Classic Isley Brothers Songs Sampled in Hip Hop

Kendrick Lamar's "i," plus more.

King Kendrick - Kendrick Lamar, who appears on the soundtrack for The Amazing Spider-Man 2, performs at the film's premiere after-party at the Skylight at Moynihan Station in New York City. (Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

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"That Lady" - Kendrick Lamar’s long-awaited single “i,” the first release from his highly anticipated sophomore album, has dropped with a beat that immediatley exudes a sigh of nostalgia as it features a sample of the Isley Brothers’ epic hit “That Lady.” But K.Dot’s self-empowering jam isn’t the first to find inspiration in the iconic fraternal trio. Hip hop stars from Biggie to Jay Z, Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg have also dipped in the Isley archives. Read on. — Dominique Zonyeé (@DominiqueZonyee)(Photo: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

"Ten Crack Commandments," Notorious B.I.G. - On his biggest selling LP, 1997's Life After Death, the Notorious B.I.G. both sold and told the game when he issued this hit single, which explicitly laid out the rules of crack dealing. That the song came out during the waning days of the drug's popularity didn't lessen the song's power, or humor.   (Photo: Chris Walter/WireImage)

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“Between the Sheets” - One of hip hop's most notable nod’s to the Isley Brothers comes from the late, great Notorious B.I.G. Biggie flipped the classic “Between the Sheets” over a decade after its release for his 1994 hit “Big Poppa.”(Photo: Chris Walter/WireImage)

Beanie Sigel and Jay Z - When the Roc broke up, it left plenty of hurt feelings. Chief among the relationships that never reached their previous heights was Jay Z and Beanie Sigel’s, as over the last few years, Beans has come at Hov in both interviews and on wax. Here and there, Jay has returned the favor with subliminal jabs in his rhymes — though he did call out Beans by name on “Pound Cake.”(Photos: Ethan Miller/Getty Images; Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

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“Between the Sheets” - Jay Z’s American Gangster featured Hov’s take on the Isleys' “Between the Sheets” for his unapologetic “Ignorant S--t” featuring the Broad Street Bully, Beanie Sigel.(Photos from left: Ethan Miller/Getty Images, Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images) 

Ice Cube: June 15 - The rapper and actor is on a hot streak at 45. (Photo: Frazer Harrison/WireImage)

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"Footsteps in the Dark" - Ranked at No. 77 on VH1’s 100 Hottest Songs of the '90s, Ice Cube’s “It Was a Good Day” featured a sample of the Isleys’ classic “Footsteps in the Dark.” The sample, re-worked by DJ Pooh, provided Cube with the ideal canvas to detail the perfect day cruising around L.A.(Photo: Frazer Harrison/WireImage)

“The Highways of My Life” - Auto-Tune king T-Pain dug deep into the Isley vault for his 2008 hit “Chopped N Skrewed,” featuring Ludacris. Pain took it back to 1973 with “The Highways of My Life” as the underlying tune for the second single off of his third studio album, Thr33 Ringz.(Photo: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni /Landov)

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“The Highways of My Life” - Auto-Tune king T-Pain dug deep into the Isley vault for his 2008 hit “Chopped N Skrewed,” featuring Ludacris. Pain took it back to 1973 with “The Highways of My Life” as the underlying tune for the second single off of his third studio album, Thr33 Ringz.(Photo: REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni /Landov)

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“Voyage to Atlantis” - Hov has been known to pay homage to the Isleys', so when he and the Pied Piper joined forces for the first of their two R&B/hip hop mash-ups, Best of Both Worlds, it was no shock that the fellas borrowed from the funk brothers. Take a listen to “It Ain’t Personal” and you will hear hints of the Isley classic “Voyage to Atlantis.”(Photos: from left Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images, Donna Ward/Getty Images)

Bonnaroo - R. Kelly, Nas, Kendrick Lamar and dozens of other acts will grace the multiple stages at Bonnaroo, the yearly mega-festival in rural Tennesseee in mid-June. (Photos from Left: Scott Gries/Getty Images, Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

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"Choosey Lover" - When Nas’s “Street Dreams” needed revamping (as if anything on It Was Written needed revamping), he tapped R.Kelly for the remix and the Isley Brothers for a sample of their Top 10 hit “Choosey Lover.”(Photos from Left: Scott Gries/Getty Images, Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images)

