Editing Gil Scott-Heron (section)

==Later years==
===Prison terms and more performing===
[[File:Gill Scott Heron 2009 Regency.jpg|thumb|upright|Scott-Heron performing at the [[The Regency Center|Regency Ballroom]] in San Francisco, 2009]]

In 2001, Scott-Heron was sentenced to one to three years imprisonment in a [[New York State]] prison for possession of cocaine.<ref name="coke">{{cite news|title=Musician Is Sent to Prison on Drug Charge|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/31/nyregion/musician-is-sent-to-prison-on-drug-charge.html|access-date=February 27, 2023|newspaper=The New York Times|date=October 31, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150527181051/https://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/31/nyregion/musician-is-sent-to-prison-on-drug-charge.html|archive-date=May 27, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> While out of jail in 2002, he appeared on the ''[[Blazing Arrow]]'' album by [[Blackalicious]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Blackalicious Blazing Arrow|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/787-blazing-arrow/|work=Pitchfork|publisher=Pitchfork Media|access-date=December 21, 2013|first=Chris|last=Dahlen|date=May 29, 2002|archive-date=December 24, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224104716/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/787-blazing-arrow/|url-status=live}}</ref> He was released on parole in 2003, the year [[BBC TV]] broadcast the documentary ''Gil Scott-Heron: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised''. Scott-Heron was arrested for possession of a crack pipe during the editing of the film in October 2003 and received a six-month prison sentence.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gil Scott-Heron: Musician, writer and political activist whose years lost to drug addiction could not erase his influence|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/gil-scottheron-musician-writer-and-political-activist-whose-years-lost-to-drug-addiction-could-not-erase-his-influence-2290724.html|access-date=December 21, 2013|newspaper=The Independent|date=May 30, 2011|first=James|last=Maycock|archive-date=March 1, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140301025044/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/gil-scottheron-musician-writer-and-political-activist-whose-years-lost-to-drug-addiction-could-not-erase-his-influence-2290724.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On July 5, 2006, Scott-Heron was sentenced to two to four years in a New York State prison for violating a plea deal on a drug-possession charge by leaving a [[Drug rehabilitation|drug rehabilitation center]]. He claimed that he left because the clinic refused to supply him with HIV medication. This story led to the presumption that the artist was [[HIV positive]], subsequently confirmed in a 2008 interview.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/scott-heron%20to%20serve%20time%20for%20breaking%20rehab%20deal_1001885|title=Scott-Heron To Serve Time For Breaking Rehab Deal|author=Wenn|magazine=Contactmusic.com|date=July 8, 2006|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=May 11, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090511132802/http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/scott-heron%20to%20serve%20time%20for%20breaking%20rehab%20deal_1001885|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.blackagendareport.com/?q=content/genius-burning-brightly-unraveling-gil-scott-heron|title=Genius Burning Brightly: The Unraveling of Gil Scott-Heron|website=Black Agenda Report|date=May 13, 2009|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=June 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603151728/http://www.blackagendareport.com/?q=content%2Fgenius-burning-brightly-unraveling-gil-scott-heron|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="New York Magazine-Baram-2008-06-22"/> Originally sentenced to serve until July 13, 2009, he was paroled on May 23, 2007.<ref name="Parole">
{{cite web|url=http://nysdocslookup.docs.state.ny.us/GCA00P00/WIQ2/WINQ120|title=Inmate Information NYS Department of Correctional Services for Scott-Heron|publisher=Nysdocslookup.docs.state.ny.us|access-date=May 28, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602144835/http://nysdocslookup.docs.state.ny.us/GCA00P00/WIQ2/WINQ120|archive-date=June 2, 2011}}</ref>

After his release, Scott-Heron began performing live again, starting with a show at [[SOB's]] restaurant and nightclub in New York on September 13, 2007. On stage, he stated that he and his musicians were working on a new album and that he had resumed writing ''The Last Holiday'', previously on long-term hiatus, about [[Stevie Wonder]] and his successful attempt to have the birthday of [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] declared a federally recognized holiday in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/feb/05/last-holiday-scott-heron-review|title=The Last Holiday: A Memoir by Gil Scott-Heron – review|first=Margaret|last=Busby|author-link=Margaret Busby|newspaper=The Observer|date=February 2, 2012|access-date=December 11, 2016|archive-date=June 2, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110602144835/http://nysdocslookup.docs.state.ny.us/GCA00P00/WIQ2/WINQ120|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Malik Al Nasir]] dedicated a collection of poetry to Scott-Heron titled ''Ordinary Guy'' that contained a foreword by [[Jalal Mansur Nuriddin]] of [[The Last Poets]]. Scott-Heron recorded one of the poems in Nasir's book entitled ''Black & Blue'' in 2006.

In April 2009, on [[BBC Radio 4]], poet [[Lemn Sissay]] presented a half-hour documentary on Gil Scott-Heron entitled ''Pieces of a Man'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00js8d1|title=Radio 4 Programmes – Pieces of a Man|publisher=BBC|date=April 21, 2009|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=May 28, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110528155913/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00js8d1|url-status=live}}</ref> having interviewed Gil Scott-Heron in New York a month earlier. ''Pieces of a Man'' was the first UK announcement from Scott-Heron of his forthcoming album and return to form. In November 2009, the BBC's ''[[Newsnight]]'' interviewed Scott-Heron for a feature titled ''The Legendary Godfather of Rap Returns''.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/8362518.stm|title=The Legendary Godfather of Rap Returns|first=Stephen|last=Smith|date=November 16, 2009|work=BBC News|access-date=January 22, 2010|archive-date=April 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408084214/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/8362518.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2009, a new Gil Scott-Heron website, gilscottheron.net, was launched with a new track "Where Did the Night Go" made available as a free download from the site.

