A Wonderful World: Artists Influenced by Stevie Wonder

The singer is a living legend!

Stevie Wonder's miraculous music is still inspiring and exciting ears, minds, souls and bodies more than five decades after he first hit the scene as a Motown child prodigy. One measure of a true icon is their influence and impact on others through the years; and by that standard, few can match Stevie.

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Stevie Wonder's miraculous music is still inspiring and exciting ears, minds, souls and bodies more than five decades after he first hit the scene as a Motown child prodigy. One measure of a true icon is their influence and impact on others through the years; and by that standard, few can match Stevie. BET.com takes a look at music stars who've been influenced by Stevie, whether by collaborating with him directly, sampling his music or merely taking obvious inspiration from him. —

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Beyoncé - Queen Bey had no problem bowing down to one of her mentors and saluted the Motown king when she headed up a Grammy all-star tribute with Ed Sheeran to Stevie this year. (Photo: Michael Kovac/WireImage)

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Queen Bey had no problem bowing down to one of her mentors and saluted the Motown king when she headed up a Grammy all-star tribute with Ed Sheeran to Stevie in 2021. (Photo: Michael Kovac/WireImage)

Photo By Photo: Michael Kovac/WireImage/Photo: Michael Kovac/WireImage)

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Drizzy had the icon in the lab with him during some of the recording of his second album, Take Care, and even stated that Mr. Wonder contributed to the creative direction of the album. That wasn't all though, Stevie even lent his harmonic chords to Drake's break-up tear jerker "Doing It Wrong" and Drake had the musical genius join him on stage at 2011 OVO Fest. (Photo: Young Money)

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Busta Rhymes - Stevie gets mad props from the hip hop arena, as his music has been sampled hundreds of times. But you have to have your own exceptional innervision to get him on a track. In 2006, he blessed Busta's "Been Through the Storm" as they paid homage to their parents and the struggles that their folks endured to push them to the top. (Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Bud Light)

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Stevie gets mad props from the hip hop arena, as his music has been sampled hundreds of times. But you have to have your own exceptional vision to get him on a track. In 2006, he blessed Busta's "Been Through the Storm" as they paid homage to their parents and the struggles that their folks endured to push them to the top. (Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Bud Light)

Photo By (Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images for Bud Light)

Frank Ocean vs. TufAmerica - Frank Ocean's "Super Rich Kids" may cost him a lot of trouble. Record label TufAmerica is suing the singer's label and parent company, Universal Music Group and Vivendi, respectively, claiming unauthorized use of a sample of Mary J. Blige's "Real Love" in the song.(Photo: Mats Andersson/WENN.com)

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Frank Ocean channeled Stevie Wonder on his 2012 debut album, Channel Orange. "Sweet Life," written and produced by Pharell and Ocean, features a sample from Stevie Wonder's 1972 classic "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)." (Photo: Mats Andersson/WENN.com)

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John Legend - John Legend has frequently cited Wonder as a major influence on his music, and you don't have to listen too hard to hear it. Legend covered "Don't You Worry About a Thing" for the Hitch soundtrack, and there's an undeniable Stevie-ness to Legend's "Everyday People, which recalls "Mon Cherie Amour." The two even acknowledged the similarity by performing a blend of the two songs onstage together at the 2005 BET Awards. (Photo: Trish Tokar/Getty Images)

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John Legend has frequently cited Wonder as a major influence on his music, and you don't have to listen too hard to hear it. Legend covered "Don't You Worry About a Thing" for the Hitch soundtrack, and there's an undeniable Stevie-ness to Legend's "Everyday People, which recalls "Mon Cherie Amour." The two even acknowledged the similarity by performing a blend of the two songs onstage together at the 2005 BET Awards. (Photo: Trish Tokar/Getty Images)

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A Tribe Called Quest, "Show Business" - To aspiring music artists who think the music biz is a utopia, ATCQ warned to think again. On this classic 1991 cut, the iconic hip hop crew talked of the unsavory side of the business. (Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection)

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A Tribe Called Quest's iconoclastic blend of funk, soul and more definitely owes a debt to Stevie. If you don't believe us, check out one of their early standouts, "Footprints," which cleverly flips a sample of the horn intro from Stevie's 1976 "Sir Duke." (Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection)

Photo By Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection)

