“Inner City Blues” depicts the ghettos of inner-city America as it discusses the bleak economic situation set against the backdrop of the space race, the Vietnam War and the subsequent protests it caused as well as police brutality. It peaked at #9 in the US in late 1971.

“Inner City Blues” stands in stark contrast to What’s Going On’s mostly uplifting tone as it uses darker, mellow funk sounds to capture the suffering spirit of urban America.