10 Times We Showed Nina Simone Love
Hollywood didn't show Nina love, but hip hop sure has.
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To Nina, With Love - The Nina Simone biopic is proving to be the most controversial movie release since North Korea threatened the U.S. after James Franco and Seth Rogen's The Interview made its rounds on the Internet.The common phrase circulating is, "Nina Simone deserves better!" While Hollywood hasn't given the Nina Simone legacy its proper share of love, the music industry has been showing the iconic musical and civil rights figure some major affection over the years. Hip hop, especially with these records. That's why sampling is the best sometimes. – Jon Reyes(Photo: Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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'I Loves You Porgy' - Hip hop group Onyx sampled Nina's voice in "I Loves You Porgy" for their record "See U In Hell, Pt. 2." (Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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'Strange Fruit' - Kanye is the biggest proponent of sampling and went all the way with it with Nina Simone's "Strange Fruit" sample on "Blood on the Leaves."(Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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'Do What You Gotta Do' - For TLOP, his follow-up to Yeezus, West went for another Nina Simone sample. This time he had the electric Rihanna sing the Nina Simone lyrics on "Famous," the track that had Taylor Swift shading West at the Grammys.(Photo: Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood' - For his introspective "Dontgetit" track, Lil Wayne sampled this iconic Nina Simone record. (Photo: Rico D'Rozario/Redferns)
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'Baltimore' - Nina's ode to the city of Baltimore is poetically used in Game's "The Ocean": an ode to the Pacific Ocean.(Photo: Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
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'Feeling Good' - The once tight clique of 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo waxed poetic about their infamous bond over a beat sampling the iconic horns on "Feeling Good."(Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
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'Feeling Good' - Kanye West and Jay Z's cut "New Day," an introspective track dedicated to their unborn sons for their Watch the Throne album, repped Nina. It's less about "feeling good" and more about the "new day" component of the original song.(Photo: Getty Images)
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'Sinnerman' - Another poetic sample, and this time from Talib Kweli with the use of Simone's version of the traditional African-American spiritual.(Photo: Paul Bergen)
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'See-Line Woman' - The legendary Nina Simone track about 19th-century prostitutes on the docks was used on Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreaks in "Bad News."(Photo: Herb Snitzer/Michael Ochs Archive/Getty Images)