Legacy of Donald Byrd

Ramón "Mongo" Santamaría Rodríguez was a Cuban percussionist and bandleader who spent most of his career in the United States. Primarily a conga drummer, Santamaría was a leading figure in the pachanga and boogaloo dance crazes of the 1960s. His biggest hit was his rendition of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man", which was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. From the 1970s, he recorded mainly salsa and Latin jazz, before retiring in the late 1990s.

Dorothy Jeanne Thompson, better known as Dorothy Ashby, was an American jazz harpist, singer and composer. Hailed as one of the most "unjustly under loved jazz greats of the 1950s" and the "most accomplished modern jazz harpist," Ashby established the harp as an improvising jazz instrument, beyond earlier use as a novelty or background orchestral instrument, proving the harp could play bebop as adeptly as the instruments commonly associated with jazz, such as the saxophone or piano.

Syreeta Wright, known as Syreeta, was an American singer-songwriter, best known for her music during the early 1970s through the early 1980s. Wright's career heights were songs in collaboration with her ex-husband Stevie Wonder and musical artist Billy Preston.

Otis Lee Jackson Jr., known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, record producer, and rapper. Critically acclaimed for his eclectic, sample-heavy production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip-hop. His frequent collaborators include MF Doom, J Dilla, Freddie Gibbs, Talib Kweli, and Erykah Badu.

Otis Lee Jackson Jr., known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, record producer, and rapper. Critically acclaimed for his eclectic, sample-heavy production style, he is regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern hip-hop. His frequent collaborators include MF Doom, J Dilla, Freddie Gibbs, Talib Kweli, and Erykah Badu.

"N.Y. State of Mind" is a single by American rapper Nas from his debut studio album Illmatic (1994). The song's production was handled by DJ Premier who sampled two jazz songs: "Mind Rain" by Joe Chambers and "Flight Time" by Donald Byrd. Additionally, Premier scratched up vocal samples from "Mahogany" by Eric B. & Rakim and Nas' vocals from his appearance on "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source co-featuring Joe Fatal and Akinyele. Nas raps two verses on the song in which he talks about his rapping talent and describes the dangerous environment that is the city of New York over a drum break sample of "N.T." by Kool & the Gang. Nas has attributed the song "Streets of New York" by Kool G Rap as one of the song's primary influences. Sequels to "N.Y. State of Mind" can be found on Nas' 1999 album I Am... and on Nas' and DJ Premier's 2025 album Light-Years. On January 28, 2019, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).