7 million albums globally across their discography. Their debut live record, Briefcase Full of Blues (1978), is the most prominent, moving roughly 3.5 million copies in the United States alone and achieving double-platinum status.
He also sang, danced, and played the harmonica.. he had every right to be there musically 😎

I was 8 when this song came out. There was a special on tv showing the behind the scenes of recording the song and video. We recorded it on a VHS and I watched it hundreds of times. The amazement of seeing all the stars of music in the same room like this has been unmatched.

About the sand and the bread. Never forget that God feeds us, and turns dirt and sand and dung into food, for us to harvest and live. However, the devil is basically a minion of God - an irritant inserted to screw our calm to rubbish. However, it makes a logical sense. We can poison ourselves, we can feed ourselves. Both are on the table, the food and the poison. Take the food. Leave the poison. The devil will try to confuse you by making bread with sand and sand with flour, but lie to you about it.

Pretty twisted, but then if you really want to look at crazy - there's Ancient Greek and Roman 'Gods' to try to explain. I think there's one for shoes with torn laces. Probably.

Here you go: soloists, in order of appearance, are:
Lionel Richie
Stevie Wonder
Paul Simon
Kenny Rogers
James Ingram
Tina Turner
Billy Joel
Michael Jackson
Diana Ross
Dionne Warwick
Willie Nelson
Al Jarreau
Bruce Springsteen
Kenny Loggins
Steve Perry
Daryl Hall
Huey Lewis
Cyndi Lauper
Kim Carnes
Bob Dylan
Ray Charles

The massive, 40-member all-star chorus included legendary performers such as Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Bette Midler, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, The Pointer Sisters, Smokey Robinson, and members of the Jackson family.

Lionel Richie
Stevie Wonder
Paul Simon
Kenny Rogers
James Ingram
Tina Turner
Billy Joel
Michael Jackson
Diana Ross
Dionne Warwick
Willie Nelson
Al Jarreau
Bruce Springsteen
Kenny Loggins
Steve Perry
Daryl Hall
Huey Lewis
Cyndi Lauper
Kim Carnes
Bob Dylan
Ray Charles

Others: Dan Aykroyd, Harry Belafonte, Lindsey Buckingham, Mario Cipollina, Johnny Colla, Sheila E., Bob Geldof, Bill Gibson, Chris Hayes, Sean Hopper, Jackie Jackson, La Toya Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Randy Jackson, Tito Jackson, Waylon Jennings, Bette Midler, John Oates, Jeffrey Osborne, The Pointer Sisters, and Smokey Robinson.

Here's the solo lineup for "We Are the World" (1985), in order of appearance:
Lionel Richie
Stevie Wonder
Paul Simon
Kenny Rogers
James Ingram
Tina Turner
Billy Joel
Michael Jackson
Diana Ross
Dionne Warwick
Willie Nelson
Al Jarreau
Bruce Springsteen
Kenny Loggins
Steve Perry
Daryl Hall
Huey Lewis
Cyndi Lauper
Kim Carnes
Bob Dylan
Ray Charles
Richie, Wonder, Simon, Rogers, Ingram, Turner, and Joel open the first verse together, with Jackson and Ross closing out that first chorus. Warwick, Nelson, and Jarreau handle the second verse, before Springsteen, Loggins, Perry, and Hall take the second chorus. (Last.fm) Jackson returns with Lewis, Lauper, and Carnes for the bridge, and Dylan and Charles close things out.

