Top 5 Songs That Sample Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
3. Common feat. Will.i.am, "A Dream"
As one of the more socially conscious rappers around, Common's using Dr. King's speech is something that seems obvious. It seems like it would have been something he would have gotten around to a lot sooner, actually.
When he finally did choose to use the speech, he made not only a great song, but Common effectively conveyed a great message about his dreams of freedom and a better life for himself and his people. The sample is effective in the Will.i.am-sung chorus, and surprisingly the Black Eyed Pea doesn't ruin the song with his presence.
2. Bobby Womack, "American Dream"
Bobby Womack's incredible performance here of "American Dream" doesn't feature his sample of Dr. King's speeches, which were included on the original version of the song released on his Poet II album in 1984.
The song itself, however, is a love song which intermittently provides insights into Womack's idea of what the "American dream" should be and how he finds it in his love. I presume that his sampling of Dr. King was intended to convey that they both have a dream and that the only way to get to either of those dreams, in the end, is love.
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