Editing Gil Scott-Heron

{{short description|American soul and jazz poet, musician, and author (1949–2011)}}
{{Distinguish|Jill Scott (disambiguation)|Scott Herren}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name              = Gil Scott-Heron
| image             = Gil Scott-Heron.jpg
| alt               = 
| caption           = Scott-Heron performing at the Göta Källare nightclub in [[Stockholm]], Sweden, in 2010
| background        = Solo_singer
| birth_name        = Gilbert Scott-Heron
| birth_date        = {{birth date|1949|4|1}}
| birth_place       = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| origin            = New York City, U.S.
| death_date        = {{Death date and age|2011|5|27|1949|4|1}}
| death_place       = New York City, U.S.<ref name=NYT>{{cite news|title=Gil Scott-Heron, Spoken-Word Musician, Dies at 62|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/28/nyregion/music-pioneer-scott-heron-dies-after-a-european-trip.html|access-date=January 16, 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|agency=Associated Press|date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=June 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110619104144/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/28/nyregion/music-pioneer-scott-heron-dies-after-a-european-trip.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| instrument        = {{hlist|Vocals|guitar|keyboards}}
| genre             = {{hlist|[[Soul music|Soul]]<ref name="KotG"/>|[[jazz-funk]]|[[jazz poetry]]<ref name="PrestonR"/>|[[funk]]<ref name="culture">{{cite web|last1=Paul|first1=Anna|title=An Introduction To Gil Scott-Heron In 10 Songs|url=https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/an-introduction-to-gil-scott-heron-in-10-songs/|website=The Culture Trip|date=March 2016 |access-date=January 31, 2018|archive-date=January 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131140917/https://theculturetrip.com/north-america/usa/articles/an-introduction-to-gil-scott-heron-in-10-songs/|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[Proto-rap#Proto-rap|proto-rap]]<ref name="WoodstraBush2008">{{cite book|last1=Woodstra|first1=Chris |author2=John Bush|author3=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=Old School Rap and Hip-hop|url=https://archive.org/details/oldschoolraphiph0000wood|url-access=registration|access-date=February 28, 2019|year=2008|publisher=Backbeat Books|isbn=978-0-87930-916-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/oldschoolraphiph0000wood/page/146 146]–}}</ref>|R&B<ref name="a">{{cite web|last1=Bush|first1=John|title=Gil Scott-Heron - Biography & History|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gil-scott-heron-mn0000658346/biography|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=January 31, 2018|archive-date=January 31, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180131200746/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gil-scott-heron-mn0000658346/biography|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[progressive soul]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Backus|first=Rob|year=1976|title=Fire Music: A Political History of Jazz|publisher=[[Vanguard Books]]|isbn=091770200X|edition=2nd}}</ref>}}
| occupation        = {{hlist|Poet|singer-songwriter|author|musician}}
| years_active      = 1969–2011
| label             = {{hlist|[[RCA Records|RCA]]|[[Flying Dutchman Records|Flying Dutchman]]|[[Strata-East Records|Strata East]]|[[Arista Records|Arista]]|[[TVT Records|TVT]]|[[XL Recordings|XL]]|[[JAD Records]]}}
| associated_acts   = {{hlist|[[Brian Jackson (musician)|Brian Jackson]]|[[Ron Holloway]]|[[Malik & the O.G's]]|[[Musicians United for Safe Energy]]|[[Artists United Against Apartheid]]|Black and Blues}}
| module            = {{Infobox person|embed=yes
| parents = Bobbie Scott and [[Gil Heron]]
}}
}}

