Freddie Hubbard rap samples

April 06, 2025

The iconic jazz trumpet player Freddie Hubbard was born in Indianapolis on April 7th of 1938. During his extraordinary career, Hubbard made enormous contributions to hard bop and fusion music, performing on landmark albums by John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Quincy Jones, Sonny Rollins, Wayne Shorter and many others. Hubbard also issued many classic recordings as a bandleader. Nine of those albums appeared on the Billboard charts and his 1972 LP First Light earned a Grammy award for "Best Jazz Performance by a Group". Hubbard’s technical mastery of the trumpet earned widespread critical acclaim and drew comparisons to legendary musicians like Miles Davis. Freddie 

Hubbard passed away in 2008 at the age of 70, but his impact on music endures. His influence extends beyond jazz, shaping hip-hop as well. His recordings have been sampled by some of rap’s most respected artists, including A Tribe Called Quest, Raekwon, Common, J Dilla, and MF DOOM. In this episode, we’ll celebrate Hubbard’s birthday by exploring the use of his music in hip-hop.