Any Last Poets fans in the house? I got into them around 1990, which was my senior year in high school. One of my homies that I DJ'd with had their second album, This is Madness. After I graduated high school I used to collect records for the purpose of sampling and making beats. Any time I came across a Last Poets album, I bought it (on vinyl). It wasn't long before I had all of their albums. (They also made records in the 80s and 90s but I prefer their albums from the 70s)
Anyway, if you're not hip to the Last Poets your opinion on Rap Music/Hip Hop cannot be taken seriously. They were talking about Black Lives Matter and White Privilege back in the 70s, and they put it in a rap.
Here's a little bit of trivia; Initially there were seven members of The Last Poets. But when they made their first album, only 4 of the members contributed. That's the self titled album, The Last Poets in blue and yellow with the four of them. The name of that group is The Last Poets.
In 1971, the other three members, under the moniker; The Original Last Poets, made an album called Right On! to which there is a movie. In fact, Right On! is the soundtrack to that movie.
Also in 1971, one of the four members from the first album, Abiodun Oyewole, went to prison, so the remaining three made their second album, This Is Madness. I prefer This Is Madness to the self titled album because Abiodun didn't rhyme, he just said poetry, which is cool, but I like it better when it rhymes. Their second album, This Is Madness rhymed all the way through.
Their third album, Chastisement, is interesting because instead of rapping over strictly African drums, they incorporated Jazz into what they were doing with bass, drums and saxophone. Jazz instruments certainly give their poetry a different tone.
In 1973, The Last Poets released their 4th album At Last. This might be their best and most accessible album. In other words, it's easier to listen to. The music is strictly Jazz with a touch of Funk. It's as close to Hip Hop as you can get without being Hip Hop. The lyrics are incredible. This album is a masterpiece and all things considered, is a top 10 rap album. At Last puts other rap albums to shame.
Also in 1973, one of the members, Jalal Nurridin teamed up with Kool & The Gang and made an album called Hustler's Convention. It is a story told in rhyme about two hustlers, Sport and Spoon who go to a gambling convention. They get in a shootout and get chased by the cops. The rhyme scheme of Hustler's Convention is A/B/A/A/B throughout the entire album. To my knowledge, no rapper has done that. I've heard Prince Paul did a similar album called A Prince Among Thieves but I haven't heard it.
In 1977 they released an album called Delights Of The Garden. Rather than Jazz, the music is Funk. Drummer Bernard Purdie is featured on the album. It's not really my cup of tea, I like This Is Madness, At Last & Hustler's Convention. Those are my three favorite Last Poets albums.
They also have an album called Jazzoetry, which is a greatest hits album with two remixes.
They also have albums that came out in the 80s, 90s and presumably the 00s but I never got into them. By that point Hip Hop had matured and The Last Poets went the way of the early Blues & Jazz musicians.
Anyway, if you're not hip to the Last Poets your opinion on Rap Music/Hip Hop cannot be taken seriously. They were talking about Black Lives Matter and White Privilege back in the 70s, and they put it in a rap.
Here's a little bit of trivia; Initially there were seven members of The Last Poets. But when they made their first album, only 4 of the members contributed. That's the self titled album, The Last Poets in blue and yellow with the four of them. The name of that group is The Last Poets.
In 1971, the other three members, under the moniker; The Original Last Poets, made an album called Right On! to which there is a movie. In fact, Right On! is the soundtrack to that movie.
Also in 1971, one of the four members from the first album, Abiodun Oyewole, went to prison, so the remaining three made their second album, This Is Madness. I prefer This Is Madness to the self titled album because Abiodun didn't rhyme, he just said poetry, which is cool, but I like it better when it rhymes. Their second album, This Is Madness rhymed all the way through.
Their third album, Chastisement, is interesting because instead of rapping over strictly African drums, they incorporated Jazz into what they were doing with bass, drums and saxophone. Jazz instruments certainly give their poetry a different tone.
In 1973, The Last Poets released their 4th album At Last. This might be their best and most accessible album. In other words, it's easier to listen to. The music is strictly Jazz with a touch of Funk. It's as close to Hip Hop as you can get without being Hip Hop. The lyrics are incredible. This album is a masterpiece and all things considered, is a top 10 rap album. At Last puts other rap albums to shame.
Also in 1973, one of the members, Jalal Nurridin teamed up with Kool & The Gang and made an album called Hustler's Convention. It is a story told in rhyme about two hustlers, Sport and Spoon who go to a gambling convention. They get in a shootout and get chased by the cops. The rhyme scheme of Hustler's Convention is A/B/A/A/B throughout the entire album. To my knowledge, no rapper has done that. I've heard Prince Paul did a similar album called A Prince Among Thieves but I haven't heard it.
In 1977 they released an album called Delights Of The Garden. Rather than Jazz, the music is Funk. Drummer Bernard Purdie is featured on the album. It's not really my cup of tea, I like This Is Madness, At Last & Hustler's Convention. Those are my three favorite Last Poets albums.
They also have an album called Jazzoetry, which is a greatest hits album with two remixes.
They also have albums that came out in the 80s, 90s and presumably the 00s but I never got into them. By that point Hip Hop had matured and The Last Poets went the way of the early Blues & Jazz musicians.
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