Happy Birthday Aretha Franklin!

Although, widely respected as The Queen of Soul; singer, songwriter and pianist, Aretha Louise Franklin is also influential in Hip Hop as well! Her 1972 single Rock Steady, a must have for early djs, has not only has been sampled by EPMD, Kid 'N Play, Prince and Public Enemy, its also a classic break that conjured the name of internationally respected breakers, The Rock Steady Crew. In addition, there would be no Ms. Fat Booty, Slum Village's Selfish or Third Bass' Gas Face which sampled both Think and Respect.

Franklin is also adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop, R&B and gospel music. Franklin is one of the most honored artists by the Grammy Awards, with 18 Grammys to date, which include the Living Legend Grammy and the Lifetime Achievement Grammy. She has scored a total of 20 No. 1 singles on the Billboard R&B Singles Chart, one of which also became her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100: "Respect" (1967). Since 1961, Franklin has scored a total of 45 "Top 40" hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.In 1987, Franklin became the first female artist to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.