“Godfather of Rap” Passes Away

He also made television history with Richard Pryor by appearing as a musical guest on Saturday Night Live. It was the first time a black man ever hosted the show. Chuck D member of legendary group Public Enemy, first experience of Gil came during the 70’s also.   “You can go into Ginsberg and the Beat poets and Dylan, but Gil Scott-Heron is the manifestation of the modern word. He and the Last Poets set the stage for everyone else. In what way necessary?  Well, if you try to make pancakes, and you ain’t got the water or the milk or the eggs, you’re trying to do something you can’t. In combining music with the word, from the voice on down, you follow the template he laid out. His rapping is rhythmic, some of its songs, it’s punchy, and all those qualities are still used today.”

Similar testimonies from rappers and music historians give credence to Gil Scott’s “Godfather of Rap” moniker. Although he does acknowledge some influence towards the genre. He didn’t consider himself the rap pioneer other people called him. Instead he refers to himself as a ‘bluesologist.’ Activist and hip hop historian Davey D had this take on Gil Scott musical legacy. “First of all, let me say this: Gil Scott-Heron is somebody who’s transcended a number of generations and he’s transcended a number of genres.

He wasn’t quite blues, even though he described himself as a blues-ologist. He wasn’t quite jazz, even though many people associated him with that. And he was a predecessor to rap, so he wasn’t really in that particular generation, though people could reference them.”

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