When Aretha Franklin died on August 16, 2018, it was clear that the world would never be the same. Everything about Aretha Franklin from her interesting fashion choices, to her often shady antics and, her actual music, was iconic.
Thankfully, she left behind a prolific catalog spanning over the course of her 50 year career that inspired people when she was alive. At the same time, Arethaโs music will also live on and inspire new generations. We often commemorate icons by sampling their music or creating covers of their songs. We also immortalize their lives through film. Aretha, starring Jennifer Hudson will be in theaters on Friday, August 13 so itโs the perfect time to go through some of her classics that were sampled in hip-hop.
Aretha Franklin has dabbled in every form of popular music known to man, proving that all roads lead to soul. Hereโs a nod to eight times hip-hop sampled the Queen of Soul, featuring artists like Mos Def, CamโRon, Rapsody, Joey Badass and more.
Camโron ft. Tiffany – โDay Dreamingโ
Camโronโs album, Come Home With Me (2002) featured this gem produced by Ray Watkins, LeLan Robinson and Mike Thomas.
Aretha Franklinโs original version is from Young, Gifted and Black (1972), and it was produced by Jerry Wexler, Tom Down, and Arif Mardin.
T.I. – Letโs Get Away
Jazze Pha produced this groove, released in 2003. It also samples โDay Dreaming.โ
Joey Badass – โSummer Knightsโ
Chuck Strangers produced the Brooklyn MCโs 2013 cut that samples Aretha Franklinโs 1970 tune, โThis Girlโs in Love With You.โ
Mos Def – โMs. Fat Bootyโ
Ayatollah produced โMiss Fat Booty,โ which came out in 1999, back when Rawkus Records. was on the rise. Add Mos Def to the track and itโs almost like magic.
Slum Village ft Kanye West and John Legend – โSelfishโ
Kanye West produced this 2004 ode to women around the United States.
Outkast – โJazzy Belleโ
You can thank Organized Noize for this 1996 tune which samples Aretha Franklinโs โRock Steady,โ one of Franklinโs most sampled songs.
Styles P, Pharoahe Monch – The Life
Ayatollah sure knows how to flip an Aretha Franklin sample. Styles P and Pharoahe Monch then turned up the heat.
Rapsodyโs – โLailaโs Wisdomโ
Nottz flipped Aretha Franklinโs version of โYoung, Gifted and Blackโ into more fire. Rapsodyโs rhymes are the chefโs kiss.
