Gil Scott-Heron

Proto-rap poet Gil Scott-Heron has winded and wandered through a storied career. Over the past few decades, he evolved from a straight-talking revolutionary into a staunchly moralistic grandfather of hip-hop (who managed run into more than a few problems with the law). Scott-Heron has always had something sharp to say about the issues of the day, from the oppression that led to the civil-rights movement to apartheid to gangsta rap. And he's proven even sharper by way of a pretty shocking comeback with I'm New Here, a new album (on the XL label) that sets Scott-Heron's storytelling against a backing backdrop of hip-hop, dubstep, and digital blues.

Updated 02/17/2010