B.B. King's Influence on Hip Hop

The legendary Bluesman's mark on the rap game.

All Hail the King - Legendary bluesman B.B. King went on to glory yesterday, but his music will live on forever. Some of his funky guitar rhythms have been the backdrop to numerous hip hop staples and his vibes were felt throughout the rap game. Read on now and check out a few MCs who sampled The King and got a chance to jam with him and lady Lucille. —Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photos from left: Brad Barket/Getty Images for Electus Digital, Jeff Sedlik/Corbis, Chris Weeks/Getty Images for Reebok)
Ice Cube - Ice Cube's took B.B. King's "Chains and Things" and weighed the pros and cons of America with his 1991 jam "Bird in the Hand," off the classic album Death Certificate, and the funky guitar riffs had you thinking and grooving at the same damn time. (Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for CinemaCon)
Kendrick Lamar and MC Eiht - Paying tribute to Ice Cube as the torch was passed, Kendrick also flexed over "Chains and Things" with "m.A.A.d City" as it paid homage to Cube's "Bird in the Hand."(Photo: Chris Weeks/Getty Images for Reebok)Big Daddy Kane - The Brooklyn don spit his Asiatic rhymes from "Who Am I" over B.B.'s "Ain't Nobody Home" in 1990 and made the world feel the wrath of Kane.(Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images for Anheuser-Busch)

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All Hail the King - Legendary bluesman B.B. King went on to glory yesterday, but his music will live on forever. Some of his funky guitar rhythms have been the backdrop to numerous hip hop staples and his vibes were felt throughout the rap game. Read on now and check out a few MCs who sampled The King and got a chance to jam with him and lady Lucille. —Michael Harris (@IceBlueVA)(Photos from left: Brad Barket/Getty Images for Electus Digital, Jeff Sedlik/Corbis, Chris Weeks/Getty Images for Reebok)

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