Happy Birthday, Shirley Caesar! 9 Artists Who’ve Collabed With or Sampled the First Lady of Gospel

shirley caesar samples - Aretha! A Grammy Celebration for the Queen of Soul, Los Angeles, USA

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Happy Birthday to the First Lady of Gospel, Pastor Shirley Caesar. A recipient of 10 Grammy Awards, 12 Stellar Awards, and 17 Dove Awards, Caesar has changed the game of gospel music and her impact and influence can be found across all aspects of music. Her lyrics, her compositions, her sermons, and her iconic voice have been sampled over a dozen times by artists from a variety of genres from R&B to Hip-Hop. Many are already familiar with one of her songs that was turned into a viral holiday sensation.

Here are just a few artists who’ve paid tribute to the gospel legend through remixing, collaborating, or sampling the Reverend Shirley Caesar and introducing her magnificent vocals and music to a whole new audience.

1. Juelz Santana

Juelz Santana is no stranger to the sampling game. The producer turned his skills to gospel when he used the background music of Caesar’s funky, high energy 1983 single “Mark of the Beast” for his single, “Gone.” Both songs feature an air of warning, Caesar warning about the second coming of Christ, Santana’s song warning about the deadly dangers of running in gangs.

2. Michelle Williams

On her debut solo record, Heart to Yours, Destiny’s Child member Michelle Williams performs a cover of the famous hymn, “Steal Away.” Williams is joined by the renowned Pastor Shirley Caesar for an iconic duet between two powerful vocalists.

3. Al Green

Two musical legends joined forces in 1984 when Al Green and Shirley Caesar recorded the title duet for Caesar’s new album, Sailin’. “Sailing on the Sea of Your Love,” is a smooth, gentle gospel ballad that perfectly balances Green’s playful and cheerful vocal delivery with Caesar’s more bold, powerful vocals.

4. Faith Evans

For Shirley Caesar’s 2003 studio album, Shirley & Friends, the pastor connected with a variety of artists to produce a down-to-earth album about God and personal relationships. Faith Evans appears on the song “Hurting Woman” about a woman beseeching her husband to treat her and their family better. Other artists featured on the contemporary album include Gladys Knight and Patti LaBelle.

5. Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder feat. Rapsody

Rappers Talib Kweli, Rapsody, and 9th Wonder collaborated on the 2016 single, “Life Ahead of Me” which features an interpolation of Shirley Caesar’s 1984 duet, “Time to Come Back Home.” Talib, 9th, and Rapsody rap about their hopes for the future of their lives and of hip hop over a reimagining of the music from Caesar’s song about altar call at the church.

6. The Alchemist feat. Durag Dynasty

Shirley Caesar’s 1978 funk gospel message song, “Message for the People,” was slowed and sampled for a track of the same name for DJ and producer The Alchemist featuring Durag Dynasty. Both songs feature a message about making smart choices with the one life you have.

7. Anthony Hamilton

R&B crooner and GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist Anthony Hamilton lended his smooth baritone for an uplifting duet with Pastor Shirley Caesar, “It’s Alright, It’s OK.” The pair sang along with a choir about not letting your troubles and worries block your faith.

8. Sunday Service Choir

Shirley Caesar’s 1975 single, “Satan, We’re Gonna Tear Your Kingdom Down” is covered in a 2019 song with the same title by Kanye West’s Sunday Service Choir. Both songs offer a stripped back, call and response reminiscent of Southern Black Baptist tradition, with a beat-keeping stomp and powerful vocals from an accompanying choir. Pastor Caesar’s message about overcoming the temptations of satan is timeless and lives on in this modern rendition.

9. DJ Suede the Remix God (and the entire internet)

In 2016, DJ Suede the Remix God (with the help of Chris Brown) unleashed a dance challenge on Vine that featured Shirley Caesar naming various foods and animals over a hype beat. The #UNameItChallenge was born and Thanksgiving Day will never be the same.

The viral food-naming internet sensation has its roots in Caesar’s 1988 song, “Hold My Mule,” which begins with Caesar telling a story about Shoutin’ John, an 86-year-old man who shamelessly and boisterously praises God for His provision in front of a conservative church and congregation. Caesar performed the song live at the Mount Calvary Word of Faith Church in 2007 and it was this rendition, where she says the famous line: “I got beans, greens, potatoes, tomatoes…” that was sampled and remixed by DJ Suede and unleashed upon the internet for millions to enjoy. “Hold My Mule” shot to the top of the Billboard Gospel Song chart almost 30 years after its original release.