Editing The Last Poets (section)

==History==
===Origins and 1970s===
[[Jalal Mansur Nuriddin]] a.k.a. Alafia Pudim, [[Umar Bin Hassan]], and [[Abiodun Oyewole]], along with poet Sulaiman El-Hadi and percussionist Nilaja Obabi (Raymond "Mac" Hurrey), are generally considered the best-known members of the various lineups. Jalal, Abiodun, Umar, and Nilaja appeared on the group's 1970 self-titled debut LP and follow-up ''This Is Madness'' featured all but Abiodun, due to his incarceration for political activism. On the third album ''Chastisement'' a third poet, Sulaiman El-Hadi, was added, then Nilija left and the African rhythms began to be replaced by jazzier backgrounds. The Jalal-Sulaiman version of the group made six albums together but recorded only sporadically without much promotion after 1977.

The [[Original Last Poets]] were formed on 19 May 1968, the birthday of [[Malcolm X]], at Mount Morris Park (now known as [[Marcus Garvey Park]]) in [[East Harlem]], New York City. The original group consisted of [[Gylan Kain]], David Nelson and Abiodun Oyewole. The group coalesced via a 1969 [[Harlem]] writers' workshop known as East Wind. On 24 October that year, the group performed on pioneering New York television program ''[[Soul!]]''.<ref>"{{cite web |url=http://www.thirteen.org/soul/soul-episode-guide-1968-1973/ |title=Soul! Episode List, 1968-1973 &#124; THIRTEEN |access-date=2017-04-01 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170401232551/http://www.thirteen.org/soul/soul-episode-guide-1968-1973/ |archive-date=2017-04-01 }}", SOUL! EPISODE LIST, 1968-1973, WNET, thirteen.org.</ref> 
The Last Poets contributed "Wake Up, Niggers" to [[Performance (soundtrack)|the soundtrack]] of ''[[Performance (film)|Performance]]'', a 1970 film featuring [[Mick Jagger]].

When Nelson left, he was replaced by [[Felipe Luciano]], who would later leave to establish the [[Young Lords]]. When Kain and Nelson began to pursue other interests (theater and ministry respectively), Abiodun Oyewole "recruited" Alafia Pudim (later known as Jalaluddin Mansur) and Umar bin Hassan. Following the success of the newly refigured Last Poets first album, founding members Kain and Nelson got together with Luciano and recorded their only album ''Right On'' in 1970, the soundtrack to a documentary movie of the same name that finally saw release in 1971. <!--some sources list the film as a 1968 production--> Luciano, Kain, Abiodune Oyewole and Nelson recorded separately as '''The Original Last Poets''', gaining some renown as the soundtrack artists (without Oyewole) of the 1971 film ''Right On!'' Following a legal battle between the two groups concerning ownership of the band's name, The ''Right On'' album was released under the group name The Original Last Poets to simultaneously establish the founding members' primacy and distance themselves from the other group of the same name.<ref name="Lest We Forget: The true story of the Last Poets by Abiodun Oyewole">Article in ''Blues and Soul'' (April 1981)</ref>

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|9780394476209}}).

Having reached US [[Top 40|Top 10]] [[record chart|chart]] success with its debut album, the Last Poets went on to release the follow-up, ''[[This Is Madness]]'', without then-incarcerated Abiodun Oyewole. The album featured more politically charged poetry that resulted in the group being listed under the [[counter-intelligence]] program [[COINTELPRO]] during the [[Richard Nixon]] administration. Hassan left the group following ''This Is Madness'' to be replaced by Sulaiman El-Hadi<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grandfatherofrap.com/prologue.htm |title=Grandfather of Rap R.A.P - Revolutionary Arts Proverbalization |website=Grandfatherofrap.com |date=1995-10-03 |access-date=2016-03-14}}</ref> in time for ''Chastisment'' (1972). The album introduced a sound the group called "jazzoetry", leaving behind the spare percussion of the previous albums in favor of a blending of jazz and funk instrumentation with poetry. The music further developed into free-jazz–poetry with Hassan's brief return on [[Blue Thumb Records|Blue Thumb]] album ''At Last'' (1973),<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=py0rDwAAQBAJ&q=blue+thumb+records++last+poets+1973&pg=PA20|title=Broadening the Contours in the Study of Black Politics: Citizenship and Popular Culture|last=Mitchell|first=Michael|publisher=Routledge|year=2017|isbn=978-1-351-53062-0|pages=20|language=en}}</ref> as yet the only Last Poets release still unavailable on [[Compact disc|CD]].

