Use Me: A Look Back on Bill Withers' Legacy in Hip-Hop

Last week, soul music lost one of its most prolific voices, Bill Withers. According to his family, Withers passed away from heart complications at the age of 81.

“We are devastated by the loss of our beloved, devoted husband and father. A solitary man with a heart driven to connect to the world at large, with his poetry and music, he spoke honestly to people and connected them to each other,” the family statement read. “As private a life as he lived close to intimate family and friends, his music forever belongs to the world. In this difficult time, we pray his music offers comfort and entertainment as fans hold tight to loved ones.”

His tunes, serving as inspiration to many popular artists of our day, including John Legend, who tweeted the following on Friday:   Withers’ music also served as the launching pad for many producers of some of hip-hop’s greatest hits. It would be apropos to shine a light on these joints as we honor his legacy this weekend and beyond. We invite you to get into our playlist below. If we missed any songs, let us know in the comments.  

1. Straight Out Of The Jungle – Jungle Brothers

2. Lean On Me – Big Daddy Kane

3. It Ain't – Geto Boys

4. In The Ghetto – Eric B & Rakim

5. Let Me Ride – Dr. Dre ft. Snoop Dogg, Jewel & RC

6. Soulja Story – 2Pac

7. No I Feel Ya – Scarface

8. No Diggity – Blackstreet ft. Dr. Dre & Queen Pen

9. Rated R – Redman

10. Just The Two of Us – Will Smith

11. No Sunshine – DMX

12. Nutmeg – Ghostface Killah ft. RZA

13. Still Dreaming – Nas ft. Kanye West & Chrisette Michele

14. Roses – Kanye West

15. Sing About Me, I'm Dying Of Thirst – Kendrick Lamar