5 songs by Roberta Flack that every hip-hop head should know
OPINION: The legendary singer, who passed away on Feb. 24, had some songs that laid the framework for some of hip-hop's greatest works.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
Roberta Flack was one of my favorite singers, so there’s a bit of poetry (to me) about the fact that I received the news of her death — she passed away on Feb. 24, 2025 — in class from one of my students at Howard University while in the middle of discussing a music review assignment.
Flack is, of course, a member of the institution’s legendary alumni list. This news about Flack allowed the class to briefly discuss some of her songs and for me to discuss how important she was to Black music. As is to be expected, not all of my students knew that they were familiar with her music (or that she graduated from Howard University), but once the song “Killing Me Softly” was mentioned, there was a collective head nod. I mean, it’s Roberta Flack.
I was late to my appreciation of Flack. Sure, I knew her songs but I didn’t, like, know know her songs. It wasn’t until I got to Morehouse College and truly began my musical education (largely through crate digging for songs that laid the foundation for many of my favorite hip-hop records) that I would come to understand just how much I loved both her voice and her contributions to music. It’s also why when I had the chance to meet her in Washington, D.C., while I co-managed the legendary jazz venue, Bohemian Caverns, I was beside myself when I got a chance to speak with her, even briefly. Flack wasn’t there to perform that evening, but to introduce her nephew, who was performing a few nights, but just having the chance to speak to her and tell her how much of a fan I was has been a memory I’ve cherished ever since.
Flack’s passing will rightly lead to many tributes and (hopefully) discussions about her catalog. Her work with Donny Hathaway, whom she met while they were both students at Howard University, is among my favorite. The first thing I thought about when my student shared the news was how some of my favorite records of hers are the foundation for some of my favorite hip-hop songs—some of which were huge and/or seminal hits for the artists who sampled her. As a tribute and nod to how her music inspired generations after hers, here are five records that sampled songs from Roberta Flack that every hip-hop head should know.
1. “Killing Me Softly With His Song” (from the 1973 album “Killing Me Softly”)
Any hip-hop list that pays homage to Roberta Flack could both start (and end) with The Fugees’ flip of her seminal hit, “Killing Me Softly with His Song.” The Fugees version, “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” arguably responsible for the success of the sophomore album, “The Score,” is the centerpiece of the record, with Lauryn Hill singing over a simple drum loop with a light bass that plays throughout the song; Wyclef puncuates the space every so often with his “one time, two times.” Flack’s record gained a new life with this rendition, similar to how Frankie Beverly’s seminal Blackness jam, “Before I Let Go,” saw a new life when Beyoncé covered during her historic headlining performance at Coachella in 2018.
2. “Be Real Black For Me” (from Flack and Hathaway’s 1972 “Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway” album)
As soon as the piano keys start on this record, you might recognize them as the sample for Scarface’s hit single, “On My Block,” from his 2002 classic album, “The Fix.” You could stop there, but that would mean you’d miss the absolute masterclinic of harmony that Flack and Hathaway put on over the course of the song’s three minutes and thirty-four second run time. I’m careful to ever call anything perfect, but this song…is perfect.
3. “Gone Away” (from the 1970 album “Chapter Two”)
“Gone Away” is an unassuming choice to provide the soundbed for, arguably, the biggest song of 2006 (!!!!!)— “What You Know” by Atlanta rapper, T.I. It’s unassuming because in order to hear the part used for the sample you have to listen to the entire song (as I’m assuming producer DJ Toomp did). To hear the part that was sampled for T.I.’s hit song from his “King” album, you have to listen all the way to the 2:51 mark, and then keep listening to the end of the song’s five minutes to hear the power of the break used to craft Atlanta trapper’s single. It is an amazing find from an amazing record that created a hit record over thirty five years later.
4. “Hey, That’s No Way to Say Goodbye” (from the 1969 album “First Take”)
Much like T.I.’s song “What You Know,” the producer for the song that sampled this — Lil Kim’s “Queen B—” — had to listen a good way, and with intention to pull the sample from this record. Flack, who played piano on the record, played a quick riff at the 1:51 mark that is so funky that producers Carlos “Six July” Broady and Nashiem Myrick probably had no choice but to make a hit record with it; a few-seconds from one of Flack’s records turned into a hip-hop classic.
5. “Born to Love” (from Flack and Peabo Bryson’s 1982 album “Born To Love”)
Fans of Nasir Jones, better known as Nas, will probably recognize the sample right away. “Born To Love” opens up with a drum and guitar riff that sets the foundation for Nas’ song “2nd Childhood” from his 2001 album, “Stillmatic,” produced by legendary hip-hop producer, DJ Premier. The sample, short and sweet, was enough to build an entire record around and it was done to perfection. Flack and Bryson’s song should be listened to all the way through, though; their voices blend perfectly together, creating a listening experience worth seeing through.
Rest in Power, Roberta Flack.
Panama Jackson is a columnist at theGrio and host of the award-winning podcast, “Dear Culture” on theGrio Black Podcast Network. He writes very Black things, drinks very brown liquors, and is pretty fly for a light guy. His biggest accomplishment to date coincides with his Blackest accomplishment to date in that he received a phone call from Oprah Winfrey after she read one of his pieces (biggest) but he didn’t answer the phone because the caller ID said “Unknown” (Blackest).
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