Lyrics | Artists | Gil Scott-Heron

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Gil Scott-Heron

A rap pioneer and social chronicler, Gil Scott-Heron was one of the leading voices of African-American protest. Born in Chicago on April 1, 1949, he grew up in Jackson, Tennessee, before moving to New York. After studying at university, where he discovered the African-American writer Langston Hughes, Scott-Heron made his literary debut with the novel The Vulture and the essay The Nigger Factory (1972). At the same time, Scott-Heron's musical career began to take off, with the poetic collection Small Talk at 125th & Lenox (1969), released on the Flying Dutchman label. In 1971, Pie...