Barry White Meets Noam Chomsky

Comments (0) By Hiya Swanhuyser Wednesday, Sep 23 2009

Singer, poet, and composer Gil Scott-Heron’s hot, silky voice could only come from a true soul guru, making it even more surprising when it rubs up against his sometimes startling lyrical material. No one has ever made anti-nuclear concerns sexy, as Scott-Heron does in “We Almost Lost Detroit.” He’s known as the Father of Hip-Hop, at least partly for the crystalline genius of his best-known song, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.” He’s also known as one of the originators of neo-soul. But he’s most recently been on people’s minds for a composition directed at young hip-hop musicians, called “Message to the Messengers.” In it, he does not scold, but issues challenges (about responsibility) and warnings (about selling out) all over the place, while criticizing what we now call the MSM: “They don’t know what to say to our young folks, but they know that you do. If they really knew the truth, why would they tell you?”

More About

Ise Lyfe and Orgone open.
Fri., Oct. 2, 9 p.m., 2009

Show Comments (0)

Email
to Friend

Write to
Editor

Print
Article

Write Your Comment

*indicates required fields. Please enable browser cookies before filling out this form. All reader comments are subject to our Terms of Use. By clicking Add Comment, you acknowledge that you have reviewed and agree to these Terms.

Comments may take a few minutes to process and appear on the site. Please do not click the "Add Comment" button again while your comment is being added.