Best Jazz Hip-Hop

My definition of jazz rap is any hip-hop music that samples a jazz song or artist. Jazz rap often samples acoustic bass, trumpets, and saxophones, and occasionally, piano. Jazz rap often includes jazz-influenced lyricism as well. However, my favorite jazz-rap songs are great because of the beats and how well the producers use their jazz samples. Of course, most of the jazz songs sampled by rappers are from the 1960s and 1970s, when jazz fusion, jazz-funk, and soul jazz were the most popular forms of the music. Famous jazz-rap artists include A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, and Madlib, who did an album composed of covers of classic songs from Blue Note record label.

1. Eric B. and Rakim's Don't Sweat the Technique. Funky and jazzy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDGJJH21qkw

2. Aesop Rock's Dryspell. Samples Ornette Coleman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKiT8RIvIIc

3. Gangstarr: Words I Manifest samples Night in Tunisia. Mixing a jazz standard and James Brown has never sounded so good. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcrG05S_xoE

4. A slept on EP from the 1990s, Siah and Yeshua's Gravity is essential for underground jazz-rap. No Soles Dopest Opus is my favorite jam. I believe it samples Dizzy Gillespie's take on "All the Things You Are" and Miles Davis's "Moon Dreams" from Birth of the Cool. Still funky at the same time.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_5A7rZ5P7A

5. Artifact's "Wrong Side of Da Tracks" is a great jazz-rap song. The song is about graffiti artists.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFXqwNudGLM

6. Black Moon's Who Got da Props is essential 1990s New York hip-hop. This Brooklyn-based group never achieved the fame of Wu Tang Clan and other early 90s hip-hoppers, but they're just as good. I believe the jazz sample is from a Ronnie Laws song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_wOAqv_wvs

7. Jay-Z's Dead Presidents is another great jazzy jam. It samples a Lonnie Liston Smith song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIq84HQ37Dc

8. Ol' Dirty Bastard's Cuttin Headz samples Thelonious Monk.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wpW8L2Hy0Vs

9. Atmosphere's Guns and Cigarettes samples a Cannonball Adderley blues song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoD6YRzofZk

10. Black Sheep's Have U.N.E. Pull is another classic jazzy jam. More funk than jazz though...strong horns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FX-VLAeNLqg

11. Black Sheep's The Choice Is Yours (Revisited) is one of my favorite rap songs. Samples the acoustic bass from a McCoy Tyner song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-Qu_wEksbw

12. Blu & Exile's Dancing in the Rain samples some jazzy guitar. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYqm-xU2pi8

13. Common's The Light samples a jazzy R&B song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2i3_VuRyGEg

14. Common's Geto Heaven Part Two is also jazzy. With vocals from D'Angelo as well since it was originally intended to be on his Voodoo album. Jazzy piano. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1SfqpF7EMY

15. Common's I Used to Love Her is also a jazz-rap song, sampling George Benson. It's about the state of hip-hop. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TN_wqRJ_F1k

16. De La Soul's Oodles of O's samples a bassline from an Art Blakey song, the same bass sampled by Digable Planets for their Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-2-qVgGQak

17. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien's Catch a Bad One samples part of a cello solo from an Eric Dolphy song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9vimihLXCU

18. Rebirth of Slick (Cool Like Dat) by Digable Planets has one of the funkiest jazz-rap singles. A big hit for the group back in the early 1990s, the jazzy bass is unforgettable. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTXogy3WepM

19. Digable Planets' Black Ego is another good jazz-rap song from their second album, Blowout Comb. Interesting beats and samples here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_y85ZtcI_U

20. Digable Planet's Graffiti is also great. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1q_r0BlcWU

21. What Cool Breezes Do by Digable Planets http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fagkTqxppg

22. Time and Space by Digable Planets is also interesting for sampling Sonny Rollins' Mambo Bounce.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6gZ3fA0J0c

23. De La Soul's Eye Know is also a classic jazzy rap cut. It also illustrates the eclectic sampling of Prince Paul, the group's producer. One can recognize Otis Redding whistling from Sittin' On the Dock O'the Bay
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1CaN4thI5w

24. Black Sheep's La Menage ft. Q-Tip has a great acoustic bassline. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRQJZBsAR9g

