Throwback Thursday: ‘Freedom (Them From ‘Panther’)’ by Various Black Female Artists

In 1995, Mario Van Peebles directed and produced Panther, a cinematic depiction of his father’s (Melvin Van Peebles) book of the same name. Panther was loosely based on the evolution of the Black Panther party. Peebles enlisted Dallas Austin to write and produce the film’s theme song, “Freedom,” which featured many of the big urban female artists of the time; including Aaliyah, MC Lyte, Amel Larrieux, Mary J. Blige, Tanya Blount, Brownstone, Changing Faces, Monica, Patra, SWV, Salt-N-Pepa, En Vogue, TLC, Xscape, Crystal Waters, Vanessa Williams, Queen Latifah, Jade, Joi, Lala Hathaway and a whole lot of other great, talented Black women, including Nefertiti, who also was in the film.

“Freedom” had multiple versions released on CD and cassette, including a vocal only version for the R&B singers and a Rap version for the emcees. The song had moderate success on the Billboard Charts, reaching #10 on the R&B singles chart and #45 on the Pop charts. The soundtrack reached number #05 on the R&B charts.

Check out the music video above, for its message is still timely 25 years later.