Betty Wright deserves to be seen live. . .and even though I’ve never seen her live in person, I have seen her live through the magic of YouTube.  She does impressions of other singers at the end, not that you need incentive to stick around.

Her body of work is a joy all its own but artists who sample her classics give Betty’s james new life for sure.

“Clean Up Woman” has been sampled in Africa Bambaataa’s “Zulu War Chant,” Pimp Daddy’s  “Gots to be Real,” and Chance the Rapper’s “Favorite Song” . . .among others.

My favorite Wright sample isn’t technically a sample. She recorded an original verse for the Kanye West and DJ Mustard produced Rick Ross track “Sanctified.”

This Grio interview with Wright sheds light on her long relationship with Kanye and her admiration for Ross. The open-mindedness that surely gave her advantages early in her career continues to serve the superbly talented and ever-relevant singer.