'''Gilbert Scott-Heron''' (April 1, 1949 – May 27, 2011)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/05/27/136731274/gil-scott-heron-poet-and-musician-has-died|title=Gil Scott-Heron, Poet And Musician, Has Died|first=Daoud|last=Tyler-Ameen|website=[[NPR]]|date=May 27, 2011|access-date=April 2, 2018|archive-date=May 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509175934/http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/05/27/136731274/gil-scott-heron-poet-and-musician-has-died|url-status=live}}</ref> was an American [[Jazz poetry|jazz poet]], singer,<ref name="PrestonR">{{cite news|first=Rohan B.|last=Preston|date=September 20, 1994|url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1994/09/20/scott-herons-jazz-poetry-rich-in-soul/|title=Scott-Heron's Jazz Poetry Rich In Soul|newspaper=[[The Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=June 6, 2011|archive-date=February 7, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207223926/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1994-09-20/news/9409200225_1_gil-scott-heron-songs-spiritual-journey|url-status=live}}</ref> musician, and author known for his work as a [[spoken-word]] performer in the 1970s and 1980s. His collaborative efforts with musician [[Brian Jackson (musician)|Brian Jackson]] fused [[jazz]], [[blues]], and [[soul music|soul]] with lyrics relative to social and political issues of the time, delivered in both [[rapping]] and [[melisma]]tic vocal styles. He referred to himself as a "bluesologist",<ref name="nyt-obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/arts/music/gil-scott-heron-voice-of-black-culture-dies-at-62.html|title=Gil Scott-Heron, Voice of Black Protest Culture, Dies at 62|first=Ben|last=Sisario|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=May 28, 2011|access-date=May 29, 2011|archive-date=May 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110530033941/http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/29/arts/music/gil-scott-heron-voice-of-black-culture-dies-at-62.html|url-status=live}}</ref> his own term for "a scientist who is concerned with the origin of the blues".<ref group=note>Onstage at the Black Wax Club in Washington, D.C., in 1982, Scott-Heron cited [[Harlem Renaissance]] writers [[Langston Hughes]], [[Sterling Allen Brown|Sterling Brown]], [[Jean Toomer]], [[Countee Cullen]] and [[Claude McKay]] as among those who had "taken the blues as a poetry form" in the 1920s and "fine-tuned it" into a "remarkable art form".</ref><ref name="gsh-live">Gil Scott-Heron in a live performance in 1982 with the Amnesia Express at the Black Wax Club, Washington, D.C. ''Black Wax'' (DVD). Directed by Robert Mugge.</ref> His poem "[[The Revolution Will Not Be Televised]]", delivered over a [[soul jazz|jazz-soul]] beat, is considered a major influence on [[hip hop music]].<ref>{{cite news|date=May 28, 2011|title=Gil Scott-Heron: music world pays tribute to the 'Godfather of Rap'|url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/29/gil-scott-heron-godfather-of-rap|first=David|last=Sharrock|access-date=March 13, 2021|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|language=en|archive-date=July 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210721132710/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/29/gil-scott-heron-godfather-of-rap|url-status=live}}</ref>

Scott-Heron's music, particularly on the albums ''[[Pieces of a Man]]'' and ''[[Winter in America]]'' during the early 1970s, influenced and foreshadowed later [[African-American music]] genres, including [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] and [[neo soul]]. His recording work received much critical acclaim, especially for "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised".<ref name="Azpiri"/> [[AllMusic]]'s John Bush called him "one of the most important progenitors of [[rap music]]", stating that "his aggressive, no-nonsense street poetry inspired a legion of intelligent rappers while his engaging songwriting skills placed him square in the R&B charts later in his career."<ref name="a"/>

