May 27, 2011

Gil Scott-Heron, Poet And Musician, Has Died

Urban Radio Nation gil scott-heron, Hip Hop, Kanye West, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

From NPR Music
Gil Scott-Heron died Friday afternoon in New York, his book publisher reported. He was 62. The influential poet and musician is often credited with being one of the progenitors of hip-hop, and is best known for the spoken-word piece "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised."

Gil Scott-Heron Makes A Striking Return
Scott-Heron was born in Chicago in 1949. He spent his early years in Jackson, Tenn., attended high school in The Bronx, and spent time at Pennsylvania's Lincoln University before settling in Manhattan. His recording career began in 1970 with the album Small Talk at 125th and Lenox, which featured the first version of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised." The track has since been referenced and parodied extensively in pop culture.

Scott-Heron continued to record through the 1970s and early '80s, before taking a lengthy hiatus. He briefly returned to the studio for 1994's Spirits. That album featured the track "Message to the Messengers," in which Scott-Heron cautions the hip-hop generation that arose in his absence to use its newfound power responsibly. He has been cited as a key influence by many in the hip-hop community — such as rapper-producer Kanye West, who closed his platinum-selling 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy with a track built around a sample of Scott-Heron's voice.

Click here to read more... from NPR Music

No comments:

Post a Comment

Add your comments anonymously if you prefer. Remember to share it on your Social Media.

Comments with links to other websites will not be published.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

More news...

• Gayle King and Charles Barkley are finalizing a deal that would have them jointly lead a primetime hour each week on CNN, according to people familiar with the matter and multiple news sources. The pact is not complete and there is always the risk it may not come to fruition, one of these people says. CNN declined to make executives available for comment.

• Tavis Smiley owned Los Angeles talk station KBLA Talk 1580 donated $20,000 in scholarship money to the NABJLA and MPJI. Smiley says, “The National Association of Black Journalists of Los Angeles and the Minority Photo-Journalism Institute are making a tangible difference in our community by helping students pursue careers in journalism and communications. KBLA ‘Talk 1580’ strongly believes in enlightening, empowering and encouraging tomorrow’s reporters, editors and potential talk radio hosts. Hopefully, our scholarships make a difference.”

• WLBT anchor and meteorologist Barbie Bassett is no longer with the Jackson, Miss., NBC station after racially insensitive comments. In early March, Bassett was speaking with her fellow anchors on air about Snoop Dogg’s latest business venture, Snoop Cali Blanc, a new wine in his wine label. In response to a comment about putting a Snoop Dogg tattoo on her shoulder, Bassett said, “Fo shizzle, my nizzle.” Bassett is white. Charlamagne tha God defended Bassett as he discussed the situation on The Breakfast Club. “She might be old. She probably has no idea nizzle is a derivative of the N-word. That’s not a fireable offense. I hope she sues.”

Copyright © Urban Radio Nation | R&B Radio, Hip Hop Culture, Black Media Personalities, and Sports Media. Distributed By Protemplateslab