Had he not tragically passed away in December 1967, Otis Redding would be celebrating his 70th birthday today. And even though he was taken from us at the age of 26, the King of Soul still accomplished more than a whole hell of a lot of artists could ever dream. Man, it’s wild to think of what he could have done in just another five years, never mind another 54. His impact on music was far-reaching and led to the creation of some hip-hop best tracks. Ever. We’re talking classics like De La Soul‘s “Eye Know” and the Juice Crew’s “The Symphony”. And then there’s Kanye West’s “Gone”, which featured Cam’ron and Consequence, along with Kanye and Jay-Z’s divisive single, “Otis“. With all of this swirling through our minds, we had to ask our Facebook fans: Who samples Otis Redding the best?
Hit the skip for the results.
And the winner is…
DE LA SOUL’S “EYE KNOW”
Not surprised? Neither are we. I mean, the name of our site is dedicated to De La after all, so it’s only fitting that their classic love song, “Eye Know”, would land them a win in this poll. They pretty much stomped the competition into submission and received a two-thirds of the total vote. The only other option that came close was Yeezy’s “Gone”, which is ill but can’t hold a candle to this classic jam off 3 Feet High and Rising.
You can watch the “Eye Know” video below. <3
