R.I.P. GILL SCOTT HERON 1949-2011
As many of you have probably heard or read by now, renown and respected poet Gill Scott Heron has passed away at the age of 62 of Friday May 27 2011.
Recognized as one of the fathers of the Rap art form of musical expression and Hip Hop culture, throughout his life he never achieved the massive world wide acclaim as the genre or it's successive stars and icons have managed to achieve.
He is most famous for his early work and often cited and quoted for his titular lyric, "The Revolution will not be Televised."
"You will not be able to stay home brother,
You will not be able to plugin, turn around and copout.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and slop.
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the Revolution will not be Televised..."
Gill Scott Heron.
Within the last year, he received a comeback of sorts as Hip Hop Rapper Kanye West used his poem, "Who Will Survive in America" for a outro to his cover and interpolation of Bon Iver's, "Lost in This World" set to a pulsating Hip Hop beat.
Fan's of Kanye West's work will recognize the lyrics below, and in the voice reciting these words on the Rapper's LP 'My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy' is that of Gill Scott Heron himself.
"As living as we do upside down,
And the new word is to have revolution
People don't even want to hear the preacher spill or speil because
God's whole card has been thoroughly piqued.
...All I want is a home and a wife, and a children,
and some food to feed them every night .
After all is said and done, build a new route to China
if they'll have you, Who will survive in America?
Who will survive in America?
Who will survive in America?
Who will survive in America?"
Gill Scott Heron released some a rare new album last year called 'I Am new Here." He died after returning from a trip to Europe. Along with his acclaim as a poet and an musician, he also struggled with drug addiction, the legal system and lived with HIV.
Written by Keith Nation.
credit: Urbanlyrics.com,Perezhilton.com, Gillscottheron.com
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