Scott-Heron remained active until his death, and in 2010 released his first new album in 16 years, titled ''[[I'm New Here]]''. A memoir he had been working on for years up to the time of his death, [http://%5Bhttps://archive.org/details/lastholidaymemoi0000scot%5D The Last Holiday], was published posthumously in January 2012.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/books/the-last-holiday-a-memoir-by-gil-scott-heron-review.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&partner=rss&emc=rss | newspaper=[[The New York Times]] | first=Dwight | last=Garner | title='The Last Holiday: A Memoir' by Gil Scott-Heron – Review | date=January 9, 2012 | access-date=February 27, 2017 | archive-date=April 21, 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170421144601/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/books/the-last-holiday-a-memoir-by-gil-scott-heron-review.html?_r=1&pagewanted=1&partner=rss&emc=rss | url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jan/08/scott-heron-wonder-martin-luther-king | location=London | newspaper=The Guardian | first=Gil | last=Scott-Heron | title=How Gil Scott-Heron and Stevie Wonder set up Martin Luther King Day | date=January 8, 2012 | access-date=December 11, 2016 | archive-date=July 11, 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160711183826/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2012/jan/08/scott-heron-wonder-martin-luther-king | url-status=live }}</ref> Scott-Heron received a posthumous [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]] in 2012. He also is included in the exhibits at the [[National Museum of African American History and Culture]] (NMAAHC) that officially opened on September 24, 2016, on the [[National Mall]], and in an NMAAHC publication, ''Dream a World Anew''.<ref>gilscottherononline.com</ref> In 2021, Scott-Heron was posthumously inducted into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], as a recipient of the Early Influence Award.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tina Turner, Jay-Z, Foo Fighters Among Those Inducted Into Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/05/12/995950982/tina-turner-jay-z-foo-fighters-among-those-inducted-into-rock-roll-hall-of-fame|first=Andrew|last=Limbong|date=May 12, 2021|access-date=May 12, 2021|website=[[NPR]]|language=en|archive-date=May 12, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512130635/https://www.npr.org/2021/05/12/995950982/tina-turner-jay-z-foo-fighters-among-those-inducted-into-rock-roll-hall-of-fame|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Early years==
Gil Scott-Heron was born in Chicago.<ref name="nyt-obit" /> His mother, Bobbie Scott, born in Mississippi,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Adjetey |first=Wendell Nii Laryea |date=2023 |title=Bridging Borders: African North Americans in Great Lakes Cities, 1920s–1940s |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/jahist/jaad149 |journal=Journal of American History |volume=110 |issue=1 |pages=58–81 |doi=10.1093/jahist/jaad149 |issn=0021-8723}}</ref> was an opera singer who performed with the [[Oratorio Society of New York]]. His father, [[Gil Heron]], nicknamed "The Black Arrow", was a Jamaican [[Association football|footballer]] who in the 1950s became the first black man to play for [[Celtic F.C.]] in Glasgow, Scotland.<ref name=Dell'Apa>{{cite news|url=https://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/blog/2008/12/giles_heron_pla.html|title=Giles Heron: Played for Celtic, father of musician|first=Frank|last=Dell'Apa|newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]|date=December 4, 2008|access-date=June 2, 2011|archive-date=November 3, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103150125/http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/blog/2008/12/giles_heron_pla.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Gil's parents separated in his early childhood<ref name="newyorker">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/09/100809fa_fact_wilkinson|title=New York is Killing Me|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|first=Alec|last=Wilkinson|author-link=Alec Wilkinson|date=August 9, 2010|access-date=May 29, 2011|archive-date=May 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110530232846/http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/09/100809fa_fact_wilkinson|url-status=live}}</ref> and he was sent to live with his maternal grandmother, Lillie Scott, in [[Jackson, Tennessee]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Dacks |first1=David |title=Gil Scott-Heron Pioneering Poet |url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/gil_scott-heron-pioneering_poet |magazine=[[Exclaim!]] |access-date=June 4, 2018 |language=en |date=February 20, 2010 |archive-date=June 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614072003/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/gil_scott-heron-pioneering_poet |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first=Claudrena|last=Harold|date=July 22, 2011|url=http://southernspaces.org/2011/deep-cane-southern-soul-gil-scott-heron|title=Deep in the Cane: The Southern Soul of Gil Scott-Heron|journal=[[Southern Spaces]]|publisher=[[Emory University]]|location=Atlanta, Georgia|doi=10.18737/M7N31V |access-date=July 12, 2011|archive-date=November 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104144643/http://www.southernspaces.org/2011/deep-cane-southern-soul-gil-scott-heron|url-status=live|doi-access=free}}</ref> When Scott-Heron was 12 years old, his grandmother died and he returned to live with his mother in [[The Bronx]] in New York City. He enrolled at [[DeWitt Clinton High School]]<ref name="newyorker" /> but later transferred to [[The Fieldston School]],<ref name="nyt-obit" /> after impressing the head of the English department with some of his writings and earning a full scholarship.<ref name="newyorker" /> As one of five Black students at the prestigious school, Scott-Heron was faced with alienation and a significant socioeconomic gap. During his admissions interview at Fieldston, an administrator asked him: {{"'}}How would you feel if you see one of your classmates go by in a limousine while you're walking up the hill from the subway?' And [he] said, 'Same way as you. Y'all can't afford no limousine. How do you feel?{{'"}}<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Weiner|first=Jonah|title=TRIBUTE: Gil Scott-Heron|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=June 23, 2011|issue=1133|page=30|url=http://gateway.proquest.com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:iimp:&rft_dat=xri:iimp:article:citation:iimp00886444|access-date=October 28, 2011|archive-date=April 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408084221/https://shibboleth.arizona.edu/idp/profile/SAML2/POST/SSO;jsessionid=node0sga6otmpsi7o1ozunhs2d2sub1453919.node0?execution=e1s1|url-status=live}}</ref> This type of intractable boldness would become a hallmark of Scott-Heron's later recordings.

After completing his secondary education, Scott-Heron decided to attend [[Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)|Lincoln University]] in [[Oxford, Pennsylvania]] because [[Langston Hughes]] (his most important literary influence) was an alumnus. It was here that Scott-Heron met [[Brian Jackson (musician)|Brian Jackson]], with whom he formed the band Black & Blues. After about two years at Lincoln, Scott-Heron took a year off to write the novels ''The Vulture'' and ''The Nigger Factory''.<ref name="Jazzman">{{cite web|url=http://home.clara.net/giaco/gil/bio.htm|title=Gil Scott-Heron Jazz Man – Biography|website=Home.clara.net|date=January 21, 2010|access-date=May 28, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030505112836/http://home.clara.net/giaco/gil/bio.htm|archive-date=May 5, 2003}}</ref> Scott-Heron was very heavily influenced by the [[Black Arts Movement]] (BAM). [[The Last Poets]], a group associated with the Black Arts Movement, performed at Lincoln in 1969 and [[Abiodun Oyewole]] of that Harlem group said Scott-Heron asked him after the performance, "Listen, can I start a group like you guys?"<ref name="newyorker"/> Scott-Heron returned to New York City, settling in [[Chelsea, Manhattan]]. ''The Vulture'' was published by the [[World Publishing Company]] in 1970 to positive reviews.

