As an artist who often incorporates energy and soul into his music, Kanye West’s sample of Otis Redding in his song “Otis” is masterful. Redding’s 1966 hit “Try a Little Tenderness” is a piece of advice for men, examining the mind of a woman in a man’s sights. Redding, in the most recognizable portion of the song, sings the cleverly rhymed phrase, “squeeze her, don’t tease her, never leave her.” Kanye utilizes this rhyme scheme in “Otis” repeatedly, making an upbeat and catchy refrain to his rap piece. “Otis” opens with a portion of “Try a Little Tenderness” that is sing-songy and easy to hear and understand. It sets the tone for the rest of the song as it eases into the speedier pace that comes when Kanye and Jay Z enter. While “Otis” really only uses “Try a Little Tenderness” as a background beat and tone setter, seeing that none of the lyrics have anything to do with Redding’s, the sample of Redding makes “Otis” one of Kanye’s best and most popular hits. He honors the original music because he and Jay Z match, if not surpass, the energy, passion, and rhythm that Otis Redding employs in his first song. Honoring the original music makes songs that utilize samples appealing to the ear because it gives the listener a reminder and taste of the original, while adding its own spin to the art. As Julia Craven states in her article on Huffington Post, Taylor Swift’s cover of Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” “I ain’t having it. Swift lacks the passion, the liveliness, the rhythm and, frankly, the soul to properly honor the song.” Kanye and Jay Z embody all these aspects of Otis Redding’s original song in their sample, and because of it are successful in honoring the music.
