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D Scott

Wednesday, August 26th, 2026 10:41am

Yesterday afternoon the World was crushed with the news that we had lost an Icon in not only the music business but in life. Dolly Parton passed away at the age of 80. I feel like it's safe to say that we all let out a collective "No, not Dolly" when we heard the news.

Almost immediately the tributes began to roll in. Everyone with some kind of platform paid tribute to one of the greatest people to ever walk the planet. Dolly was more than just an entertainer, she was an amazing human. Aside from the songs that touched us, she was also a philanthropist to the 1000th degree. Her focus was on childhood literacy, education access, medical research and disaster relief.

The one thing you may not realize is that Dolly's music played a roll in a number of songs in the Hip Hop and R&B world. You may be asking yourself, how. How did this "Country music" star play a roll in a rap song? Don't worry, I came with examples. Let's get into it.

Let's start with one of the obvious ones here - 

Remember Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You"? Right, the song from "The Bodyguard" starring Kevin Cosner and Whitney Houston. Well, that was originally written and performed by Dolly Parton

Here's Whitney's version -  

Now, here's Dolly's version - 

Let's keep going shall we? 

What about the song "Ghetto Suparstar" from Pras, Mya and ODB? Pay attention to the hook that Mya sings in this one. 

Ghetto superstar (superstar)
That is what you are (that's what you are)
Coming from afar (coming from afar)
Reaching for the stars (reaching from the stars)
Run away with me to another place
We can rely on each other, uh-huh (yeah)
From one corner to another, uh-huh (uh, yeah, yo, yo)

Now here's Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers song "Islands In The Stream". Again, pay attention to the chorus.

Islands in The Stream
That is what we are
No one in between
How can we be wrong?
Sail away with me
To another world
And we rely on each other, ah-ah
From one lover to another, ah-ah

Crazy right?

Let's do another one. 

What about the song from Pitbull that featured Dolly called "Powerful Women"? This one came out in 2024 and not only features Dolly but there is a massive presence of her song "9 to 5"

Those are just a few examples of songs that had Dolly's influence all of them. There's also "9 to 5ers" by Aesop Rocky, "Fully Steezy" from Capone-N-Noreaga, and "Release" from Blackalicious feat. Zack de la Rocha, Saul Williams & Lyrics Born. All 3 of those songs had "9 to 5" in them in one way, shape or form.

See, Dolly didn't just impact the Country Music landscape, she also had a hand in changing the landscape of Hip Hop and R&B.

As we wrap this up, I'll leave you with a great quote from Dolly - 

"If you see someone without a smile, give them one of yours"

Rest in Peace Dolly Parton. You will be missed by all of us.