"Here We Go Again" - Merely borrowing the melodies of the Isley Brothers “Here We Go Again” wasn’t enough for the Underground Kingz, better known by the moniker UGK. The Houston duo tapped Ronald Isley himself for “The Bun and the Pimp,” from their 2009 album, UGK 4Life. The single serves as one of many nods UGK made to the soul brothers. They also sampled the trio on “Too Hard to Swallow” and “One Day.”(Photo: Pam Francis/Getty Images)

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"Here We Go Again" - Merely borrowing the melodies of the Isley Brothers “Here We Go Again” wasn’t enough for the Underground Kingz, better known by the moniker UGK. The Houston duo tapped Ronald Isley himself for “The Bun and the Pimp,” from their 2009 album, UGK 4Life. The single serves as one of many nods UGK made to the soul brothers. They also sampled the trio on “Too Hard to Swallow” and “One Day.”(Photo: Pam Francis/Getty Images)

“Lay-Away” - Lil Wayne is about to end his Tha Carter series with the Carter V this year. Based on Drake-assisted singles like “Believe Me” and “Grindin',” the album will feature a modern YMCMB flare, but back in 2005, on Tha Carter III, young Weezy took it back to 1972 with a sample of the Isley Brothers’ “Lay-Away” on his track “Receipt.”(Photo: Mitchell Layton/WireImage)

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“Lay-Away” - Lil Wayne is about to end his Tha Carter series with the Carter V this year. Based on Drake-assisted singles like “Believe Me” and “Grindin',” the album will feature a modern YMCMB flare, but back in 2005, on Tha Carter III, young Weezy took it back to 1972 with a sample of the Isley Brothers’ “Lay-Away” on his track “Receipt.”(Photo: Mitchell Layton/WireImage)

“Ballad for the Fallen Soldier” - If anyone knows about growing up in the concrete jungle, it’s Jay Z. He borrowed the Isleys’ anti-war song “Ballad for the Fallen Soldier” for his ‘hood reflective, Too $hort-assisted “A Week Ago,” from his albumVol. 2... Hard Knock Life  (Photos from left: Sutton / Corbis via Splash News, Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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“Ballad for the Fallen Soldier” - If anyone knows about growing up in the concrete jungle, it’s Jay Z. He borrowed the Isleys’ anti-war song “Ballad for the Fallen Soldier” for his ‘hood reflective, Too $hort-assisted “A Week Ago,” from his albumVol. 2... Hard Knock Life  (Photos from left: Sutton / Corbis via Splash News, Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

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"Hello It's Me" - Always spreading U.N.I.T.Y. and empowerment, Queen Latifah looked to the soulful trio for the base of her uplifting 1993 Black Reign track “Black Hand Side.” The Queen set it off with the Isleys’ “Hello It’s Me.”(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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"Hello It's Me" - Always spreading U.N.I.T.Y. and empowerment, Queen Latifah looked to the soulful trio for the base of her uplifting 1993 Black Reign track “Black Hand Side.” The Queen set it off with the Isleys’ “Hello It’s Me.”(Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

“Tryin' to See Another Day" - From day one, Snoop Dogg has made it know that his musical influences come from the classics by artist like Marvin Gaye and the Isley Brothers. When he released his second single, “Gin and Juice,” featuring Daz Dillinger, in 1993, it featured a sound similar to the Isleys’ “Tryin' to See Another Day." It was no big surprise that the Doggfather was paying homage to the soulful siblings.(Photos from left: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images, Justin Barlow/Getty Images for MTV Base)

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“Tryin' to See Another Day" - From day one, Snoop Dogg has made it know that his musical influences come from the classics by artist like Marvin Gaye and the Isley Brothers. When he released his second single, “Gin and Juice,” featuring Daz Dillinger, in 1993, it featured a sound similar to the Isleys’ “Tryin' to See Another Day." It was no big surprise that the Doggfather was paying homage to the soulful siblings.(Photos from left: Noel Vasquez/Getty Images, Justin Barlow/Getty Images for MTV Base)

"Fight the Power" - One of the most overt Isley Brothers nods came from the political rap group Public Enemy with their 1988 stick-it-to-the-man single, “Fight the Power.” Flavor Flav and Chuck D brought attention to social injustice just like the Isley’s did in 1975 with the original version of “Fight the Power.”(Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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"Fight the Power" - One of the most overt Isley Brothers nods came from the political rap group Public Enemy with their 1988 stick-it-to-the-man single, “Fight the Power.” Flavor Flav and Chuck D brought attention to social injustice just like the Isley’s did in 1975 with the original version of “Fight the Power.”(Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)