Gil Scott Heron RIP

[jorge]

Gil Scott Heron passed on yesterday. He was the first spoken word artist in the United States to achieve widespread recognition and commercial success by integrating congas and African based percussion with poetry and spoken word that carried strong and uncompromising social commentary messages. Although he dropped out of college to write two novels and perform his poetry, he later went back and earned a masters' degree in writing from Johns Hopkins University.
His work was an important part of the foundation of hip hop and rap, before they became commercialized and corrupted. One of his early pieces, from 1970, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, when he was 21 years old.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkKCb7uElcs&feature=related
The current world and US situation is setting the stage for a whole new generation to get back to social commentary and activism in music, picking up where Gil Scott Heron, Curtis Mayfield, and many others have left off. And no, "the revolution will not go better with coke".
ibae bayen tonu Gil Scott Heron.
Gil, rest in peace.
For the rest of us, carry on con mucho ache.

[bongosnotbombs]

Gil Scott Heron's work has been an inspiration and an influence for me as a percussionist as I am frequently called on to accompany poets. I held a party a while back inspired by his great early album. Maybe I will have to have another in his honor.

[niallgregory]

rip Gil .great artist ..