Although Scott-Heron never completed his undergraduate degree, he was admitted to the [[Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars|Writing Seminars]] at [[Johns Hopkins University]], where he received an [[Master of Arts|M.A.]] in creative writing in 1972. His master's thesis was titled ''Circle of Stone''.<ref name="Circle of stone">{{cite thesis|url=https://catalyst.library.jhu.edu/catalog/bib_1496828|first=Gil|last=Scott-Heron|title=Circle of stone: a novel|publisher=Catalyst @ Johns Hopkins University|date=1972|access-date=May 29, 2011|archive-date=July 19, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719220013/https://catalyst.library.jhu.edu/catalog/bib_1496828|url-status=live}}</ref> Beginning in 1972, Scott-Heron taught literature and creative writing for several years as a full-time lecturer at [[University of the District of Columbia]] (then known as Federal City College) in Washington, D.C., while maintaining his music career.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.criticalimprov.com/article/view/2691/2895 |first=Aldon L. |last=Nielsen |journal=Critical Studies in Improvisation |title=Book Review: ''The Last Holiday: A Memoir'' |volume=8 |number=2 |year=2012 |access-date=January 15, 2017 |archive-date=January 16, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170116174104/http://www.criticalimprov.com/article/view/2691/2895 |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Recording career==
Scott-Heron began his recording career with the [[Gramophone record|LP]] ''[[Small Talk at 125th and Lenox]]'' in 1970. [[Bob Thiele]] of [[Flying Dutchman Records]] produced the album, and Scott-Heron was accompanied by [[Eddie Knowles]] and [[Charlie Saunders]] on [[conga drum|conga]] and David Barnes on percussion and vocals. The album's 14 tracks dealt with themes such as the superficiality of television and mass consumerism, the hypocrisy of some would-be black revolutionaries, and white middle-class ignorance of the difficulties faced by inner-city residents. The album also included the spoken-word poem "[[Whitey on the Moon]]". In the liner notes, Scott-Heron acknowledged as influences [[Richie Havens]], [[John Coltrane]], [[Otis Redding]], [[Jose Feliciano]], [[Billie Holiday]], [[Langston Hughes]], [[Malcolm X]], [[Huey Newton]], [[Nina Simone]], and long-time collaborator [[Brian Jackson (musician)|Brian Jackson]].

Scott-Heron's 1971 album ''[[Pieces of a Man]]'' used more conventional song structures than the loose, [[spoken-word]] feel of ''Small Talk''. He was joined by Jackson, Johnny Pate as conductor, [[Ron Carter]] on bass and bass guitar, drummer [[Bernard Purdie|Bernard "Pretty" Purdie]], Burt Jones playing electric guitar, and [[Hubert Laws]] on flute and saxophone, with Thiele producing again. Scott-Heron's third album, ''Free Will'', was released in 1972. Jackson, Purdie, Laws, Knowles, and Saunders all returned to play on ''[[Free Will (Gil Scott-Heron album)|Free Will]]'' and were joined by [[Jerry Jemmott]] playing bass, [[David Spinozza]] on guitar, and [[Horace Ott]] (arranger and conductor). Carter later said about Scott-Heron's voice: "He wasn't a great singer, but, with that voice, if he had whispered it would have been dynamic. It was a voice like you would have for [[Shakespeare]]."<ref name="newyorker" />

{{Listen|pos = right
|filename     = Scott-Heron_Johannesburg.ogg
|title        = "Johannesburg"
|description  = "[[Johannesburg (song)|Johannesburg]]", a single in 1975 and again in 1983}}
In 1974, he recorded another collaboration with Brian Jackson, ''[[Winter in America]]'', with Bob Adams on drums and Danny Bowens on bass. ''Winter in America'' has been regarded by many critics as the two musicians' most artistic effort.<ref name=allmusic>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p123197|pure_url=yes}} |title= Gil Scott-Heron > Discography > Main Albums |publisher=All Media Guide, LLC. |access-date=July 9, 2008}}</ref><ref name=spin>{{cite book |first1=Eric |last1=Weisbard |first2=Craig |last2=Marks |title=Spin Alternative Record Guide (Ratings 1–10) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=50cEAAAACAAJ&q=spin%27s+alternative+record |access-date=July 17, 2008 |publisher=Vintage Books |location=New York City |date=1995 |isbn=0-679-75574-8 |oclc=32508105 |pages=267–268 |quote=his finest work }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The following year, Scott-Heron and Jackson released ''[[The First Minute of a New Day|Midnight Band: The First Minute of a New Day]]''. In 1975, he released the single "[[Johannesburg (song)|Johannesburg]]", a rallying cry for the end of [[apartheid]] in South Africa. The song would be re-issued, in 12"-single form, together with "Waiting for the Axe to Fall" and "B-movie" in 1983.

