34 Songs That Honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Recording artists of all genres of music have paid respects to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the the outstanding way that the late civil rights leader changed the world. Whether it’s pop, rap or rock, his name prompts plenty of feelings and it’s important that we keep his legacy for future generations to come, particularly in our current landscape. What better way to consistently keep his name on our tongues than through music? On the anniversary of his unfortunate passing, iHeartRadio has rounded up 34 songs that honor Dr. King. Take a look below!
1. "My President Is Black (Remix)" - JAY-ZPhoto: Getty Images"Rosa Parks sat so Martin Luther could walk/Martin Luther walked so Barack Obama could run."
2. “What We Talkin’ About” - JAY-ZPhoto: Mariel Tyler for iHeartRadio
Lyric: “And now that that's that, let's talk about the future / We have just seen the dream as predicted by Martin Luther.” — “What We Talkin’ About”
3. “Made In America” - JAY-ZPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Sweet king Martin, sweet queen Coretta / Sweet brother Malcolm, sweet queen Betty / Sweet Mother Mary, sweet father Joseph / Sweet Jesus, we made it in America.”
4. “HIIIPOWER” - Kendrick LamarPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Visions of Martin Luther staring at me.”
5. “Backseat Freestyle” - Kendrick LamarPhoto: Katherine Tyler for iHeartRadio
Lyric: “Martin had a dream / Martin had a dream / Kendrick have a dream.” — “Backstreet Freestyle”
6. “MLK” - U2Photo: Getty Images
Lyric: “Sleep tonight / And may your dreams / Be realized.”
7. “Pride In The Name Of Love” - U2Photo: Getty Images
Lyric: “Early morning, April 4th / Shot rings out in the Memphis sky / Free at last, they took your life / They could not take your pride.” — “Pride in the Name of Love”
8. “We Shall Overcome” - Bruce Springsteen (Pete Seeger Cover)Photo: Getty Images
Lyric: “Oh, deep in my heart / I do believe / We shall overcome some day.”
9. “Maybach Music 2” - T-Pain, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and Kanye WestPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Martin Louie the King Jr / Starting all that stunting is gonna ruin you.”
10. “By The Time I Get To Arizona” - Public EnemyPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Talking MLK, gonna find a way.”
11. “Fight The Power” - Public EnemyPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Make everybody see, in order to fight the powers that be / Lemme hear you say / Fight the power.”
12. “I Have A Dream” - will.i.am and CommonPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “It's a Cold War - I'm a colder soldier / Hold the same fight that made Martin Luther the King.”
13. “One Vision” - QueenPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “I had a dream when I was young / A dream of sweet illusion / A glimpse of hope and unity / And visions of one sweet union.”
14. “Don’t Hold Your Applause” - WalePhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “And I be feeling Malcolm, Martin, and Pac would defend me.”
15. “Proud To Be Black” - Run DMCPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Like Martin Luther King, I will do my thing / I'll say it in a rap cause I do not sing.”
16. “Like A King” - Ben HarperPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Like a king, like a king, like a king / How I wish you could help us Dr. King.”
17. “Do Your Time” - LudacrisPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Give my eyes to Stevie Wonder just to see what he's seen / But then I'd take 'em right back to see Martin Luther's dream / I'd dream that I could tell Martin Luther we made it / But half of my black brothers are still incarcerated.”
18. “Doin’ It Again” - The RootsPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “I'm like Martin Luther King, you like Rodney / The difference is I give it everything inside me.”
19. “Happy Birthday” - Stevie WonderPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “The dream as clear as he that they should make it become an illusion / And we all know everything / That he stood for time will bring / For in peace our hearts will sing / Thanks to Martin Luther King.”
20. “Sideline Story” - J. ColePhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “But homie if you change, may you change for the better / Back when Martin King had a thing for Coretta / Wonder if she seen all the dreams he was dreamin' / Did she have a clue of all the schemes he was schemin.’”
21. “Ghetto Classics” - Ying Yang TwinsPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “And y'all forgot about the earlier times / When Martin Luther King had a dream / That one day we'd walk together.”
22. “Letter To The King” - Nas and The GamePhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “I've been meanin' to do me some letter readin' / To the King, he forever breathin', your message is never leavin.’”
23. “My President” - Nas and JeezyPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Stuntin' on Martin Luther, feeling just like a King / Guess this is what he meant when he said that "he had a dream.”
24. "2000 And Beyond" - Big K.R.I.T.Photo: Getty Images
Lyric: "Martin Luther King had a dream; we was right there/I wonder what he saw when he up and had nightmares?/Quite scared, all the work he had done/Couldn't stop what we've become in 2000 and beyond."
25. "Word To The Mother (Land)" - Big Daddy KanePhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: "Martin Luther was a tutor; many were pupils/Those who fell victim were those without scruples."
26. “Glory” - Common and John LegendPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Selma's now for every man, woman and child / Even Jesus got his crown in front of a crowd.”
27. "Doin' It Again" - The Roots feat. John LegendPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: "Doin' it again just like Poitier and Cosby/I'm like Martin Luther King; you like Rodney/The difference is I give it everything inside me."
28. "B.M.F. (Build Minds Faster)" - Lupe FiascoPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: "I think I'm Malcolm X, Martin Luther/Add a King, add a Junior/Some Bible verses, couple Sunnahs/an AK-47-that's a revolution."
29. "Dirty Mef" - Method Man feat. Ol' Dirty BastardPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: "Ya'mean, I'm taking one for the team/Like Martin Luther King, taking one for a dream."
30. "A Boy Was Conceived" - Ice CubePhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Only three short years after the 1965 Watts Riots/ And the death of Malcolm X/ And of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr./, A boy was conceived, who's lyrics would change the world.”
31. "They Killed Him" - Bob DylanPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Another man from Atlanta, Georgia, By name of Martin Luther King/ He shook the land like the rolling thunder/ And made the bells of freedom ring today/ With a dream of beauty that they could not burn away.”
32. "One" - India.AriePhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Gandhi was a Hindu/ Martin Luther King, a Christian/ God is a religion, they knew love was the vision/ And it all comes down to one.”
33. "Demons" - A$AP RockyPhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Give me the beat, and let me lean, tap the vein, let it stream Feel the pain, Young Martin Luther King, with a dream.”
34. "Dreams" - The GamePhoto: Getty Images
Lyric: “Cause Martin Luther King had a (dream)/ Aaliyah had a (dream), Left Eye had a (dream)/ So I reached out to Kanye and (I brought you all my dreams).”