“I fell in love with hip-hop in the late 1970s because it reminded me so much of bebop,” the late great Quincy Jones said of the art form and culture we know and love during a 2021 REVOLT interview. “Young people are seekers, man! They always have been. When we’re young, we all want to break the mold and find our truth, and that is a central tenet of both jazz and classical music! Besides, it all comes from the same stuff.” The music legend sadly passed away at 91 on Sunday night (November 3) surrounded by his family in his Bel Air home. He loved hip-hop, and hip-hop returned that passion. The Chicago native enlisted rappers Ice-T and Big Daddy Kane on 1989’s Back On The Block album, plus many MCs like Talib Kweli, T.I., Q-Tip, Three 6 Mafia, and more on his final album, Q: Soul Bossa Nostra.
With this and his indelible legacy and impact in mind, we decided to list six amazing hip-hop tracks that sample Quincy Jones’ work. We obviously couldn’t fit all of them on here, and there’s so much more to discover regarding these connections. LL COOL J’s “Hey Lover,” Ludacris’ “Number One Spot,” and De La Soul’s “Breakadawn,” along with many others, are too iconic to escape mention. But the musicality and creativity behind each of the following cuts leave no room for hyperbole: Quincy was, and forever will be, one of modern music’s indisputable legends for his craft, contributions, career achievements, and celebrations of the sonic language. Here’s how hip-hop chose to reimagine and pay tribute to his greatness.
Read More: Quincy Jones: A Musical Legend & Cultural Icon
Mobb Deep – “Shook Ones, Pt. II”
How could we not kick things off with arguably the best hip-hop beat of all time? Produced by Havoc, Mobb Deep’s “Shook Ones Pt. II” features a wailing siren from Quincy Jones’ “Kitty With The Bent Frame.” It’s off the score from the 1971 film Dollars, which Quincy produced in full. What’s more, this isn’t even the start of his iconic movie collaborators, such as with Roots, The Wiz, The Color Purple, In Cold Blood, The Italian Job, and many more. Back to “Kitty With The Bent Frame,” though, this is an often haunting ambient cut whose urgent atmosphere, jazzy bass licks, and ominous keys provide the perfect backdrop for Prodigy’s legendarily gritty narratives. Ain’t no such thing as halfway efforts in much of Jones’ catalog.
2Pac – “How Do U Want It”
Another iconic hip-hop cut, producer Johnny J used Quincy Jones and Leon Ware’s titular track from the former’s 1974 album Body Heat for 2Pac’s easy-riding All Eyez On Me cut from 1996, “How Do U Want It” featuring K-Ci & JoJo. ‘Pac adds his own sense of swagger to the original’s already funky and soulful melodies and instrumentation. Quincy’s track starts off soft, though, and eventually builds from muted guitars and sobbing synths into a brighter and more energetic jam with some gorgeous vocal melodies and grand drums. The notion that the West Coast legend was able to transform its tenderness into bravado is even more impressive, but that’s how resonant and universal the decades-long producer’s sensibilities are.
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The Pharcyde – “Passin’ Me By”
Now with a more straightforward example, we have The Pharcyde’s “Passin’ Me By” off their 1992 classic, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde. The opening keys on that track are some of the most recognizable in hip-hop history, and they come from Quincy Jones’ 1973 album You’ve Got It Bad Girl. Together, with producer Ray Brown, he uses those opening moments on the track “Summer In The City” with Valerie Simpson to evoke that exact same vibe. There are some killer solos on here propelled by steady drums and heavenly string additions plus vocal soars further on. As for the South Central L.A. group, producer J-Swift adds more lively drums, scratches, and a seemingly altered bassline to keep that same soul alive under a different context. It still sounds like summer in the city, even 20 years removed from its original and over 30 years since they released it.
MC Lyte – “Keep On, Keepin’ On”
There are so many iconic Michael Jackson records that Quincy Jones produced that created monumental hip-hop tracks. “P.Y.T.” became Kanye West and T-Pain’s “Good Life,” and “It Ain’t Hard To Tell” by Nas flipped “Human Nature” perfectly. But we want to highlight MC Lyte’s smooth Xscape collab “Keep On, Keepin’ On” off her 1996 LP, Bad As I Wanna B. A lingering and ethereal synth hangs in the background, and some tuneful steel drums and trills add a lot of flavor and woozy moodiness to the song. Those sounds are from the Quincy and MJ-produced “Liberian Girl” off the blockbuster 1987 album Bad. It’s one of the most unique sonic pallets of that classic, and it resulted in one of the New York femcee’s most idiosyncratic cuts, as well.
Read More: Quincy Jones’ Family Releases Emotional Statement After His Passing
Big Sean & Metro Boomin – “No Hearts, No Love”
Onto one of the most recent Quincy-sampling cuts, which comes from Big Sean and Metro Boomin’s 2017 collab project Double Or Nothing. Their track “No Hearts, No Love” opens with some playful keys and guitar licks, with the keys eventually down-tuned just a bit by producer Metro with some additional dark chords. Despite the solid trap beat, those glistening notes don’t lose their luster and, frankly, they make the track what it is thanks to its support of the Sean Don’s confident bars. Their origin stems from The Brothers Johnson’s 1977 album Right On Time produced by Quincy Jones, specifically the pop and funk-fusing “Strawberry Letter 23.” The original is a much more fun and happy cut overall, but again, those melodies are hard to deny in any context.
MF DOOM – “Rhymes Like Dimes”
Finally, we want to celebrate two late legends with this pick. Out of the wealth of iconic sample flips in MF DOOM’s catalog, the self-produced “Rhymes Like Dimes” off 1999’s Operation: Doomsday is among the most memorable and colorful. Those wondrous keys silky synth leads, and light drums are so joyful and warm that not even DOOM’s husk can take away from their sheen. In fact, it complements it perfectly. Quincy Jones brought this gem of a loop into the world on the 1981 album The Dude on the song “One Hundred Ways” featuring James Ingram. It’s actually the solo that appears after a healing and dream-like vocal performance and is one of many instances where Quincy created larger-than-life moments out of just a few elements and songwriting decisions. To put it bluntly, it’s a magical example of a timeless musical mind and hand.
Rest In Peace Quincy Jones.
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