A live album, ''[[It's Your World (album)|It's Your World]]'', followed in 1976 and a recording of spoken poetry, ''The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron'', was released in 1978.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Gil-Scott-Heron-The-Mind-Of-Gil-Scott-Heron/master/7661|title=Gil Scott-Heron – The Mind Of Gil Scott-Heron|website=Discogs|year=1978 |language=en|access-date=July 13, 2019|archive-date=February 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226042140/https://www.discogs.com/Gil-Scott-Heron-The-Mind-Of-Gil-Scott-Heron/master/7661|url-status=live}}</ref> Another success followed with the hit single "Angel Dust", which he recorded as a single with producer [[Malcolm Cecil]]. "Angel Dust" peaked at No. 15 on the R&B charts in 1978.

In 1979, Scott-Heron played at the No Nukes concerts at [[Madison Square Garden]]. The concerts were organized by [[Musicians United for Safe Energy]] to protest the use of [[Nuclear power|nuclear energy]] following the [[Three Mile Island accident]]. Scott-Heron's song "We Almost Lost Detroit" was included in the ''[[No Nukes (album)|No Nukes]]'' album of concert highlights. It alluded to a previous nuclear power plant accident and was also the title of a book by [[John G. Fuller]]. Scott-Heron was a frequent critic of President [[Ronald Reagan]] and his conservative policies.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.scotsman.com/sport/black-arrow-gil-heron-a-trailblazer-at-celtic-father-of-famous-jazz-musician-dies-aged-87-2474099|title='Black Arrow' Gil Heron a trailblazer at Celtic – Father of famous jazz musician dies aged 87|newspaper=[[The Scotsman]]|date=December 2, 2008|access-date=August 25, 2024|archive-date=April 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411194827/https://www.scotsman.com/sport/black-arrow-gil-heron-a-trailblazer-at-celtic-father-of-famous-jazz-musician-dies-aged-87-1-1150227|url-status=live}}</ref>

Scott-Heron recorded and released four albums during the 1980s: ''1980'' and ''[[Real Eyes]]'' (1980), ''[[Reflections (Gil Scott-Heron album)|Reflections]]'' (1981) and ''Moving Target'' (1982). In February 1982, [[Ron Holloway]] joined the ensemble to play [[tenor saxophone]]. He toured extensively with Scott-Heron and contributed to his next album, ''Moving Target'' the same year. His tenor accompaniment is a prominent feature of the songs "Fast Lane" and "Black History/The World". Holloway continued with Scott-Heron until the summer of 1989, when he left to join [[Dizzy Gillespie]]. Several years later, Scott-Heron would make cameo appearances on two of Ron Holloway's CDs: ''Scorcher'' (1996) and ''Groove Update'' (1998), both on the Fantasy/Milestone label.<ref name="Encyclopedia">[http://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/holloway-ron-ronald-edward "Holloway, Ron (Ronald Edward)"], ''Encyclopedia of Jazz Musicians''. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713093533/http://www.jazz.com/encyclopedia/holloway-ron-ronald-edward |date=July 13, 2011 }}</ref>

