R&B music has been at the heart of hip-hop for as long as emcees have been rhyming and, of course there would be no R&B without well, blues and soul music.
Throughout the years, soul music has influenced hip-hop in more ways than one from Kanye West and Jay Z sampling various artists to Sean Kingston borrowing from Ben E. King.
With that being said, check out our picks of five hip-hop songs with blues samples.
1. "Otis" Kanye West And Jay Z, Samples "Try A Little Tenderness" Otis Redding
Back in 2011, Kanye West and Jay Z released their collaborative album Watch The Throne. The album featured numerous hits including the Grammy-winning hit "Otis."
On the track, Yeezy and Hov exchange bars, flexing the good life and all its bearings. A sample of Otis Redding singing opens the track and is incorporated with Yeezy's production.
Chris Brown sang "Try A Little Tenderness" in the 2007 film This Christmas.
2. "Gold Digger" Kanye West ft. Jamie Foxx, Samples "I Got A Woman" Ray Charles
Before Kanye West sampled Otis Redding, he won a Grammy for interpolating Ray Charles' "I Got A Woman" into his 2005 collaboration with Jamie Foxx.
"Gold Digger" also contains samples of Charles' hit. Although Foxx is noted as a featured artist, his vocals only appear in the intro and the rest is Charles.
3. "Take It To The House" Trick Daddy ft. Trina, Samples "The Boss" James Brown and "Boogie Shoes" KC and the Sunshine Band
In 2001, Trick Daddy released his single "Take It To The House" featuring Trina. The song was featured in the film Osmosis Jones.
4. "Killing Me Softly" The Fugees, Samples "Killing Me Softly" Roberta Flack
Lauryn Hill and her crew's first mega hit was pretty much a cover of Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel's song which grew in popularity thanks to Roberta Flack.
L Boogie offers up the vocals as wyclef holds down the adlibs.
5. "Beautiful Girls" Sean Kingston, Samples "Stand By Me" Ben E. King
Sean Kingston's breakout hit opened many doors for the young star but the song's controversial lyrics also cost him some fans.
The song borrows the melody of Ben E. King's 1962 classic.
