As we observe and celebrate the life and acomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the date of his birth, we must recognize the posthumous impact Dr .King on the minds of those generations that succeeded him, including that of the Hip Hop community. His cultural influence, the cohesive force of his voice and his undying love for all of mankind makes Dr. King’s works so attractive to the creatives and aficianados of Hip Hop music.
Some artists may have mimicked his commanding vocal tone, while some have even adopted proactive stance on civil and human rights, but here, we have come up with a list of songs from some of the fans’ favorite artists who have put a piece of the King via his speeches in their music.
Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five – “The King” (Sampled “I Have A Dream” speech)
Boogie Down Productions – “Love’s Gonna Getcha” (Sampled “Been To The Mountaintop” Speech)
Common feat. Will I A.M. – “A Dream” (Sampled “I Have A Dream” Speech)
dead prez – “Malcolm Garvey Huey” (speech reference unknown)
Tyga – “Careless World” (Sampled “Been To The Mountaintop speech)
The world has come to stand and acknowledge the 50-year mark of the assassination of a man who is defined as being the most influential civil rights leader in American history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. On April 4, 1968, as he stood on the balcony of Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Dr. King was fatally struck with a bullet by James Earl Ray, an unlawful racist. The striking assassination of Dr. King follows a sturdy 14-year reign serving as a dominant figure in the civil rights movement fighting for the security of legal rights for African Americans. It was a fight drilled with nonviolence and civil disobedience, being burgeoned by the vile acts of racial segregation, disenfranchisement, and exploitation of all hanging from the centerfold of racism.
The powerfully symphonic voice of Dr. King in his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech delivered at the 1963 March on Washington sets the tone for emotional empowerment. It is currently the most sampled Dr. King audio recording in hip-hop history. In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and his sound legacy. Here are nine hip-hop songs sampled by the legendary leader’s voice.
1. Sadat X “Return of the Bang Bang” (2010)
Reigning from the silver-tongued posse who is bound to their divine blackness is Sadat X of Brand Nubian on the solo tip with “Return of the Bang Bang.” The unorthodox emcee takes to the mic to drop insight about his daily journey as a seasoned vet returning to the game. In his signature abstract style, Sadat uses Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” passage to serve rightful diction in his tunnel of bars. “Return of the Bang Bang” is featured on Sadat’s 2010 sequel gem Wild Cowboys II.
2. Heavy D & the Boyz “A Better Land” (1989)
One of the golden era’s finest, the late Heavy D is pouring his soul out in rhyme in “A Better Land” with his boyz about improving the meager conditions of impoverished communities. The telling track starts with a sample of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech that ends with one of his most acquainted quotes, “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men, are created equal.”
3. Edo G feat. Masta Ace “Wishing” (2004)
Donald Trump is not the first President of the United States to be highly scorned by most of his country. Back in 2004, George W. Bush was in office, turning America’s dream into a nightmare with his jest-like measures. Edo G and Masta Ace took to the mic to release their wishes while demanding intrinsic change in the American way. After Masta Ace crops the title of a dreamer, Dr. King’s infamous line about his dream for freedom and justice in Mississippi hoards the track.
4. Cyhi Da Prynce “Ring Bellz” (2010)
Cyhi Da Prynce is honoring his cultural edge through the barrels of black history in “Ring Bellz” a song from his 2010 mixtape Royal Flush. While mixing his braggadocios persona with black excellence, the G.O.O.D. music wordplayer takes it from Fredrick Douglass to Stokely Carmichael, with the profound words from Dr. King’s beloved speech leading the track.
5. Common feat. will.i.am “A Dream” (2006)
Chicago’s renowned poet in rhyme Common teamed up with will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas for a true hip-hop measure that reflects on the progression and condition of blacks in a known racist America, the way Dr. King stood sturdy for titled “A Dream.” Owning the same desire for nation zenith, just as King, it was sensible for the abstract collab to start with King’s pacifying “We gonna work it out” saying.
6. Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five “The King” (1988)
With Melle Mel being heralded as one of hip-hop’s earliest conscious rappers, the lingering legacy of Dr. King has certainly played a role during hip-hop’s infancy. The hip-hop pioneer rocks the mic with delight honoring the deeds of Dr. King by recognizing the Civil rights icon’s brightest accomplishments while calling for the bells of freedom. “He brought hope to the hopeless, strength to the weak.”
7. Wu-Tang Clan “Never Let Go” (2014)
Known for their supremely motivational rap hymns, the Wu-Tang Clan hit the masses with a dream driven tune in signature fashion. Docking off of their sixth studio album A Better Tomorrow is “Never Let Go” an ode to survival during challenging times. Before Masta Killa leads and after U-God anchors the track, a courteous potent chunk of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech is heard where the beloved leader makes one of his most bracing points, “For many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.”