25. Black Sheep's Black With N.V. samples Freddie Hubbard. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2zQcj3OD-k

26. Dr. Octagon's Blue Flowers is not exactly jazz-rap, but it features jazzy drums and a scratch solo by a DJ. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVIKMZIRKaU

27. Erykah Badu's On & On is not hip-hop, but it's influenced by hip-hop production and sensibilities. Very jazzy 1990s R&B. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7mwZULsVcQ

28. Gravediggaz's Nowhere to Run, Nowhere to Hide, produced by Prince Paul. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4nWYGSoSoU

29. Gravediggaz's Defective Trip (Trippin') also has jazzy drumming, but is more funk than jazz in terms of the samples. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4gQP5r4IyU

30. Kanye West's Drive Slow samples a jazzy saxophone. Sample comes from Hank Crawford's Wildflower.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqsrVatoTgc

31. KMD's Contact Blitt samples Lee Morgan's Mr. Kenyatta. It also samples part of Wayne Shorter's sax solo in the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQeeLhm4DQY

32. KMD's Black Bastards is also essential jazz-rap. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMN7mQ3_0TM

33. KMD's It Sounded Like a Roc samples two Pharaoh Sanders songs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr9jfSOnAFY

34. Lil Wayne's Dr. Carter samples a jazz fusion song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K688ZSwaGEQ

35. Lupe Fiasco's Kick, Push doesn't sample a jazz artist, but sounds a lot like the smooth jazz-rap tracks of the early 1990s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVNYbfrmID4

36. Madvillain's Raid samples Bill Evans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weWTuvdL-LQ

37. Madvillain's Great Day Today http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rS1cggllfig

38. MF Doom's Arrow Root is one of the best jazz-rap cuts I've ever heard. Pure beauty. I don't know what he sampled but he did an amazing job. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxPJiC_d0Yg

39. Mystikal's Bouncin Back (Bumpin' Me Against the Wall) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psaHLi7-DIs&ob=av2e

40. MF DOOM's Vomitspit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6S5vaHVD2-w

41. MF Doom's Kon Karne http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcRmRkcMlkw

42. MF Doom's Gas Drawls http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdgOxiiwwNs&feature=fvst

43. MF Doom's Nettle Leaves http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7UDXkRXysw

44. Nujabes, the late Japanese hip-hop producer, made some precious jazz-rap jams. My favorite is Final View, which samples Yusef Lateef's Love Theme from Spartacus, a song from an old film. Beautiful oboe playing.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36F9LKMDaOY

45. Mos Def's Umi Says is essential jazz-rap. Influenced by neo-soul and jazz, Mos Def tries to sing, and doesn't sound too bad. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcxLFXbECsY

46. Mos Def's Love samples Bill Evans. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyGGsBSpg90

47. Mos Def's Brooklyn samples multiple different artists, but still qualifies as jazz-rap because it samples a Roy Ayers song and Milt Jackson. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCuTYVulOzY

48. Mos Def's Mr. Nigga samples Gil Scott-Heron's jazzy Legend In His Own Mind. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NZxmuMmPLUU

49. Mos Def's May December is a jazzy instrumental hip-hop tune. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFGgP7FKO3M

50. Mos Def's Roses, which samples a song of the same name by relatively underground rapper/singer Georgia Anne Muldrow, has a jazzy piano-driven feel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Gz1Sh19JNk

51. Mos Def and Talib Kweli worked together as Black Star. Their song, Astronomy (8th Light) is quite jazzy, featuring piano by Weldon Irvine. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-hVkorqicw

52. Black Star's Brown Skin Lady http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXFL4dYH9Ik

53. Black Star's Thieves in the Night http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjxtRehIz2Y&feature=related

54. Kanye West's Heard 'Em Say has some jazz influences http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JjdsQLzaZ-o

55. Nas has quite a few jazz-rap gems from Illmatic and future releases in his career. Let's start with Life's a Bitch http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nCnqDvvZrcM

56. Nas's Memory Lane (Sittin' In da Park) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXBFG2vsyCM

57. Nas's NY State of Mind http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKjj4hk0pV4&feature=related

58. Nas's The World Is Yours samples Ahmad Jamal http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_srvHOu75vM&feature=related

