Charles Stepney
Charles Stepney is the mastermind of seminal records from the likes of Minnie Riperton, Ramsey Lewis and Earth Wind & Fire. His influence on music has impacted generations of pop, r&b and hiphop musical icons.
Artists, critics and collectors often compare him to legends such as Quincy Jones and George Martin. But he worked mostly behind the scenes, little more than album credit to those outside of the industry, and passed away at 45 without gaining his due recognition.
Today, Stepney remains a mystery – a rarity in the age of the internet. Until now…
Available until Q1 2022
A SAMPLE OF GREATNESS
The magnitude of Charles Stepney’s work cannot be truly appreciated without acknowledging the vast number of artist who have sampled his work in some of their hit songs.
Here is a small sample of artists who have given their stamp of approval available in this NFT collection.
1. Bonita Applebum by A Tribe Called Quest (1990) Memory Band by Rotary Connection
2. The ‘Notic by The Roots feat. D’Angelo (1997) Shining Star by Earth Wind & Fire
3. Number 16 by Wiz Khalifa (2012) by Les Fleur by Ramsey Lewis
4. Come Close by Common feat. Erykah Badu, Pharrell Williams and Q-Tip Rotary Connection
5. We Ride by R. Kelly and Jay-Z feat. Cam’ron, Noreaga and Vegas Cats (1998) Free Deniece Williams
6. Capone Suite by Rick Ross and Smif-N-Wessun (2018) by Can’t Hide Love Earth Wind & Fire
7. Thin Line by Jurassic 5 feat. Nelly Furtado (2002) Les Fleur Minnie Riperton
8. Family Business by Kanye West (2004) Fonkey Thang The Dells
9. Nigga What, Nigga Who (Originator 99) by Jay-Z feat. Jaz and Amil (1998) Sunshine Earth Wind & Fire
10. Up Jumps Da Boogie (Remix) by Timbaland and Magoo feat. Missy Elliott (1997) ) Sunshine Earth Wind & Fire
11. Where Y’all At by Nas (2006) Rainy Day In Centerville Minnie Riperton
12. You Ain’t Know by Pudgee feat. DMX and Ran Reed (1995)
13. Jay, 50, and Weezy by Dee-1 (2011) Where Can I Go Marlena Shaw
