The Untold Truth Of Quincy Jones

Posted by Sebrina Pilcher on Monday, May 6, 2024

Even after all of his success, Quincy Jones didn't forget about where he came from, devoting his time and money to civil rights and charitable causes.

He earned a reputation as a philanthropist by leading projects like the charity single "We Are the World," which united a vast array of stars. "We raised $63 million from that," Jones informed Variety, adding that "more importantly, we forced the government to spend $800 million for Ethiopia." Through Jones' initiatives, he began opening healthcare centers around the world, and the producer worked alongside Bob Geldof and Bono to achieve debt relief of $27 billion for the Ivory Coast, Bolivia, and Mozambique — endorsed by the pope at the time. "Bono's my brother, man," he insisted in an interview with Vulture. "He named his son after me."

Jones, who was Variety's 2014 Philanthropist of the Year, saw his own experiences reflected in the charitable causes he helped. "If you come from the streets of Chicago during the Depression, and then you go through Soweto, or the favelas of Brazil, or Cambodia, you automatically respond because you know what it feels like, you've been there," the producer told Variety, recalling that he saw dead bodies as a child. "You see these kids, and they don't have to say the words, you know exactly what they're going through. It's a universal kind of position on the pyramid."

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