A godfather of jazz funk, Roy Ayers is one of the most sampled artists in rap music history. There’s an obvious reason for that: The LA-raised vibraphonist’s compositions are pillowy and spacious, heavy on grooves and melodies that unfurl from Ayers’ lush, thick voice. His biggest hit—1976’s “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” by his group Roy Ayers Ubiquity—pairs the loose feel of jazz with the precision of ’70s funk, creating a brilliant intersection that takes elements of both but exists in its own world entirely. Its lilting drum groove and synthesizers, part of his signature sound (see also: “Searching,” released the same year), would help pave the way for West Coast rap a few decades later. While Ayers was an early figure in the acid-jazz and jazz-funk scenes of the ’70s, he found a new audience in the 2000s when a younger generation of artists like Tyler, The Creator professed their love for his warm meditations. Ayers passed away in 2025 at age 84.