The best way for the Jay-Zs and Nases of the world to celebrate the life of Gil Scott-Heron, who just died at age 62, is to incorporate his infectious mix of rap, poetry, politics, jazz, blues and soul-influenced hip-hop and neo-soul into their music.
The megastars of rap today, such as Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, T.I., Drake, Nicki Minaj, Nas and many others, could take a cue from the “godfather of rap,” who also called himself a “bluesician.” None other than the universally-admired hip-hop poet and actor, Mos Def, told New York Magazine: “He’s one of my heroes, an incredible source of energy, power, and truth in the world.”
Looking like a cross between Jimi Hendrix and a Black Panther leader in his younger years, Scott-Heron’s fusion of jazz, blues and soul in these albums is credited with influencing hip-hop and neo soul, including, coincidentally, Jill Scott. He made a name for himself as a spoken word soul performer in the late 1960s and early 1970s. He is best known for the critically acclaimed “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” first recorded as a spoken-word piece for his album, Small Talk at 125th and Lenox.
He also co-wrote and produced more than a dozen albums with jazz and funk legend Brian Jackson. Known as “the godfather of rap,” Scott-Heron’s music was a mix of poetry and politics. His lyrics, full of social and political themes, often is associated with black militant activism, a practice that seems to have gone extinct in today’s hip-hop. Even gangsta rappers, ranging from seminal acts as NWA to Ice Cube to Ice T, sprinkled into their music the controversial political themes of the day.
Scott-Heron did many notable performances, including the No Nukes concerts held in 1979 at Madison Square Garden. The concerts were organized by a group called Musicians United for Safe Energy and were protesting the use of nuclear energy following the meltdown at Three Mile Island. The group included singer-songwriters such as Jackson Browne, Graham Nash and Bonnie Raitt. The man was as deep and politically conscious as he was talented.
Unfortunately, as with many super-talented acts, Scott-Heron tried to reconcile traumatic life experiences through recreational drug use. As a child, Scott-Heron lived with his maternal grandmother, Lillie Scott, in Jackson, Tenn., before moving to New York at 13 when she died. The first song on I’m New Here is the ironically titled, “On Coming from a Broken Home,” which is an ode to Lillie, according to The Guardian.
Scott-Heron battled an addiction to cocaine and other substances for most of his career and spent time in and out of jail on drug possession charges. He was HIV positive.
The cause of Scott-Heron’s death has not yet been reported.
–terry shropshire