Common & Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill interpolated Stevie's "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" on the hook for her hit 1997 collabo with Common, "Retrospect for Life." But even if you set aside this beautiful song, Stevie's thoughtful, risk-taking music blazed trails for the careers of both Commom and Hill. (Photos: Angela Weiss/Getty Images for Virgin Unite; Jesse Lirola/PictureGroup)

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Lauryn Hill interpolated Stevie's "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" on the hook for her hit 1997 collabo with Common, "Retrospect for Life." But even if you set aside this beautiful song, Stevie's thoughtful, risk-taking music blazed trails for the careers of both Common and Hill. (Photos: Angela Weiss/Getty Images for Virgin Unite; Jesse Lirola/PictureGroup)

Photo By (Photos: Angela Weiss/Getty Images for Virgin Unite; Jesse Lirola/PictureGroup)

Janet Jackson - Like her brother, Janet Jackson's never hidden her admiration for Stevie, sampling his 1972 ballad "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" for her "New Agenda." On another note, who can forget that scene in the 1993 flim Poetic Justice in which Justice, played by Janet, puts "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" on the turntable? (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Like her brother, Janet Jackson's never hidden her admiration for Stevie, sampling his 1972 ballad "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" for the 1993 track "New Agenda." On another note, who can forget that scene in the 1993 film Poetic Justice in which Justice, played by Janet, puts "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" on the turntable? (Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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Janelle Monáe - 2010's breakout soul space-cadet Janelle Monáe frequently channels Wonder's joyful, unclassifiable soul-pop blend. Her 2010 "Locked Inside" recalls his "Golden Lady" in the best way, and "Sincerely, Jane," from her 2008 debut, uses a loop of "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)." (Photo: Kristian Dowling/PictureGroup)

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Janelle Monáe - 2010's breakout soul space-cadet Janelle Monáe frequently channels Wonder's joyful, unclassifiable soul-pop blend. Her 2010 "Locked Inside" recalls his "Golden Lady" in the best way, and "Sincerely, Jane," from her 2008 debut, uses a loop of "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)." (Photo: Kristian Dowling/PictureGroup)

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Snoop Dogg - West Coast rap icon Snoop Dogg has always displayed a love for old soul music throughout his career. Counting Stevie Wonder as one of his favorites, Snoop enlisted the muisc legend to sing on the 2006 Inspirational cut. "Conversation," which sampled Stevie's "Have A Talk With God."(Photo: John Ricard)

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West Coast rap icon Snoop Dogg has always displayed a love for old soul music. Counting Stevie Wonder as one of his favorites, Snoop enlisted the music legend to sing on the 2006 Inspirational cut. "Conversation," which sampled Stevie's "Have A Talk With God."(Photo: John Ricard)

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Will Smith: September 25 - The actor celebrates his 43rd birthday. (Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

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Sampling a Wonder classic is almost too easy—with source material like that, it's sure to be a jam. Just ask Will Smith, who wholesale jacked the gospel-influenced funk of "I Wish" for his own 1999 No. 1 hit "Wild, Wild West." (Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Gucci)

Photo By Charley Gallay/Getty Images(Photo: Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

Tupac Shakur - Shakur starred in five movies including Poetic Justice and Above the Rim after his feature film debut as the volatile Bishop in Juice. And his controversial life and platinum albums (Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z. and All Eyez on Me) made him a superstar. Shakur died in 1996 from gunshot wound injuries.(Photo: AP Photo)

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Living the "Thug Life" doesn't make you immune to the joyful beauty of Wonder's music. Tupac himself sampled "That Girl" on his "So Many Tears," and then interpolated Stevie's "Part-Time Lover" for his 1991 "Part-Time Mutha." (AP Photo/FILE)

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Minnie Riperton - Wonder was a frequent collaborator of the late legend Minnie Riperton, and had a huge impact on her solo music. They began working together in earnest on her sophomore album Perfect Album, which Wonder co-produced. You can hear his fingerprints most directly on the the title track and "Take a Little Trip," both of which Wonder co-wrote, as well as "Lovin' You," the biggest hit of Minnie's career, which features his beautiful keyboard work. (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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Wonder was a frequent collaborator of the late legend Minnie Riperton, and had a huge impact on her solo music. They began working together in earnest on her sophomore album Perfect Album, which Wonder co-produced. You can hear his fingerprints most directly on the the title track and "Take a Little Trip," both of which Wonder co-wrote, as well as "Lovin' You," the biggest hit of Minnie's career, which features his beautiful keyboard work. (Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)

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