In 2010, Scott-Heron was booked to perform in [[Tel Aviv]], Israel, but this attracted criticism from pro-Palestinian activists, who stated: "Your performance in Israel would be the equivalent to having performed in [[Sun City, North West|Sun City]] during South Africa's apartheid era... We hope that you will not play apartheid Israel". Scott-Heron responded by canceling the performance.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/05/20115287194489734.html|title=US activist, poet and singer dies|website=www.aljazeera.com|date=May 28, 2011|access-date=March 28, 2020|archive-date=March 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200328204743/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/americas/2011/05/20115287194489734.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===''I'm New Here''===
Scott-Heron released his album ''[[I'm New Here]]'' on independent label [[XL Recordings]] on February 9, 2010. Produced by XL label owner [[Richard Russell (XL Recordings)|Richard Russell]], ''I'm New Here'' was Scott-Heron's first studio album in 16 years. The pair began recording in 2007, but the majority of the album was recorded over the 12 months leading up to the release date, with engineer [[Lawson White]] at Clinton Studios in New York. ''I'm New Here'' is 28 minutes long with 15 tracks; however, casual asides and observations collected during recording sessions are included as interludes.<ref name="newyorker" />

The album attracted critical acclaim, with ''[[The Guardian]]''{{'}}s [[Jude Rogers]] declaring it one of the "best of the next decade",<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/19/gil-scott-heron-new-here|title=Best of the next decade: Gil Scott-Heron's I'm New Here|first=Jude|last=Rogers|author-link=Jude Rogers|date=November 19, 2009|work=The Guardian|access-date=January 22, 2010|location=London|archive-date=December 20, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131220082120/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/nov/19/gil-scott-heron-new-here|url-status=live}}</ref> while some have called the record "reverent" and "intimate", due to Scott-Heron's half-sung, half-spoken delivery of his poetry. In a music review for public radio network [[NPR]], Will Hermes stated: "Comeback records always worry me, especially when they're made by one of my heroes ... But I was haunted by this record ... He's made a record not without hope but which doesn't come with any easy or comforting answers. In that way, the man is clearly still committed to speaking the truth".<ref>{{cite web|title=A Surprising Record From Gil Scott Heron|url=https://www.npr.org/2010/02/11/123614270/a-surprising-record-from-gil-scott-heron|work=NPR|access-date=March 25, 2014|first=Will|last=Hermes|format=Audio upload|date=February 11, 2010|archive-date=March 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325083755/http://www.npr.org/2010/02/11/123614270/a-surprising-record-from-gil-scott-heron|url-status=live}}</ref> Writing for music website ''Music OMH'', Darren Lee provided a more mixed assessment of the album, describing it as rewarding and stunning, but he also states that the album's brevity prevents it "from being an unassailable masterpiece".<ref>{{cite web|title=Gil Scott-Heron – I'm New Here|url=http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/gil-scott-heron-im-new-here|work=Music OMH|publisher=OMH|access-date=March 25, 2014|first=Darren|last=Lee|date=February 8, 2010|archive-date=March 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325091334/http://www.musicomh.com/reviews/albums/gil-scott-heron-im-new-here|url-status=live}}</ref>

Scott-Heron described himself as a mere participant, in a 2010 interview with ''[[The New Yorker]]'':

<blockquote>
This is Richard's CD. My only knowledge when I got to the studio was how he seemed to have wanted this for a long time. You're in a position to have somebody do something that they really want to do, and it was not something that would hurt me or damage me—why not? All the dreams you show up in are not your own.<ref name="newyorker"/></blockquote>

The remix version of the album, ''[[We're New Here]]'', was released in 2011, featuring production by English musician [[Jamie xx]], who reworked material from the original album.<ref>Richter, Mischa (January 28, 2011). [https://pitchfork.com/news/41387-jamie-smith-of-the-xx-on-remixing-gil-scott-heron-working-with-drake-new-music-from-the-xx/ "Jamie Smith of the xx on Remixing Gil Scott-Heron, Working With Drake, New Music From the xx"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509201628/https://pitchfork.com/news/41387-jamie-smith-of-the-xx-on-remixing-gil-scott-heron-working-with-drake-new-music-from-the-xx/ |date=May 9, 2020 }}. ''Pitchfork''. Retrieved February 24, 2011.</ref> Like the original album, ''We're New Here'' received critical acclaim.<ref name="Metacritic">[https://www.metacritic.com/music/were-new-here We're New Here Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200509201640/https://www.metacritic.com/music/were-new-here |date=May 9, 2020 }}. [[Metacritic]]. Retrieved February 24, 2011.</ref>

In April 2014, XL Recordings announced a third album from the ''I'm New Here'' sessions, titled ''[[Nothing New (Gil Scott-Heron album)|Nothing New]]''.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/54599-gil-scott-heron-album-nothing-new-collects-stripped-down-2008-takes-on-old-songs/ |title=Gil Scott-Heron Album ''Nothing New'' Collects Stripped-Down 2008 Takes on Old Songs |first=Jeremy |last=Gordon |publisher=Pitchfork Media |work=Music Blog |date=April 1, 2014 |access-date=April 6, 2014 |archive-date=April 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140406121140/http://pitchfork.com/news/54599-gil-scott-heron-album-nothing-new-collects-stripped-down-2008-takes-on-old-songs/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The album consists of stripped-down piano and vocal recordings and was released in conjunction with [[Record Store Day]] on April 19, 2014.