Just Rankin’ Sh!t

The 7 Best Patti LaBelle Samples, Ranked

These flips are even sweeter than Patti’s pies!

Keith Murphy
LEVEL
Published in
3 min readSep 13, 2020

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Patti Labelle performing in 1996. Photo: Paul Natkin/Getty Images

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7. “Soul Sister,” Finesse & Synquis (1988)

Interpolation: “Lady Marmalade,” LaBelle (1974)

It’s a testament to the durable greatness of LaBelle’s signature anthem that the song has managed to become an indelible part of the great American songbook, despite its head-turning subject matter about a prostitute looking for prospective Johns. The delightfully outrageous trio of Patti LaBelle, Nona Hendryx, and Sarah Dash broke empowering ground and would go on to inspire a plethora of covers and revisions, including the Lefrak City Queens, New York hip-hop duo Finesse & Synquis’ synth-heavy interpolation of funky, and an Allen Toussaint/Vicki Wickham produced jam. And you don’t even have to worry about embarrassing yourself trying to pronounce “Lady Marmalade’s” original…

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Keith Murphy
Keith Murphy

Written by Keith Murphy

Mr. Murphy’s work has appeared in such publications and online sites as VIBE, The New York Post, Billboard, ESPN’s The Undefeated, OZY, and Esquire.

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