In the wake of a life without The Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin, Gramatik reflects a part of the Aura she placed on the world in his latest track "Let Me Know The Way".

The Slovenien-born, NYC-based producer recently announced the fifth installment of his highly popular series Street Bangerz. His evolved sound finds its place in his latest sample-based hip hop beat now among a few which have sampled Aretha Franklin, like "In This Whole World" and "I'm Free".

Releasing this single early following the sad event of Franklin's passing, Gramatik comments that Aretha Franklin was one of the first artists he ever sampled after discovering sampling in the 8th grade. Now over fifteen years later, Gramatik comments how her music touched him personally, ultimately influencing his own approach to music:

Back when I was in 8th grade, I discovered sampling and found out it’s the basis of hip hop production and culture. I was captivated by this art form and she was one of the first artists I sampled in that same week. Over the last 15+ years, I’ve sampled her countless times and learned the craft through sampling her amazing discography. 2 of the most prominent beats of mine with samples of her are “In This Whole World” and “I’m Free”, and even to this day, coincidentally, I made 3 beats last month for SB5 with samples from her songs, this is one of them. She was a force of nature, a voice of a generation and an inspiration to us all. We will miss you dearly, my Queen. ♥️

May her impact in the world of music carry an influence for the rest of time. Rest In Peace The Queen of Soul.

posted by Mike
August 2018