Which singer performs Living in America as himself in Rocky IV?

James Brown performs “Living in America” as himself in Rocky IV. The song appears during Apollo Creed’s extravagant entrance before his exhibition bout with Ivan Drago, making Brown part of the film’s fictional spectacle rather than a character in the story.

Released as a single in 1985, “Living in America” was written by Dan Hartman and Charlie Midnight and produced by Hartman. Its patriotic lyrics and bright funk arrangement suited Apollo’s showman persona and the film’s Cold War-era American-versus-Soviet framing.

The song became one of Brown’s biggest late-career successes, reaching No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also earned him the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance. Brown was widely known by the nickname “the Godfather of Soul.”

A common mix-up comes from the rest of Rocky IV’s soundtrack: John Cafferty performs “Hearts on Fire,” Robert Tepper performs “No Easy Way Out,” and Kenny Loggins contributes “Meet Me Halfway.” None of those singers performs Apollo’s entrance number.