RIP Gil-Scott Heron

Swiped from UPR!se Blog.

The cruel irony of life is that many times our strongest voices are consumed and silenced by the very same ills they rally against. Gil Scott Heron spent his entire career giving voice to the struggles and experience of Black Americans. He fell prey to the same vices he talked of in The Bottle and Home Is Where The Hatred is. Sadder, is he seemed to have begun to outrun his demons in recent years, recording his first album (I'm New Here) in sixteen years. His influence on what has become known as modern Hip Hop cannot be under-estimated. KRS-One, Public Enemy, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Blackalicious, Lupe Fiasco... all have taken pages from Heron's book. Sad day. Let's hope more people will pick up on his message. We need more Hip Hop artists and less rappers these days.

"the message is here: inside the man / bubbling brain cells and heart-soul cells /
ax-cell-er-ating faster until understood / and used and passed on and used and
passed on and used and..."

-Gil Scott-Heron

*just Added*

Lately, the greats that have defined our cultured society with their creative craft have been dropping like flies. However, their spirits live on through tributes created by those who have an immense appreciation for their work. The production collective Cookin’ Soul did just that with the news of Gil Scott-Heron’s passing on Friday , May 27, and compiled many of his most celebrated songs into a 17 track mixtape.

With the melding of old soul and neo-hip hop grooves, Scott-Heron’s voice cuts through like a hot knife through butter, and continues to serenade with seasoned words of knowledge. The reminiscent undertones are overwhelmingly laden with raw emotion, just how Gil’s originals are remembered. Words of Gil: Who’ll pay reparations on my soul? Rest in Power, Gil Scott-Heron

Cookin' Soul has released a Gil-Scott Mix!!!

http://www.cookinsoul.com/GSHTribute.zip (right click save-as)