The remainder of the 1970s saw a decline in the group's popularity in America, although they became quite popular in Europe.

===1980s and 1990s===
In the 1980s and beyond, however, the group gained renown with the rise of [[hip-hop music]], often being name-checked as grandfathers and founders of the new movement, often citing the Jalaluddin solo project ''Hustler's Convention'' (1973) as their inspiration. Because of this the band was interviewed in the 1986 cult documentary ''[[Big Fun In The Big Town]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2323202|title=Big Fun in the Big Town (1986)|website=IMDb.com|access-date=2016-03-14}}</ref> Nuriddin and El-Hadi worked on several projects under the Last Poets name, working with bassist and producer [[Bill Laswell]], including 1984's ''Oh My People'' and 1988's '' Freedom Express'', and recording the final El Hadi–Nuriddin collaboration, ''Scatterrap/Home'', in 1994.  The group, El Hadi, Nuriddin and Hassan, also made a guest appearance in [[John Singleton]]'s 1993 film ''[[Poetic Justice (film)|Poetic Justice]]''. Prominent Attorney Gregory J Reed reunited Original Poets in NY the same day of Nelson Mandela was released from prison after 27 years and recorded "Poets Live" in Detroit's Orchestra Hall, and produced "The Return of the Original Last Poets Docudrama"  Kain, Luciano, Oyewole and Nelson after 20 years in 1990.

Sulaiman El-Hadi died in October 1995. Oyewole and Hassan began recording separately under the same name, releasing ''Holy Terror'' in 1995 (re-released on Innerhythmic in 2004) and ''Time Has Come'' in 1997. Meanwhile, Nuriddin released the solo CD's ''On The One'' (1996), ''The Fruits of Rap'' (1997) and ''Science Friction'' (2004) under the abbreviated name "Jalal."

===21st century===
In 2005, the Last Poets found fame again refreshed through a collaboration where the trio (Umar Bin Hassan) was featured with hip-hop artist [[Common (rapper)|Common]] on the [[Kanye West]]-produced song "[[The Corner (song)|The Corner]]," as well as (Abiodun Oyewole) with the [[Wu-Tang Clan]]-affiliated political hip-hop group [[Black Market Militia]] on the song "The Final Call," stretching overseas to the UK on songs "Organic Liquorice (Natural Woman)", "Voodoocore", and "A Name" with Shaka Amazulu the 7th. The group is also featured on the [[Nas]] album ''[[Untitled (Nas album)|Untitled]]'', on the songs "You Can't Stop Us Now" and "Project Roach." Individual members of the group also collaborated with [[Grand Mixer DXT|DST]] on a remake of "Mean Machine", [[Public Enemy (group)|Public Enemy]] on a remake of "White Man's Got A God Complex" and with  [[Bristol]]-based [[post-punk]] band [[the Pop Group]].

In 2010, Abiodun Oyowele was among the artists featured on [[the Welfare Poets]]' produced ''Cruel And Unusual Punishment'', a CD compilation that was made in protest of the [[death penalty]], which also featured some several current positive hip hop artists.

