One track from Joe Cocker’s eponymous 1972 album would go on to have an unlikely second life. Throughout the 80s and 90s, his funk classic Woman to Woman became a go-to sample for hip-hop producers, who used the piano hook and horn stab to provide the backbone for some of hip-hop’s most influential tracks.
Ultramagnetic MCs – Funky
Kool Keith and the rest of the Ultramagnetic MCs used Woman to Woman not once but twice. They first sampled the track in 1987 on Funky, taking the piano sample of Woman to Woman and dropping it in between verses and a skit about being late to meet a girlfriend. It helped the group get signed for their first album Critical Beatdown, which would set the standard for sampling in late-80s hip-hop. The group also used it in their quick-fire cut’n’paste track Blast From the Past, which sewed together some of their biggest hits.
EPMD – Knick Knack Patty Wack
Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith used Cocker’s track on their playground-inspired track, Knick Knack Patty Wack. It appeared on their seminal 1989 album Unfinished Business. EPMD used the same piano and horn sample as Ultramagnetic MCs, but unlike them they let the sample play out almost uninterrupted, only chopping it up slightly in the intro.
Tupac feat Dr Dre – California Love
Cocker inadvertently helped to create one of the most iconic west coast hip-hop tracks of all time, when Dr Dre sampled Woman to Woman on the Tupac track California Love. The 1996 track helped introduce Tupac into the mainstream. It also signalled that Dre was still a force in hip-hop after his 1992 album the Chronic. Complemented by the Talk Box vocal of the chorus, the sample turned the track into a club banger in the same way that Bill Withers’ Grandma’s Hands was tweaked by Teddy Riley on Blackstreet’s No Diggity. The piano isn’t too far away from Dre’s comeback anthem Still D.R.E. either.
Quasimoto – Astro Black
Stones Throw records’ resident shapeshifter used Woman to Woman in a more avant garde way on his 2000 album The Unseen. Reimagining the sample until it was barely recognisable, at first in the intro to the track where he covers it in distortion and then again in the outro, where he chops’n’screws it until it crawls along at a snail’s pace, sounding dirgey and unlike anything that had come before. Not surprising for an artist who is widely believed to be an alias for Madlib.
Maino – We Keep It Rockin’
The Brooklyn MC, who is currently in hot water over a video that allegedly glorifies cop killing, sampled not only Cocker but Tupac as well, taking the west coast anthem and reclaiming it for the east coast. Swizz Beatz, Jim Jones and Jadakiss are also featured on the track that came out in March 2011.
Cocker's influence extends beyond his own music as well. His collaborations with other artists, such as his duet with Jennifer Warnes on "Up Where We Belong," have been sampled and referenced in hip-hop songs. His distinctive voice and the emotions it evokes have become a sought-after ingredient in the genre, adding depth and soul to the music.
While Joe Cocker may not be the first name that comes to mind when discussing hip-hop, his unlikely influence cannot be overlooked. From his sample-worthy songs to his powerful vocals and stage presence, Cocker has left an indelible mark on the genre. His ability to bridge the gap between rock, soul, and blues has made his music a valuable resource for hip-hop artists seeking to create something unique and powerful.
So the next time you find yourself nodding your head to a hip-hop track with a familiar vocal sample or being moved by the raw emotion in a rapper's voice, remember that it may have been influenced by the unlikely source of Joe Cocker. His legacy lives on, not only in the rock and blues world but also in the beats and rhymes of hip-hop.