10 Classic Hip-Hop Songs That Sampled Isaac Hayes

Premo's knack for sampling lush soul or jazz templates is evident on this GangStarr firecracker from Moment of Truth. This is a lively glimpse into Premier's production wizardry.

2Pac must have been a huge Black Moses fan, as he sampled Isaac Hayes several times throughout his recording career. In addition to "Inside My Love" by Minnie Riperton, the backdrop for "Me Against the World" was largely borrowed from Hayes' ubiquitous classic "Walk on By."

"Joy" is one of Hayes' most sampled works. Like Eric B & Rakim, the likes of Massive Attack and TLC have also relied on this soulful gem as a source of inspiration for their own hits. "Keep the Beat" appears on Eric B & Rakim's fourth and final album, Don't Sweat the Technique.

You probably can't tell from the songs he produced on 50 Cent's Curtis, but Dr. Dre used to be a '70s soul junkie. Dre tapped some of the killer samples on "Stranded on Death Row" from the live version of "Do Your Thing."

I could as easily fill this list with songs that sampled Isaac Hayes' "Walk on By" and still come up with a ton of goodness. This gem from Wu's overlooked 2000 album, The W, finds RZA astutely recapturing the magic of "Walk on By." And yes, that's Isaac Hayes on the chorus.

"Born and Raised" was one of the singles off Quik's 1991 opus, Quik is the Name. Quik, a veteran hip-hop producer, retained the electrifying rhythms on "Hyperbolicsyllabicsesquedalymistic" and added some fat drum kicks to the mix.

This stupendously poignant composition has Hayes' fingerprints all over its DNA, thanks to "The Look of Love." It's also one of Jay's strongest cuts ever.

Biggie's 1993 hit "Warning" famously turned this laid-back jazz gem on its head, transforming it into a gritty story about a heist gone-awry.

Revered as one of the greatest hip-hop songs in history and definitely one of the spookiest rap songs ever, "Mind Playing Tricks" taps into the emotional energy of Isaac Hayes' "Hung up on My Baby."

Chuck D fondly refers to Isaac Hayes as his music godfather who taught him about songwriting and the music business. So, it's no surprise that Public Enemy sampled Hayes on this hip-hop gem. And who can forget Chuck D's collaboration with Hayes on his 1995 album, Branded.