This past Friday soul legend, poet and father of modern Hip Hop, Gil Scott Heron died at the age of 62. Gil has been credited in many circles as the creator of one of the first "rap" albums ever created. The word RAP has origins in American street culture. It's meaning is loose, but it's often used to describe a delivery of words. Gil Scott-Heron delivered strong words that touched on many themes of street life. Crime, poverty, social injustice and drugs were a few of the themes you would find in his work.
(hmm that sounds like another genre of music I listen to...)
Gil continued to create music until he died, with the release of I'M NEW HERE in 2010. His legacy will live on with the music he created, and the artists who continue to cover and sample his music.
This week on 7 O'clock Sample we are going to look back at Gil's work. In 2005, Kanye West sampled Gil's track "Home Is Where The Hatred Is" on his track "On My Way Home."
While this track was on Kanye's solo record, it does NOT feature Kanye on the mic. Kinda cool if you ask me. Here is the original...
R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron. Stay tuned this week for more of his music.
