Widely considered the godfather of rap-- one of the greatest artists to ever come out from Chicago. Insanely underappreciated (imo) in music today, even though his influence spreads far-- neo soul, jazz, hip-hop, even indie rock. We all know Gil Scott-Heron (or, you should), but there's not enough folk that listen to him.

I'd even consider his discography to be one of the greatest, but also potentially a hard one to get into. If you're not already used to slam poetry/spoken word, it can be difficult to really follow Gil Scott-Heron. I'm going to recommend the three best albums that balance his poetic and musical capabilities.

Part of his great discography comes from his collaboration-- namely with legendary musician Brian Jackson (has worked with Kool & The Gang, Les Nubians, Will Downing, and more). Together, they've made some of the greatest jazz, soul, and blues albums to ever hit folks' ears.

1. Winter in America (1974)

In my opinion, his greatest work. His first truly conceptual album, Gil Scott-Heron teams up with Brian Jackson to create a soul/jazz fusion project that deals with the inner-city life here in Chicago. Placing a heavy emphasis on afro-centrism and political/social landscape, the album features themes of strong hope for the future, marking a collocation of hope for the black community, with a dismal sadness of the current state of Chicago.

2. Pieces of a Man (1971)

Compared to Small Talk at 125th and Lenox (his debut), Pieces of a Man follows a much more traditional song structure, while still retaining his poetic foundation. Here, "Pieces of a Man" deals with the alienation that one can face in the modern world-- and the optimistic outlook that it can become better through the next generation.

3. I'm New Here (2010)

His final project before sadly passing away, it contains a much more modern approach to his poetic lyricism-- moving away from tradiitonal soul and jazz-- moving towards a more electronic sound. Rather than focus on political and social issues that surround him, Gil Scott-Heron focuses, appropriately, on wanting redemption on his mistakes and talking about regrets. If Winter in America is about the cold, desolate snows that he found himself in the 70's, I'm New Here is the autumn of his life-- the last glimpses of sun before the end of a cycle.

I hope you guys enjoy some of my writing, and will at least take a peek at one of his albums. Gil Scott-Heron is one of my favorite artists of all time, and I'm grateful I grew up listening to him.

Pieces of a Man is sooo good

Cool thread, yeah I am guilty of not diving into his albums because I’m not too heavy into spoken word, I will try soon tho

In for the sheer genius

Great thread

Lemme throw out a recommendation as well

It’s called we’re new here and it’s a Jamie xx remix album of Gil Scott Herons I’m New Here

Really accessible and pretty incredible

Everybody knows he’s a legend but i feel his music still doesnt get the attention it deserves

Used to have INH on repeat underrated project that inspired yeezus and a lot of other albums

this that 1970s heron flow

I've shed tears to Pieces of a Man

What a special artist he was

fantastic remix album that folks definitely overlook. also personally approved by Gil Scott-Heron!

The revolution will not be televised

OP remains one of the superior KTTers

one thing I didn't note in the OP is how insanely influenced Kanye and other Chicago rappers were by Gil Scott-Heron. you would be doing yourself a disservice by not partaking in his music as a fan of Kanye, Common, Lupe, etc,.

just listen to Late Registration again, and you can feel the juxtaposition of melancholy and triumph throughout the album that is so commonly found in Scott-Heron's discography. it balances out a optimistic hope in the future, while also talking about the shortfalls of modern times.

Good post

What a f***ing thread I love this

His vocal ability is also underrated. His baritone voice is fantastic, and a voice like that is not commonly heard, especially in today’s age.

THE CO-SIGN

love this guy mannn

In.

I'd also like to recommend this song to people who aren't familiar with his discography: easily one of his best songs

very true. his voice is partly the reason why he's probably the most well-known spoken word artist ever. even if you're not a fan of performative poetry, just listening to his voice is soothing

This track