Gil Scott-Heron, sometimes called the “Godfather of Rap,” passed away in New York today. He was 62 years old.
Scott-Heron started setting poetry to rhythmic jazz during the late 60s and and gained fame when he recorded The Revolution Will Not Be Televised in 1971. Almost 40 years later, he released his final album, I’m New Here, which included a track called Where Did the Night Go that’s featured above. That same year, the New Yorker published a profile – New York Is Killing Me: The unlikely survival of Gil Scott-Heron – that takes you through a life that knew hardship from beginning to end, but which brimmed with creativity in between.
If this is your first introduction to Scott-Heron’s recordings, let us refer you to The Bottle, Winter in America, Johannesburg, and Ain’t No Such Thing As Superman…
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Feels more like poetry then what rap is today.
A great man, musician and social commentator. He will be missed.
what an amazing thinker & poet. Â this version of TRWNBT is my fav, and this youtuber turned it into a nice tribute:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGaoXAwl9kw