Scott-Heron was dropped by [[Arista Records]] in 1985 and quit recording, though he continued to tour. The same year, he helped compose and sang "Let Me See Your I.D." on the [[Artists United Against Apartheid]] album ''[[Sun City (album)|Sun City]]'', containing the famous line: "The first time I heard there was trouble in the Middle East, I thought they were talking about Pittsburgh." The song compares racial tensions in the U.S. with those in apartheid-era South Africa, implying that the U.S. was not too far ahead in race relations. In 1993, he signed to [[TVT Records]] and released ''Spirits'', an album that included the seminal track "'Message to the Messengers". The first track on the album criticized the rap artists of the day. Scott-Heron is known in many circles as "the Godfather of [[rapping|rap]]"<ref>{{cite web|last=Feeney|first=John|url=http://growthmadness.org/2007/02/05/economic-his-story-a-la-gil-scott-heron|title=Economic 'HIS-story' à la Gil Scott-Heron Growth is Madness!|website=Growthmadness.org|date=February 5, 2007|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=July 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726132736/http://growthmadness.org/2007/02/05/economic-his-story-a-la-gil-scott-heron/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://home.clara.net/giaco/gil/bio2.htm|title=Gil Scott-Heron Jazz Man – Biography|website=Home.clara.net|date=January 21, 2010|access-date=May 28, 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925083845/http://home.clara.net/giaco/gil/bio2.htm|archive-date=September 25, 2009}}</ref> and is widely considered to be one of the genre's founding fathers. Given the political consciousness that lies at the foundation of his work, he can also be called a founder of [[political rap]]. "Message to the Messengers" was a plea for the new generation of rappers to speak for change rather than perpetuate the current social situation, and to be more articulate and artistic. Regarding hip hop music in the 1990s, he said in an interview: {{blockquote|They need to study music. I played in several bands before I began my career as a poet. There's a big difference between putting words over some music, and blending those same words into the music. There's not a lot of humor. They use a lot of slang and [[colloquialism]]s, and you don't really see inside the person. Instead, you just get a lot of posturing.<ref name="Salaam">{{cite journal|first1=Ntume ya|last1=Salaam|first2=Kalamu ya|last2=Salaam|author2-link=Kalamu ya Salaam|url=http://www.nathanielturner.com/breathoflifegilscottheron.htm|title=Breath of Life Presents – Gil Scott-Heron & His Music" (reviews)|journal=ChickenBones: A Journal|accessdate=August 23, 2008|archive-date=July 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080705141107/http://www.nathanielturner.com/breathoflifegilscottheron.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>|Gil Scott-Heron}}

==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.

==Death==
{{Quote box|quote="Gil Scott-Heron released poems as songs, recorded songs that were based on his earliest poems and writings, wrote novels and became a hero to many for his music, activism and his anger. There is always the anger – an often beautiful, passionate anger. An often awkward anger. A very soulful anger. And often it is a very sad anger. But it is the pervasive mood, theme and feeling within his work – and around his work, hovering, piercing, occasionally weighing down; often lifting the work up, helping to place it in your face. And for all the preaching and warning signs in his work, the last two decades of Gil Scott-Heron's life to date have seen him succumb to the pressures and demons he has so often warned others about."| source = – ''[[Fairfax New Zealand]]'', February 2010<ref name="Stuff.co.nz_3309462">{{cite web |url=http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/blogs/3309462/The-anger-and-poetry-of-Gil-Scott-Heron |title=The anger and poetry of Gil Scott-Heron |date=February 10, 2010 |work=[[Stuff.co.nz]] |access-date=October 1, 2011 |archive-date=June 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613111840/http://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/blogs/3309462/The-anger-and-poetry-of-Gil-Scott-Heron |url-status=live }}</ref>|align=right|width=25em}}

Scott-Heron died on May 27, 2011, in New York City after a trip to Europe.<ref name=NYT/><ref name="telegraph-obit">{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/8543514/Gil-Scott-Heron.html|title=Gil Scott-Heron|work=[[Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|date=May 28, 2011|access-date=May 28, 2011|location=London|archive-date=May 31, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531030725/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/music-obituaries/8543514/Gil-Scott-Heron.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Scott-Heron had confirmed press speculation about his health when he disclosed in a 2008 ''New York Magazine'' interview that he had been [[HIV-positive]] for several years, and that he had been previously hospitalized for [[pneumonia]].<ref name="New York Magazine-Baram-2008-06-22">{{cite news | last = Baram | first = Marcus | work = New York Magazine | date = June 22, 2008 | title = The Weary Blues: Hip-hop godfather Gil Scott-Heron's out on parole, trying to stay clean, and ready for Carnegie Hall | url = https://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/48003/ | access-date = May 28, 2011 | archive-date = August 19, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110819113604/http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/48003/ | url-status = live }}</ref>

