There are better people to talk about Teddy Pendergrass than me (for example, Michael A. Gonzales). I’d be lying if I pretended to be anything more than a casual Teddy P fan. Still, I am deeply saddened that yet another musical legend has passed away. In the past few years, we’ve lost James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Michael Jackson, and now Teddy Pendergrass. The world is cold and so we wrap ourselves in the warmth of music to last through another night.
Here is a short rundown of Teddy P’s direct influence in hip-hop music, i.e. a slew of notable rap songs that sampled from his catalog. I may not have been a die-hard Pendergrass fan but the producers of these records certainly were, and so his influence lives on.
1. The D.O.C. “Portrait of a Masterpiece” (1989) sampled “You Can’t Hide from Yourself” (1977)
2. Compton’s Most Wanted (MC Eiht) “Can I Kill It?” (1991) sampled “Love TKO” (1980) and “Close The Door” (1978)
3. Big Daddy Kane “In the PJ’s” (1994) sampled “Close The Door” (1978)
4. Ahmad “Back In The Day (Remix)” (1994) sampled “Love TKO” (1980)\
5. The B.U.M.S. “Elevation (Free My Mind)” (1995) sampled “Close The Door” (1978)
6. Jayo Felony “Sherm Stick” (1995) sampled “Come Go With Me” (1979)
7. Ghostface Killah “Camay” (1996) sampled “Can’t We Try” (1980)
8. D’Angelo “Devil’s Pie” (2000) sampled “And If I Had” (1977)
by Quan Vu