59. Nas's One Love http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjd7EbUUds8&feature=related

60. Nas's It Ain't Hard to Tell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI-DRbf_AZk&feature=related

61. Nas's Halftime doesn't sample any jazz, but I love the horns http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVtMQgg5AAI&feature=related

62. Nas's Purple samples Miles Davis's Blue in Green http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GpPGD7_yRY

63. Notorious B.I.G.'s Suicidal Thoughts samples a Miles Davis song from his fusion years. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6ChkExqv2E

64. The Pharcyde also have some great jazzy rap songs. Oh Shit samples Donald Byrd. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBO9-RqsmsQ

65. Pharcyde's 4 Better or 4 Worse http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2jniq3vcmY

66. Pharcyde's Soul Flower (Remix) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zmmBfbpFM0&feature=related

67. Pharcyde's On the DL samples Stanley Cowell http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sb3vTF8bo7U&feature=related

68. Pharcyde's Passin' Me By http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48OYTEZQR9U&feature=related

69. Pharcyde's Otha Fish http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8vQF5eLfrM

70. Pharcyde's Pack the Pipe samples both Cannonball Adderley and John Coltrane. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmLdQIYf4WY&feature=related

71. Pharcyde's Runnin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwHuEDCM7xs

72. Q-Tip's Shaka http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEbIQ-Op2zI

73. Q-Tip's Blue Girl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V1xT_iP4DrY

74. Quasimoto's Microphone Mathematics http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HF37suwIf-Y

75. Quasimoto's Return of the Loop Digga http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH_2apOP4WM

76. Jazz Cats Pt. 1 by Quasimoto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epvuECEuC-A

77. Quasimoto's Blitz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqUUSalT8pw

78. Raekwon's Ice Cream http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7OO2jjZbwU

79. Big Daddy Kane's It's Hard Being the Kane is more funky and built on funk samples rather than jazz, but still sounds like jazz-rap. It was produced by Prince Paul. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMqhMP43v8A

80. Gang Starr's Ex Girl to Next Girl http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWr2IyugMGM

81. K'naan's Blues for the Horn http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIrFMtVkw6w

82. Madvillain's Rainbows http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPk31QGqtdA

83. Public Enemy's 911 Is a Joke is not really jazz-rap, but it does feature some strong sax lines. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t25_sQ7tdVY

84. Wu Tang Clan's Shame on a Nigga samples Thelonious Monk. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wf3jzDb4H7o

The Roots have several jazzy classics.

85. Mellow My Man http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nozh5l13Auo

86. Datskat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wgaNPbUQoPg

87. Silent Treatment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwY2rH-tWGs

88. How I Got Over http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zI4D1QOLGuM&ob=av2e

89. What They Do http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVOuqnJFPvQ

90. Something In the Way of Things http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQdnKuhpcpo

91. Double Trouble http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FBPq8VXHmgY

92. Dynamite http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz-7bO_SRtk

A Tribe Called Quest have several jazzy rap jams

93. Luck of Lucien http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCvr8sevyLk

94. Bonita Applebum http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HU_4pf8BSQw

95. Can I Kick It? samples the bass from Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71ubKHzujy8

96. Excursions http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4poAOhrsvWE

97. Butter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB9PiW68yQg

98. Verses from the Abstract features jazz bassist Ron Carter http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A75MsdqU-jc&feature=related

99. Vibes and Stuff http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRr6W-zVCdw&feature=related

100. Jazz (We've Got) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFA_stcnyns&feature=related

101. Scenario is a posse cut, meaning a large number of rappers exchanging verses in a song that usually has a simple beat so the lyrics are prominent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrhHH3_t218

102. Award Tour http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKXMZlw_efM

103. We Can Get Down http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYbwFuw_QQI

104. Electric Relaxation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myJWy6Ts2w4&feature=fvst

105. Oh My God samples the bass from a Lee Morgan song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETVwuOv69R0

106. Lyrics to Go http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onGtPe4XCtU

107. Eric B. & Rakim's Juice (Know the Ledge) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yUzDcxDQTyI

108. Brand Nubian's Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV3s9vUQ71U

109. Black Moon's Nigus Talk Shit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkstswqxrvo