Legendary jazz pianist and composer Ahmad Jamal passed away at 92. His wife Laura Hess-Hey confirmed the news to The Washington Post.

A legendary jazz pianist whose influence stretches across genres, Miles Davis once cited him as inspiration for his pivotal album, Kind of Blue. Jamal "knocked me out with his concept of space, his lightness of touch, his understatement, and the way he phrased notes and chords and passages," Davis said in his biography.

Jamal laid the groundwork for much of the jazz that's celebrated today, namely "cool Jazz," and you can hear his direct influences in pianists like Robert Glasper. Throughout his career, which spanned six decades, Jamal released over 70 albums, including solo work and work with groups like the Ahmad Jamal trio. His final offering came in 2019 with Ballades. Radio personality and host of The Soul of Jazz, Jamal Ahmad, called him "a true class act, genius and beautiful soul" whose "phrasing and feeling was so uniquely his."

In a 1985 interview with NPR, Jamal spoke about jazz as "sort of a unifying force” across generations. “[In Pittsburgh] I used to practice and leave the door open hoping that someone would come along and discover me one of these days. It never happened," he said. "I had to leave home for that,” he laughed. “I was asked a few days ago, we were doing a seminar in Kansas City at the university there, and a young man asked me what is my favorite product, my favorite LP or whatever, and I said, ‘The next one.’"

Jamal's music has long been a favorite place to look for unique samples in Hip-Hop — from Pete Rock to Earl Sweatshirt, The Game, De La Soul, Nas, Jay-Z and more.

Here are six of our favorite Hip-Hop samples from the legend.

"Stake Is High" - De La Soul

Produced by J Dilla

A staple in J Dilla's dense discography and arguably one of the greatest Hip-Hop productions of all time, De La Soul's 1996 forever gem "Stakes Is High," comes alive courtesy of the gorgeous, ripe piano bed from Jamal's "Swahiliand." The sample made a few more rounds, including on The Game's "Compton" featuring will.i.am and on Ab-Soul's 2012 track, "Showin Love."

"They Say" - Common featuring John Legend

Produced by Kanye West

A standout on Common's return album Be "They Say" remains a highlight in his long catalog. An answer to Chatty Charlie's who had a lot to say following his experimental outing Electric Circus, the track, produced by Kanye West, features a prominent sample from Jamal's mid-tempo earthy song "Ghetto Child."

"The Illest Brother" - Gang Starr

Produced by Guru/DJ Premier

Featured on the 1992 outing Daily Operation, Preemo made good use of Jamal's "Ghetto Child" for a completely different style than what Kanye served up over a decade later.

Gang Starr - "Soliliquoy of Chaos"

Produced by DJ Premier

Speaking of Gang Starr, Preemo and Guru made use of another Jamal classic, "Misdemeanor," for Daily Operation's "Soliloquy of Chaos." Jamal's version is a cover of Foster Sylver's 1973 track of the same name, which is where Dr. Dre later borrowed the bass line for The D.O.C.'s classic "It's Funky Enough."

"Feelin It" - Jay-Z

Produced by Ski Beatz

Jay-Z offered fans an early glimpse of his suit-and-tie era with the breezy "Feelin' It" from his debut, Reasonable Doubt. Listen to the opening chords and hear Jamal's "Pastures" giving the track definition.

Nas - "The World Is Yours"

Produced by Pete Rock

A highlight in Nas' lengthy discography came early in his career with the Pete Rock-produced staple, "The World Is Yours," which prominently samples The Ahmad Jamal Trio's "I Love Music."