“We haven’t been allowed to advance that much”: Bootsy Collins on America’s black community

Bootsy Collins has said that America’s black communities “haven’t been allowed to advance that much” over the years.

In a recent interview, the P-funk luminary who grew up during the civil rights movement, discussed the racial inequality experienced by Afro-Americans and the prevalence of police racism, both in the past and today.

“A lot has changed over the years,” Collins told The Guardian. “We [black people] have been allowed to gain more, maybe, in terms of money – but the wider mindset is the same. As far as who we are as people and a race and what we got to give, we haven’t been allowed to advance that much.”

Collins gave his thoughts on the subject of police brutality – noting that a major change brought on by the digital age, is the availability of photo and video documentation of such incidents.

“Now, everybody sees when these incidents happen. There’s no secret, it’s recorded, it’s straight out into the world,” Collins explained. “We’ve been through enough and we need to come together. I know it has been said forever, but it feels like time really is running out now.”

While in lockdown amid for COVID-19, Collins has been working on his 10th solo album, The Power Of The One. On the album, he said that he “decided to put something out that was uplifting and would hopefully help heal the planet”.

The album is due to arrive in October. Its first single, Stars is an all-star collaboration that features Dr. Cornel West, EmiSunshine, Victor Wooten, and many more. Take a listen below.

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