Heard It Through the Grapevine: 15 Marvin Gaye Hip Hop Samples

Music stars who took a bite from the Motown legend.

The Beat Goes On - The first week of April is momentous in the legacy of Marvin Gaye. April 1st was the anniversary of his death and April 2nd would have been his 76th birthday. To pay homage, take a look at a few hip hop staples that sampled the silky silky soul singer's work over the years.-Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photos from left: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen Festival, Rob Verhorst/Redferns, EPA/Sebastiao Moreira)

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The Beat Goes On - The first week of April is momentous in the legacy of Marvin Gaye. April 1st was the anniversary of his death and April 2nd would have been his 76th birthday. To pay homage, take a look at a few hip hop staples that sampled the silky silky soul singer's work over the years.-Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photos from left: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen Festival, Rob Verhorst/Redferns, EPA/Sebastiao Moreira)

"Soon I'll Be Loving You Again" - Jay Z laid his D-boy vocals on “American Dreamin’” over Marvin’s smooth groove "Soon I'll Be Loving You Again," from his 1975 album I Want You. Hov's version, a cut on American Gangster, was produced by Diddy and LV, and had Keon Bryce adding soulful adlibs in the same style of the Motown crooner. (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen Festival)

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"Soon I'll Be Loving You Again" - Jay Z laid his D-boy vocals on “American Dreamin’” over Marvin’s smooth groove "Soon I'll Be Loving You Again," from his 1975 album I Want You. Hov's version, a cut on American Gangster, was produced by Diddy and LV, and had Keon Bryce adding soulful adlibs in the same style of the Motown crooner. (Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Global Citizen Festival)

"Don't Mess With Mister 'T'" - Big Sean went looking through The Trouble Man soundtrack for his mixtape track “Mr. T,” which pretty much keeps Marvin’s original version in tact as Sean spits about how the temptation of women, money and drugs can leave you in some messed up situations. (Photo: Rahav Segev/Getty Images for Connected Ventures)

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"Don't Mess With Mister 'T'" - Big Sean went looking through The Trouble Man soundtrack for his mixtape track “Mr. T,” which pretty much keeps Marvin’s original version in tact as Sean spits about how the temptation of women, money and drugs can leave you in some messed up situations. (Photo: Rahav Segev/Getty Images for Connected Ventures)

"Far Cry" - Yo Gotti’s "Gangsta Party” with 8 Ball and Bun B made a lot of noise throughout the South as he put a twist on Marvin Gaye’s “Far Cry.” The original song ws actually unfinished when it was released by Motown, which infuriated Marvin and prompted him to jump ship to Columbia.(Photos from left: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for BET, Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for GQ, Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)

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"Far Cry" - Yo Gotti’s "Gangsta Party” with 8 Ball and Bun B made a lot of noise throughout the South as he put a twist on Marvin Gaye’s “Far Cry.” The original song ws actually unfinished when it was released by Motown, which infuriated Marvin and prompted him to jump ship to Columbia.(Photos from left: Earl Gibson III/Getty Images for BET, Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for GQ, Ray Tamarra/Getty Images)

“You're All I Need to Get By”  - Biggie went to Motown’s classic vaults and pulled out Marvin Gaye's and Tammy Terrell’s “You're All I Need To Get By” to serve player hater’s on Life After Death’s “My Downfall.”(Photo: Chris Walter/WireImage)

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“You're All I Need to Get By”  - Biggie went to Motown’s classic vaults and pulled out Marvin Gaye's and Tammy Terrell’s “You're All I Need To Get By” to serve player hater’s on Life After Death’s “My Downfall.”(Photo: Chris Walter/WireImage)

Photo By Photo: Chris

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"Distant Lover" - Kanye West, GLC and Consequence kicked their plights of making it out of the ghetto on “Spaceship,” and just like in Marvin Gaye’s “Distant Lover,” they were on a quest for something that seemed far out of reach.(Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images)

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"Distant Lover" - Kanye West, GLC and Consequence kicked their plights of making it out of the ghetto on “Spaceship,” and just like in Marvin Gaye’s “Distant Lover,” they were on a quest for something that seemed far out of reach.(Photo: Roger Kisby/Getty Images)

"Got To Give It Up" - Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up” played inspiration to Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and the copyright infringement allegations put him and Pharrell in scolding water. (Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)

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"Got To Give It Up" - Marvin Gaye’s “Got To Give It Up” played inspiration to Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines” and the copyright infringement allegations put him and Pharrell in scolding water. (Photo: Larry Busacca/Getty Images for NARAS)

"Let's Get It On" - Juelz Santana and Cam'ron spazzed out over Marvin’s bedroom ballad in 2003. Produced by The Heatmakerz, “Let’s Go” even kept Marvin Gaye’s vocals in play as they showcased their art form of flossing.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

