The Last Poets

Though there was no such name for it in 1970, the Last Poets are widely considered the founders of rap. More properly their work evolved out of the jazz poetry tradition, but their strong grounding in black nationalism, their unflinching street narratives and incendiary politics (along with occasional shock-value lyrics) all paved the way for hip-hop to come. The group's founder Jalal Mansur Nuriddin converted to Islam while imprisoned, as a paratrooper who refused to fight in Vietnam. The first group was formed with Umar Bin Hassan and Abiodun Oyewole, also inmates on political charges; after release they attended writers' workshops in Harlem, and the Last Poets were formally christened on May 16, 1969, the birthday of Malcolm X. There would be other lineups, including a separate group billed as the Original Last Poets, but the key lineup was always built around Bin Hassan and Nuriddin, usually accompanied by a percussionist. Producer Alan Douglas signed him to his Douglas label, resulting in the group's two most significant albums-- 1970's self-titled debut and 1971's This is Madness. Both featured stronger political content, and stronger language, than was generally heard on records at the time. The N-word was often used as a rallying cry, notably on the first album's "N-----s Are Scared of Revolution." An outtake from the first album, "Doriella du Fontaine," was more directly sexual than most of the group's work and featured Nuriddin (under the pseudonym Lightnin' Rod) accompanied by Buddy Miles and Jimi Hendrix. The group continued through the '70s without quite as much impact; the most-acclaimed work from this period was Lightnin' Rod's 1973 solo album, Hustler's Convention, whose underworld narratives further influenced rap. After the rise of hip-hop created new interest in the Last Poets, the group reunited in 1985, their albums from this era were still uncompromising in their politics, but more accessible musically: 1993's Holy Terror included sung as well as spoken passages, and guest appearances from early rap star Melle Mel and some of the P-Funk crew (including a cameo by George Clinton). After a break of nearly 20 years the Last Poets reappeared once again with 2018's Understand What Black Is, still including founding members Bin Hassan and Oyewole (Nuriddin who wasn't involved died in June, just after the album's release). The musical setting this time was reggae, nodding to the "dub poetry" movement that was in turn influenced by the Poets.