8. Boogie Down Productions “Love’s Gonna Get’cha (Material Love)” (1990)
Emphasis is something KRS-One has mastered as a lyricist. Amid the prime of Boogie Down Productions‘ fourth studio album Edutainment comes its top single “Love’s Gonna Get’cha (Material Love),” a song that serves as a warning about the detrimental lust that comes with chasing after material things. To throw emphasis on “movin’ on,” the voice of Dr. King chanting the phrase from his final speech “I’ve Been to the Mountain Top.”
9. Immortal Technique feat. Chuck D, Brother Ali, and Killer Mike “Civil War” (2011)
Budding off of the musically factious Immortal Technique‘s 2011 compilation album The Martyr is “Civil War” featuring Chuck D, Brother Ali, and Killer Mike, an unapologetic effort to audibly express “trying to survive cultural assassination,” the great PE lead makes it clear in the chorus. The track samples a selection of King’s final speech, where the iconic leader encourages the destruction of fear in exchange for glory.
Dr. King’s call for sound justice fused into a faithful dream for African Americans has thrived its way into hip-hop culture out of the purpose of nature. The infancy of hip-hop culture is a result of movements that brewed during Dr. King’s time. Movements that were centered in the fight for justice and art of freedom such as the Black Panther Party and Black Arts Movement, who all commonly owned a desire to climb the path of racial justice. The youth of hip-hop’s beginnings dreamed of topnotch mobility out of the hood, reversing the culture of police brutality, and several cases of discrimination ceased. Now, since the culture has grown into a universal phenomenon, Dr. King’s dreamy element of justice is emblematic in hip-hop whenever he is sampled on a track.
A few days ago, Melle Mel of Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five stirred the pot when he shared his opinion that Eminem is overrated because he’s white. Well, longtime Eminem associate 50 Cent is having none of that.
In a now-deleted Instagram post from over the weekend, 50 wrote, “There was more money selling dope, then being in Hip Hop when Melly Mel was popping, the culture has grown so much. i’m not sure if it would be what it is today with out artist like Eminem. Sh*t i’m not sure i would be who i am with out him but you know it’s competitive so n****s gonna hate. LOL f*ck outta here ! we sucker free.”
50 Cent responds in defense of Eminem over Melle Mel’s comments on Eminem only being on people’s Top 5 lists cause he’s white. pic.twitter.com/EM3rRo5R2p
This comes after Mel said of Em, “Obviously, he’s a capable rapper. If you was talking about sales, he sold more than everybody. If you talking about rhyme style — OK, he got a rhyme style. But he’s white! He’s white! If Eminem was just another n**** like all the rest of us, would he be top 5 on that list when a n**** that can rhyme just as good as him is 35? […] If he was a Black rapper, he wouldn’t even make the list probably. […] Eminem, he has his style. He’s got a nice little tricky, gimmicky style. But to say that he would be [able to] sell as many records if he was just another brother, that’s not true. It’s just not.”
On this date in 1958, a man who will forever reform the stance of the turntable was born; Joseph Saddler best known as Grandmaster Flash.
Amidst the infancy of hip-hop culture, Grandmaster Flash dominated the disc jockey scene of the North Bronx as he once was the DJ for big-time house rockers Kurtis Blow and Lovebug Starski in the mid-70s. Flash’s DJ sets became notorious for shaking crowds and it was evident he was influenced by preceding disco DJs in the likes of Grandmaster Flowers and Pete DJ Jones. Not only was Flash intrigued by the identity of the disc jockey through New York City disco DJ legends, but also, by the “hip-hopper” house rockers of his time, who reigned the opposing regions of the boogie down, DJ Kool Herc and Afrika Bambaataa.
The DJ is the first star to brew out of hip-hop culture. With knowledge of the crowd’s desire to get down to the drum break known in hip-hop culture as the break beat (A type of instrumental that extends the dance part of the record), Saddler’s innovative nature caused him to develop a strategy that would deem his influence on the genre, unmatched and unquestioned, the quick-mix theory. The quick-mix theory was Flash’s way of endlessly playing the drum break, by using two turntables and two copies of the same record, playing the break on one record while setting the destined part on the other, and with use of a mixer, he switched to the other turntable, giving birth to an easier way to extend the break, which is currently known as the art of looping. The quick-mix-theory was heralded as a next level tactic that stemmed from DJ Kool Herc’s groundbreaking “Merry Go Round Technique.”
The signature success of the quick mix theory leads to his most famed act as the DJ for Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, whose 1982 hit “The Message” embodied the essence of New York City and brought global prominence to the once “thought-to-be-faddy” hip-hop genre. “The Message” is known to be a track that document’s Flash’s mastery on the turntable and is nonetheless recognized as one of the greatest songs of hip-hop history. The song is responsible for refining the content landscape of the rapping trend by bringing to light social commentary from the black youth of the Bronx, exposing the daily trials and tribulations caused by historically sanctioned methods of oppression.
Happy born day Flash! Salute to you on your special day and wishingyou many more!
