David Nelson (poet)
| The Last Poets | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Harlem, New York, United States |
| Genres | Spoken word, hip hop |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels |
Mouth Almighty Mercury PolyGram Celluloid Casablanca Douglas Records Innerhythmic |
| Associated acts |
Lightnin' Rod Common Malik & the O.G's |
| Members |
Abiodun Oyewole Umar Bin Hassan Baba Donn Babatunde |
| Past members |
Jalal Mansur Nuriddin (Alafia Pudim) Suliaman El Hadi (deceased) Nilaja (deceased) Abu Mustapha (deceased) |
The Last Poets are several groups of poets and musicians who arose from the late 1960s African-American civil rights movement's black nationalism. The name is taken from a poem by the South African revolutionary poet Keorapetse Kgositsile, who believed he was in the last era of poetry before guns would take over. The original users of that name were the trio of Felipe Luciano, Gylan Kain, and David Nelson.
However, it is the versions of the group led by Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin and/or Umar Bin Hassan that have penetrated mass culture. The Last Poets were one of the earliest influences on hip-hop music. Critic Jason Ankeny wrote: "With their politically charged raps, taut rhythms, and dedication to raising African-American consciousness, the Last Poets almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for the emergence of hip-hop." The British music magazine NME stated, "Serious spokesmen like Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, and later Gary Byrd, paved the way for the many socially committed Black [emcees] a decade later."
The Original Last Poets were formed on May 19, 1968 (Malcolm X's birthday), at Marcus Garvey Park in East Harlem. On October 24th 1968, the group performed on pioneering New York television program Soul!.
Luciano, Kain, and Nelson recorded separately as The Original Last Poets, gaining some renown as the soundtrack artists of the 1971 film Right On!
In 1972, they appeared on Black Forum Records album Black Spirits - Festival Of New Black Poets In America with "And See Her Image In The River" and "Song of Ditla, part II", recorded live at the Apollo Theatre, Harlem, New York. A book of the same name was published by Random House (1972 - ISBN ).
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