DESCRIPTION:
Mtume (pronounced em-tu-may) was a funk and soul group that had several R&B hits in the 1980s. Its founder, percussionist James Mtume, previously played with Miles Davis in the 1970s. Other members of the group included Reggie Lucas & Tawatha Agee.

Mtume recorded three albums on the independent label Third Street Records: Kawaida (1973); Alkebu-Lan (1975); and Rebirth Cycle (1977). Not finding pop or R&B chart success, they signed to major label Epic Records in 1978, releasing the albums Kiss This World Goodbye (1978), and In Search of the Rainbow Seekers (1980), which found modest success on the R&B chart. Their 1982 album Juicy Fruit, however, provided Mtume with its biggest hit, when the title song reached number one for eight weeks on the U.S. R&B chart.

Mtume's 1984 album You, Me, and He had a #2 R&B hit with the album's title song. Their final R&B Top Ten hit was "Breathless" (1986) from their final album Theater of the Mind. They recorded with Epic Records until the late 1980s. Group member Agee went solo in 1987.

"Juicy Fruit" would later be sampled for the Notorious B.I.G song "Juicy", featured on his 1994 album Ready to Die, as well as the 2004 "Be Your Girl" remix by Teedra Moses and Raphael Saadiq. In 2007 it was sampled for Keyshia Cole's single "Let It Go", which also topped the US R&B chart.

The group produced several songs for artists such as Stephanie Mills, Roberta Flack, Lou Rawls, Phyllis Hyman, and Donny Hathaway in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including the Grammy winning single "Never Knew Love Like This Before" from Mills.

James Mtume is the son of saxophonist Jimmy Heath and was a percussionist with Miles Davis from 1971 to 1975. He also produced Roy Ayers, and the Bar-Kays, and composed the music and theme tune for the 1990s television police drama, New York Undercover.

Reggie Lucas (along with Jellybean Benitez) produced the majority of Madonna's first album, Madonna, including the songs "Borderline" and "Lucky Star".

(Give it on up)
(You can dance forever if you want to)
(Give it on up)
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)

(Give it on up)
(You can dance forever if you want to)
(Give it on up)
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)

You can feel it
But you still try to conceal it
So full of tension got your body hot
(Not to mention)
You mind is grooving
Everybody’s moving
In time you get it
Got to give it up
You won’t regret it

(Give it on up)
(You can dance forever if you want to)
(Give it on up)
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)

Give up your mind in time
You’ll see the sun
Got to let it go, let it shine
Come on and see the light
It’s so right
Give it up, give it up
You’ve got to give it up

Give it on up (if you want to)
(Give it on up)
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)

Feel the fire
It’s gonna take you higher
But you still try to fight it
Got your mind made up
That you won’t like it
Afraid of pleasure
(Pleasure you can’t measure)
So full of tension
Girl we’re gonna start a new dimension

(Give it on up)
(You can dance forever if you want to)
(Give it on up)
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)

(Give it on up)
(You can dance forever if you want to)
(Give it on up)
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)

Give up your mind in time
You’ll see the sun
Got to let it go, let it shine
Come on and see the light
It’s so right
Give it up, give it up
You’ve got to give it up

Give it on up (if you want to)
(Give it on up)
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)
Make it better, make it better, make it better
(Give it on up, You have better give it on up if you want to)
(Give it on up)
Make it better, make it better, make it better
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)
(Give it on up)
Make it better, make it better, make it better
(Give it on up, You have better give it on up if you want to)
Make it better, make it better, make it better
Give it on up
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)
Give it on up
Time

(Give it on up)
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)
(Give it on up, You have better give it on up if you want to)

(Give it on up)
(It’ll make you better and you aught to)
(Give it on up, You have better give it on up if you want to)