May
30
2011

News: Rest In Peace Gil Scott-Heron

An article by Senor Kaos

This past Friday night I was headed home after linking with the homie 4-Ize when I jumped on Twitter to see “R.I.P. Gil Scott-Heron” posted on somebodies page. My first thought was PLEASE let this be a rumor… Unfortunately about 30 mins later I found out it was official.

I first discovered Gil Scott when I was in high school. By then he had already amassed a nice catalog of albums for me to decipher and study. GSH, along with the Last Poets, and James Brown all represent what an Emcee was pre Hip Hop. Bold, Thought-Provoking, Entertaining, Intelligent, and great with words. I found out years later as I got older than even my father is a big fan of Gil’s work.

I am extremely fortunate to even have gotten a chance to meet GSH a few years back while he was in ATL. I walked up too him and saluted him. I told him my name, that I was emcee, and thanked him for not only inspiring me, but for not being afraid to speak his mind, and share his true feelings. That’s something I strive to do as an artist everytime I record a new song. He smiled, and thanked me for keeping an open ear. Gil was super cool, very laid back. I asked could I take a picture with him to show my pops and…

So with all that said, I was deeply saddened to hear the news of Gil’s passing. He was only 62 years old. I also didn’t see a lot of info about his passing in the news or media. I guess he was right, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”

Rest In Peace Gil Scott Heron… Thank You For Your Contribution To Black Music.