Move On Up

Recorded in May–July 1970 at RCA Studios in Chicago for Curtis Mayfield’s debut solo album Curtis. Curtis Mayfield led the session and Henry Gibson’s congas helped define the track’s drive. The track announced Mayfield’s solo voice with a more urgent funk and progressive-soul sound than his work with The Impressions. It became one of the defining songs of his 1970 debut and a key statement in his early solo period. The song became a soul standard and a touchstone for later artists, notably being sampled by Just Blaze for Kanye West’s “Touch the Sky.” It has remained a widely used cultural cue in film, television, and sports settings.