Tramp (Lowell Fulson song)
"Tramp" is a soul blues song written by West Coast blues artists Lowell Fulson and Jimmy McCracklin.  First recorded by Fulson in 1967,  it is described as "a loping funk-injected workout [which restored] the guitarist to R&B stardom", by AllMusic writer Bill Dahl. In the song's narrative, the singer ignores the criticism of his unsophisticated appearance:

Despite label owner Jules Bihari's initial dislike, the song was released as a single by Kent Records in 1967.  It became a hit, peaking at number five in the Billboard R&B chart. The song was also Fulson's most popular single in the broader, pop-oriented Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it reached number 52.

Fulson recalled Bihari's initial reaction: "Oh, he hated 'Tramp', Jules [Bihari] did." However, when he previewed the song for two influential disc jockeys, the response was "Hush! Man, get me my copy, quick.  You sitting on a gold mine, talking about you want to hear some blues. You better get that record out."  Fulson elaborated:

As one of Fulson's best-known songs, "Tramp" appears on numerous compilations, including the popular 1967 Kent album, also titled Tramp.  For the album cover, Fulson, who normally wore suits, posed dressed up as a railroad yard hobo:

Otis and Carla

Otis Redding recorded "Tramp" as a duet with Carla Thomas for Stax Records. The song was first included on the joint album by Redding and Thomas, King & Queen (1967).  Described as "playful" by Dahl, it was released as a single only months after Fulson's.  Credited to "Otis and Carla", the duo's version outsold Fulson's original and peaked at number two on Billboard's R&B and number 26 on the Hot 100 charts.

In Dynamic Duets: The Best Pop Collaborations from 1955 to 1999, author Bob Leszczak describes their rendition:

Leszczak points out that the Otis and Carla single peaked higher in the UK, where it reached number eighteen on the UK Singles Chart (Fulson's single didn't appear in the UK charts).  He also notes "the song's beat likely influenced 'You Haven't Done Nothin'' by Stevie Wonder seven years later".

Sampling
 Fulson's original was sampled in the 1990 song "Rampage" by EPMD (featuring LL Cool J), the 1991 song "Let, Let Me In" by De La Soul and the 1992 song "7" by Prince.
 Salt-n-Pepa sampled the Otis and Carla rendition of the song in 1985 and kept the original title.
 "The Champ", a 1968 reggae instrumental by the Mohawks based on "Tramp", later went on to become one of the most sampled records in hip hop music history.