[[File:ChicoGsh.png|thumb|New York City artist [[Chico (artist)|Chico]] painted this commemorative on the side of a building]]
He was survived by his first-born daughter Raquiyah "Nia" Kelly Heron from his relationship with fellow writer, Pat Kelly, his son Rumal Rackley from his relationship with [[Lurma Rackley]],<ref name="blackam">[http://www.blackamericaweb.com/?q=content/gil-scott-heron-remembered-tortured-genius "Gil Scott-Heron Remembered as Tortured Genius"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304060651/http://blackamericaweb.com/?q=content%2Fgil-scott-heron-remembered-tortured-genius |date=March 4, 2016 }}, blAck Americaweb (May 31, 2011). Retrieved June 2, 2011.</ref> daughter Gia Scott-Heron from his marriage to [[Brenda Sykes]],<ref name="telegraph-obit"/> and daughter Chegianna Newton, who was 13 years old at the time of her father's death.<ref name="blackam" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/protest-poet-was-more-than-the-revolution/2011/05/31/AGzDDnFH_story.html|title=Protest poet was more than 'The Revolution'|first=Courtland|last=Milloy|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=June 1, 2011|access-date=June 2, 2011|archive-date=November 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112131354/http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/protest-poet-was-more-than-the-revolution/2011/05/31/AGzDDnFH_story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He was also survived by his sister Gayle, brother Denis Heron who once managed Scott-Heron,<ref name="gh-obit">{{cite web|url=http://conversations.blackvoices.com/entertainment/99435682aaea4564b24369ed6fc90973/rip-gill-scott-heron/4dd1d81d163c4ebd8c69759646b11089?sn=15|title=Gil Heron, 81, father of Gil Scott-Heron, joins the ancestors|first=Norman Otis|last=Richmond|date=November 2008|work=BlackVoices|access-date=June 2, 2011|archive-date=July 8, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110708012705/http://conversations.blackvoices.com/entertainment/99435682aaea4564b24369ed6fc90973/rip-gill-scott-heron/4dd1d81d163c4ebd8c69759646b11089?sn=15|url-status=live}}</ref> his uncle Roy Heron,<ref name=Dell'Apa /> and nephew Terrance Kelly, an actor and rapper who performs as [[Mr. Cheeks]] and is a member of [[Lost Boyz]].<ref group=note>{{cite web|title=DID YOU KNOW? Gil Scott-Heron's 1st born, @RAKELLYHERON & @MRCHEEKSLBFAM are cousins!|url=https://twitter.com/MatriarchAgency/status/433274467859435520|work=The Matriarch Agency on Twitter|publisher=Twitter|access-date=March 25, 2014|author=The Matriarch Agency|date=February 11, 2014|archive-date=March 31, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140331064207/https://twitter.com/MatriarchAgency/status/433274467859435520|url-status=live}}</ref>

Before his death Scott-Heron had been in talks with Portuguese director [[Pedro Costa]] over his film ''[[Horse Money]]'' to be screenwriter, composer and an actor.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmcomment.com/blog/interview-pedro-costa/ |title=Interview: Pedro Costa |work=Film Comment |first=Neil |last=Bahadur |date=July 21, 2015 |access-date=July 21, 2015 |archive-date=September 11, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150911124800/http://www.filmcomment.com/blog/interview-pedro-costa/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

In response to Scott-Heron's death, [[Public Enemy (group)|Public Enemy]]'s [[Chuck D]] stated "RIP GSH...and we do what we do and how we do because of you" on his Twitter account.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/gil-scott-heron-4-1286109|title=Gil Scott-Heron dies aged 62|work=NME|location=UK|date=May 28, 2011|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=May 12, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170512155126/http://www.nme.com/news/music/gil-scott-heron-4-1286109|url-status=live}}</ref> His UK publisher, [[Jamie Byng]], called him "one of the most inspiring people I've ever met".<ref name=note>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/28/gil-scott-heron-dies-rap|title=Gil Scott-Heron dies aged 62|work=The Guardian|location=UK|date=May 28, 2011|access-date=May 28, 2011|first=David|last=Sharrock|archive-date=March 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325005123/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/may/28/gil-scott-heron-dies-rap|url-status=live}}</ref> On hearing of the death, R&B singer [[Usher (entertainer)|Usher]] stated: "I just learned of the loss of a very important poet...R.I.P., Gil Scott-Heron. The revolution will be live!!".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/28/soul-giant-gil-scottheron-dies|title=Soul giant Gil Scott-Heron dies|newspaper=Toronto Sun|date=May 28, 2011|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=June 7, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607151410/http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/28/soul-giant-gil-scottheron-dies|url-status=live}}</ref> Richard Russell, who produced Scott-Heron's final studio album, called him a "father figure of sorts to me",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/gil-scott-heron/56950|title=XL Recordings boss/producer: 'Gil Scott-Heron had immense talent and spirit'|work=NME|location=UK|date=May 28, 2011|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=May 31, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531231030/http://www.nme.com/news/gil-scott-heron/56950|url-status=live}}</ref> while [[Eminem]] said "He influenced all of hip-hop".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/gil-scott-heron/news/273152-gil-scott-heron-dies-aged-62|title=Gil Scott-Heron Dies Aged 62|publisher=MTV|date=May 28, 2011|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=May 31, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531120059/http://www.mtv.co.uk/artists/gil-scott-heron/news/273152-gil-scott-heron-dies-aged-62|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Lupe Fiasco]] wrote a poem about Scott-Heron that was published on his website.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lupefiasco.com/news/8e7295-rip-gil-scott-heron/ |title=R.I.P. Gil-Scott Heron – Lupe Fiasco Latest News |publisher=Lupefiasco.com |date=May 28, 2011 |access-date=April 9, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120314063608/http://www.lupefiasco.com/news/8e7295-rip-gil-scott-heron/ |archive-date=March 14, 2012 }}</ref>