In 2004 [[Jalal Mansur Nuriddin]], a.k.a. Alafia Pudim, a.k.a. Lightning Rod (The Hustlers Convention 1973), collaborated with the UK-based poet Mark T. Watson (a.k.a. [[Malik Al Nasir]]) writing the foreword to Watson's debut poetry collection, ''Ordinary Guy'', published in December 2004 by the [[Liverpool]]-based publisher Fore-Word Press.<ref name="Fore"/> Jalal's foreword was written in rhyme, and was recorded for a collaborative album "Rhythms of the Diaspora (Vol. 1 & 2 - Unreleased) by [[Malik Al Nasir]]'s band, [[Malik & the O.G's]] featuring [[Gil Scott-Heron]], percussionist Larry McDonald, drummers Rod Youngs and Swiss Chris, New York [[Dub poetry|dub poet]] Ras Tesfa, and a host of young rappers from New York and Washington, D.C. Produced by Malik Al Nasir, and Swiss Chris, the albums ''Rhythms of the Diaspora; Vol. 1 & 2'' are the first of their kind to unite these pioneers of poetry and hip hop with each other.<ref name="Fore">{{cite web|url=http://www.fore-word.com |title=fore-word press |website=Fore-word.com |access-date=2016-03-14}}</ref>

In 2011, [[Abiodun Oyewole]] and [[Umar Bin Hassan]] performed at [[The Jazz Cafe]] in London, in a tribute concert to the late  Scott-Heron and all the former Last Poets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://getoutgigging.wordpress.com/2011/07/10/the-last-poets-jazz-cafe-london-sun-10th-july-2011/ |title=The Last Poets, Jazz Cafe, London. Sun 10th July, 2011 &#124; Get Out Gigging |website=Getoutgigging.wordpress.com |date=2011-07-10 |access-date=2016-03-14}}</ref> In 2014, Nuriddin performed at the same venue with [[Jazz Warriors]], the first live performance in 40 years of the "Hustlers Convention". The event was produced by Fore-Word Press and featured Liverpool poet [[Malik Al Nasir]] with his band [[Malik & the O.G's]] featuring [[Cleveland Watkiss]], [[Orphy Robinson]] and Tony Remy. The event was filmed as part of a documentary on the "Hustlers Convention" by Manchester film maker Mike Todd and Riverhorse Communications. The executive producer was [[Public Enemy (group)|Public Enemy]]'s [[Chuck D]]. As part of the event [[Charly Records]] re-issued a special limited edition of the vinyl version of Hustlers Convention to celebrate their 40th anniversary. The event was MC'd by poet [[Lemn Sissay]] and the DJ was Shiftless Shuffle's Perry Louis.

In 2016, ''[https://www.amazon.co.uk/d/cka/Last-Poets-Christine-Otten/9462380376/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482146367&sr=1-1&keywords=the+last+poets The Last Poets]'' (World Editions, UK), was published. The novel, written by Christine Otten [https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Otten], was originally published in Dutch in 2011, and has now been translated by Jonathan Reeder for English readers.

In May 2018, The Last Poets released ''Understand What Black Is'', their first album since 1997. The album featured tributes to late artists [[Prince (musician)|Prince]] and [[The Notorious B.I.G.|Biggie Smalls]].<ref>{{cite magazine
| url        = https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/the-last-poets-rap-forefathers-talk-black-lives-matter-playing-basketball-with-wu-tang-629223/
| title      = The Last Poets, Rap Forefathers, Talk Black Lives Matter, Playing Basketball With Wu-Tang 
| magazine       = [[Rolling Stone]]
| last1      = Reeves
| first1     = Mosi
| date       = 2018-04-25
| access-date = 2018-09-09
}}</ref>

In August 2022, numerous samples from The Last Poet "Mean Machine" were used in [[JID|JID's]] "[[Raydar]]" In reference to the poet's lines about weapons, peace, and harmony.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Radar, sonar, laser beams / Jets, tanks, submarines / Megathons, H-bombs, napalm, ga— |url=https://genius.com/26594319/Jid-raydar/Radar-sonar-laser-beams-jets-tanks-submarines-megathons-h-bombs-napalm-ga |access-date=2023-07-31 |website=Genius}}</ref>