Gil Scott-Heron
Gil Scott-Heron defied definitions of genre and style. He was a poet, musician, and author – best known for his work as a spoken-word performer and political activist in the 1970s and 1980s.
Scott-Heron’s most famous piece, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” specifically references popular culture in condemning the nullifying effects of white-dominated culture on the Civil Rights Movement's efforts.
While Scott-Heron does refer to a revolution, his philosophy was that revolution did not have to come through burning down the establishment but through people taking care of themselves and each other by fighting back against systemic issues like racism, police brutality, drug and alcohol abuse, and inadequate educational opportunities.
Scott-Heron’s notable efforts as an activist are his involvement with the Artists United Against Apartheid movement and his 1981 campaign with Stevie Wonder to make Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday a national holiday – rallied around Wonder’s song “Happy Birthday.”