Red Bull Music Academy presents The Last Poets | Listen & Love
3D Family, Harlem, New York
The Last Poets are heralded as the true godfathers of hip hop alongside Gil Scott-Heron. Their brand of politically charged poetry has inspired some of the biggest names in music including Marvin Gaye, Funkadelic, Curtis Mayfield and Quincy Jones, all the way through to hip hop giants such as Dead Prez, Common, Public Enemy and Kanye West. The three core members of The Last Poets – David Nelson, Gylan Kain and Abiodun Oyewole – came together in 1968. Several members rotated over the years, including founding member Felipe Luciano, Jalal Mansur Nuriddin, Umar Bin Hassan, Suliaman El-Hadi, and percussionist Nilaja Obabi. The group recorded groundbreaking albums such as ‘The Last Poets’ in 1970, ‘This Is Madness’ in 1971, and ‘Chastisment’ in 1972. The latter fully introduced The Last Poets’ mix of jazz and poetry, doing away with the minimalist percussion of earlier albums. The Last Poets enjoyed a huge resurgence in popularity from the early 1990s onwards, appearing alongside the Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest on the 1994 Lollapolooza tour and collaborated with Common on the Kanye West produced track ‘The Corner’ which was nominated at the Grammy Awards in 2006 for Best Rap Performance. The huge impact made by The Last Poets’ words and music is still strongly felt until today.
Playlist
Lightnin’ Rod – O.D. – Restless Records
The Last Poets – Niggers Are Scared Of Revolution – Douglas
The Last Poets – Gashman – Douglas
The Last Poets – Jones Comin’ Down – Douglas
The Last Poets – Two Little Boys – Douglas
The Last Poets – Black Wish – Douglas
The Last Poets – Related To What – Douglas
The Last Poets – Black People What Y’all Gon’ Do – Douglas
The Last Poets – Mean Machine – Douglas
The Last Poets – Tribute To Obabi (Ogun) – Blue Thumb Records
The Last Poets – Black Soldier – Blue Thumb Records
The Last Poets – E Pluribus Unum – Blue Thumb Records
The Last Poets – Bird’s Word – Blue Thumb Records
Lightnin’ Rod – Sport – UA Records
Lightnin’ Rod – The Cafe Black Rose – UA Records
Lightnin’ Rod – The Break Was So Loud, It Hushed The Crowd – UA Records
The Last Poets – Blessed Are Those Who Struggle – Douglas
The Last Poets – The Pill – Douglas
The Last Poets – Be – Douglas
The Last Poets – This Is Your Life – Celluloid
The Last Poets – Tough Enough – Acid Jazz