Lionel Richie — “There comes a time…”
Stevie Wonder — “When the world must come together as one…”
Paul Simon — “There are people dying…”
Kenny Rogers — “And it’s time to lend a hand to life…”
James Ingram — “The greatest gift of all…”
Tina Turner — “We can’t go on…”
Billy Joel — “Pretending day by day…”
Michael Jackson — “That someone, somewhere will soon make a change…”
Diana Ross — “We are all a part of God’s great big family…”
Dionne Warwick — “And the truth, you know love is all we need…”
Willie Nelson — “As God has shown us by turning stone to bread…”
Al Jarreau — “And so we all must lend a helping hand…”
Chorus begins (“We are the world…”)
Then the second round of solo/ad-lib appearances:
Bruce Springsteen
Kenny Loggins
Steve Perry
Daryl Hall
Huey Lewis
Cyndi Lauper
Kim Carnes
Bob Dylan
Ray Charles — closing lead/ad-libs
Other major artists visible in the room (mostly chorus rather than featured solos) include Smokey Robinson, Bette Midler, Harry Belafonte, The Pointer Sisters, Dan Aykroyd, La Toya Jackson, Jackie Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Randy Jackson, and many others.
One fun detail: the solo order wasn’t just random. Producer Quincy Jones arranged voices almost like characters in a story — recognizable tones were placed where they would create the biggest emotional contrast (for example, going from Jackson’s softness to Springsteen’s rasp, then eventually Ray Charles’ gospel-style finale). It’s a big reason the song still feels like a relay of voices rather than just a celebrity lineup.

The good ole days when everyone got along. When I was growing up, I was friends with every shade of person and it just didn’t matter. Great times. I miss those times.

USA for Africa has raised more than $100 million over its four-decade history. The primary driver of these funds was "We Are the World". While the initial rollout of the song, album, and immediate merchandise generated $63 million by the late 1980s, ongoing royalties, digital streams, special events, and the release of remastered versions have pushed total fundraising past the $100 million threshold.
How the Funds Were Used: According to USA for Africa's official records, the organization allocated its funding to balance immediate crisis relief with long-term systemic stability:
Emergency Relief: Approximately half of the initial funding was funneled directly into emergency food, medical supplies, and refugee assistance through UN agencies during the 1983–1985 African famine.
Long-Term Development: The remaining half has funded over 500 community-driven development projects across more than 18 African nations. These projects focus on agricultural self-sufficiency, water access, and local capacity building.
Domestic Programs: Roughly 10% of the funds were intentionally set aside to combat homelessness and hunger within the United States.

There is a version with all the names, I know most of them but sorry bro I'm not going to write it all out for you. 🧐

Fantastic reaction and breakdown! You should check out “Seven Spanish Angles” with Ray Charles and Willie Nelson seeing you love Ray’s voice.

This was early 1985, these artist had hits in the 81-84 years… most notable to me is two top US artist missing, Madonna and Prince and the reasons why. An unexpected individual in the choir on the top left side is the man in a coat with tie… Dan Aykroyd of SNL and the Blues Brothers

Not wishing to "Burst the US Bubble", but......
Be aware that this was inspired by the UK song "Do they know it's Christmas" which released something like 3 months earlier.
THAT came about following Bob Geldorf being so angry having seen the reports by the BBC Correspondent Michael Buerk who was on the ground during the Ethiopian Famine of 1984 that he called everyone he knew in the industry and "Persuaded" (Threatened) them to join the cause.

You can Praise the cast of this production all you want but to REALLY understand, Search "Michael Buerk reporting from Ethiopia" and WATCH THE VIDEO........ (ALL of it).

They got this song together because they recorded it right after the American Music Awards and they didn't finish it until 5:00am. It was the only time they could all be together.

How has anyone not seen this? My God they played this every other video for about 4 years!!!

You gotta look at the interview Tom Bahler did . He came up with the line up and pairing of the solos

❤

this level of talent may never be in one place again, but Ray is on a whole other level.

thanks for sharing man! ❤

Oh this was emotional back then at a young age and still is ❤

I think we all would love to hear your Review of the documentary of the song. You will see the brilliance of Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie and the great Quincy Jones!

Not sure if you've done it already, but try Liberian Girl. It's a similar ensemble cast, but only one singer. all these celebs coming to see michael and they were not sure what was going on

Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder..... The duet you didn't know you needed!

They did this song right after the Grammy that night they only had one night to get this done so all these amazing singers came right after the Grammy.