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"Let's Get It On" - Juelz Santana and Cam'ron spazzed out over Marvin’s bedroom ballad in 2003. Produced by The Heatmakerz, “Let’s Go” even kept Marvin Gaye’s vocals in play as they showcased their art form of flossing.(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

“You’re All I Need To Get By”  - Diddy pulled out Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell’s “You’re All I Need To Get By” for Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s hip hop love ballad “I’ll Be There For You,” proving that rap and R&B make a perfect marriage.(Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

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“You’re All I Need To Get By”  - Diddy pulled out Marvin Gaye and Tammy Terrell’s “You’re All I Need To Get By” for Method Man and Mary J. Blige’s hip hop love ballad “I’ll Be There For You,” proving that rap and R&B make a perfect marriage.(Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

"Turn On Some Music" - EPMD’s Erick Sermon made a ferocious comeback in 2001 thanks to an old Marvin Gaye loop. With vintage clips of Marvin in the video as well, “Just Like Music” introduced “Mr. Sexual Healing” to a whole new audience.  (Photo: Mychal Watts/WireImage)

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"Turn On Some Music" - EPMD’s Erick Sermon made a ferocious comeback in 2001 thanks to an old Marvin Gaye loop. With vintage clips of Marvin in the video as well, “Just Like Music” introduced “Mr. Sexual Healing” to a whole new audience.  (Photo: Mychal Watts/WireImage)

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“Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) / “What’s Going On”  - The anointed King of the South kicked off his 1991 solo album with the chilling street story single of a hustler who ultimately meets his death on “A Minute To Pray And A Second To Die.” A story this cold had to pull from two of Marvin Gaye’s classics, “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) and “What’s Going On.”(Photo: Bob Levey/Getty Images for UrbanDaddy)

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“Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) / “What’s Going On”  - The anointed King of the South kicked off his 1991 solo album with the chilling street story single of a hustler who ultimately meets his death on “A Minute To Pray And A Second To Die.” A story this cold had to pull from two of Marvin Gaye’s classics, “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) and “What’s Going On.”(Photo: Bob Levey/Getty Images for UrbanDaddy)

"If I Should Die Tonight" - Marvin Gaye questioned what would life be like if he wasn’t here on this track, and Big K.R.I.T. delivered his own version, visually painting his home going celebration if his life ended early on “If I Should Die.” (Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images for Electus Digital)

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"If I Should Die Tonight" - Marvin Gaye questioned what would life be like if he wasn’t here on this track, and Big K.R.I.T. delivered his own version, visually painting his home going celebration if his life ended early on “If I Should Die.” (Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images for Electus Digital)

“What’s Going On”  - Marvin Gaye felt the plight of mothers losing sons on 1971’s “What’s Going On” and the Geto Boys felt the emotion in the track and decided to use it as the backdrop to pay respects to their dead homies on “Six Feet Deep” in 1993.(Photo: Rap-A-Lot Records)

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“What’s Going On”  - Marvin Gaye felt the plight of mothers losing sons on 1971’s “What’s Going On” and the Geto Boys felt the emotion in the track and decided to use it as the backdrop to pay respects to their dead homies on “Six Feet Deep” in 1993.(Photo: Rap-A-Lot Records)

Photo By Photo: Rap-A-Lot Records

“Stop Look Listen (To Your Heart)”  - 50 Cent took Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye’s “Stop Look Listen (To Your Heart)” to break down New York’s street politics on 2000’s "Ghetto Qu’ran."  Not known by many, The King and Queen of Motown recorded a duets album together in 1973 called Diana & Marvin, where their original track landed.(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Live Nation)

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“Stop Look Listen (To Your Heart)”  - 50 Cent took Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye’s “Stop Look Listen (To Your Heart)” to break down New York’s street politics on 2000’s "Ghetto Qu’ran."  Not known by many, The King and Queen of Motown recorded a duets album together in 1973 called Diana & Marvin, where their original track landed.(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Live Nation)

"Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" - Big Daddy Kane got the job done on 1990’s ”'Cause I Can Do It Right” as he gaffled Marvin Gaye’s “Stubborn Kind Of Fellow.”(Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch)

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"Stubborn Kind Of Fellow" - Big Daddy Kane got the job done on 1990’s ”'Cause I Can Do It Right” as he gaffled Marvin Gaye’s “Stubborn Kind Of Fellow.”(Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch)

Photo By Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch

"Trouble Man" - Marvin Gaye scored the soundtrack to the 1972 film Trouble Man and T.I. took pages out of his playbook for his eighth album of the same name. Produced by DJ Toomp, he used the title track for “The Introduction” as Tip told a tale of trouble balancing the streets and success.  (Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Power 105.1)

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"Trouble Man" - Marvin Gaye scored the soundtrack to the 1972 film Trouble Man and T.I. took pages out of his playbook for his eighth album of the same name. Produced by DJ Toomp, he used the title track for “The Introduction” as Tip told a tale of trouble balancing the streets and success.  (Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Power 105.1)