On May 16th 1969 - Malcolm X's birthday - Jalal Mansur Nuriddin, Omar Ben Hassan and Abiodun Oyewole officialy formed The Last Poets. They almost single handedly laid the groundwork for the hip hop scene that emerged in the late 70's.
In 1970 they released their first album which contained withering attacks on everything from racists to government to the bourgeoisie preceding politically laced albums by the likes of Marvin Gaye and directly influencing the work of later rap bands such as Public Enemy and Boogie Down Productions. The album reached the Top 10 U.S. album chart but before they could mount a tour Oyewole was sentenced to 14 years in prison for armed robbery. The follow up album, This Is Madness even landed them on Nixon's Counter Intelligence Programming Unit and had tracks that were more radical and politically charged than the debut offering.
Several albums followed but none had the same impact as those first 2 albums both of which contain music of style, force, intensity, creativity and passion and are fundamental building blocks of rap and hip hop music.
The Last Poets - When The Revolution Comes
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