Today's early song from Aretha Franklin is "One Step Ahead". This was released as a single from Columbia Records in 1965 but was not included on any album from the singer. Far from a major hit, the record barely cracked the top-twenty on the soul chart and didn't even make it to the top-one hundred on the pop chart.
However, "One Step Ahead" would go on to be warmly embraced years later by the hip-hop community. The song would be sampled or remixed by several artists including Mos Def, Clutchy Hopkins and Xaphoon Jones.
Sit back and enjoy the smooth sounds of the original version by the one and only Aretha:
"One Step Ahead" - Aretha Franklin (1965)
As a bonus, here is "One Step Ahead" remixed with a modern beat by Xaphoon Jones:
"One Step Ahead (Empire State Riddim)" - Xaphoon Jones + Aretha Franklin (2011)
