Gil, In Context
Gil Scott-Heron passed away at the end of May. While many people are familiar with his seminal The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, far fewer are aware of his broader scope of work, and his influence upon later poets and musicians. Here, as a farewell to Gil, is a sampler from his first decade of work, which helped define hip hop before The Sugarhill Gang’s Rapper’s Delight ever saw the light of day:
1970: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
1971: Lady Day and John Coltrane
1972: The Get Out of the Ghetto Blues
1974: The Bottle
1975: Ain’t No Such Thing As Superman
1976: Johannesburg
1976: Tomorrow’s Trane
1977: We Almost Lost Detroit
1978: Angel Dust