Scott-Heron's memorial service was held at [[Riverside Church]] in New York City on June 2, 2011, where Kanye West performed "[[Lost in the World]]"<ref name="boombox">{{cite web|url=http://www.theboombox.com/2011/06/03/kanye-west-raps-at-gil-scott-heron-funeral/|title=Kanye West raps at Gil Scott-Heron funeral|first=Charley|last=Rogulewsk|website=The Boombox|date=June 3, 2011|access-date=June 4, 2011|archive-date=June 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605101519/http://www.theboombox.com/2011/06/03/kanye-west-raps-at-gil-scott-heron-funeral/|url-status=live}}</ref> and "[[Who Will Survive in America]]",<ref>[http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2011/06/kanye_west_play_10.html "Kanye West played Gil Scott-Heron's memorial service"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110606063416/http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2011/06/kanye_west_play_10.html |date=June 6, 2011 }}, Brooklyn Vegan (June 2, 2011). Retrieved June 4, 2011.</ref> two songs from West's album ''[[My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy]]''.<ref name="boombox" /> The studio album version of West's "Who Will Survive in America" features a spoken-word excerpt by Scott-Heron.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652796/kanye-wests-my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy-trackbytrack-guide.jhtml|title=Kanye West's My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy: A Track-By-Track Guide|first=Jayson|last=Rodriguez|publisher=MTV|date=November 22, 2010|access-date=June 4, 2011|archive-date=January 20, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110120074047/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1652796/kanye-wests-my-beautiful-dark-twisted-fantasy-trackbytrack-guide.jhtml|url-status=dead}}</ref> Scott-Heron is buried at [[Kensico Cemetery]] in Westchester County in New York.

Scott-Heron was honored posthumously in 2012 by the [[National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences]] (NARAS) with a [[Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.grammy.com/|title=The Official Site of Music's Biggest Night|publisher=GRAMMY.com|date=January 1, 1970|access-date=April 9, 2012|archive-date=May 7, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140507010400/http://www.grammy.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> Charlotte Fox, member of the Washington, DC NARAS and president of Genesis Poets Music, nominated Scott-Heron for the award while a letter of support came from Grammy-winner and Grammy Hall of Fame inductee [[Bill Withers]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gilscottherononline.com/ |title=Gil Scott-Heron |publisher=Gilscottherononline.com |access-date=April 9, 2012 |archive-date=April 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407103847/http://www.gilscottherononline.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Scott-Heron's memoir, ''The Last Holiday'', was published in January 2012.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canongate.tv/the-last-holiday.html|title=The Last Holiday|publisher=Canongate.tv|access-date=April 9, 2012|archive-date=March 31, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331204905/http://www.canongate.tv/the-last-holiday.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In her review for the ''Los Angeles Times'', professor of English and journalism Lynell George wrote:

<blockquote>
''The Last Holiday'' is as much about his life as it is about context, the theater of late 20th century America — from Jim Crow to the Reagan '80s and from Beale Street to 57th Street. The narrative is not, however, a rise-and-fall retelling of Scott-Heron's life and career. It doesn't connect all the dots. It moves off-the-beat, at its own speed ... This approach to revelation lends the book an episodic quality, like oral storytelling does. It winds around, it repeats itself.<ref>{{cite news|title=Book review: 'The Last Holiday: A Memoir' by Gil Scott-Heron|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-jan-29-la-ca-gil-scott-heron-20120129-story.html|access-date=March 25, 2014|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=January 29, 2012|first=Lynette|last=George|archive-date=March 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325093359/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/jan/29/entertainment/la-ca-gil-scott-heron-20120129|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

===Scott-Heron's estate===
At the time of Scott-Heron's death, a will could not be found. Raquiyah Kelly-Heron filed papers in Manhattan's [[New York Surrogate's Court]] in August 2013, claiming that Rumal Rackley was not Scott-Heron's son and should be omitted from the musician's estate.
According to the ''[[New York Daily News|Daily News]]'' website, Rackley, Kelly-Heron and two other sisters were seeking a resolution to the management of the estate. Rackley stated in court papers that Scott-Heron had asked him to be the administrator of the estate. 
Scott-Heron's 1994 album ''Spirits'' was dedicated to "my son Rumal and my daughters Nia and Gia", and in court papers Rackley added that Scott-Heron "introduced me [Rackley] from the stage as his son".<ref name="Greg">{{cite web|title=Gil Scott-Heron's daughter tries to get half-brother excluded from poet's estate|url=http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/gil-scott-heron-daughter-exclude-half-brother-estate-article-1.1423606|work=NY Daily News|access-date=March 25, 2014|first=Dareh|last=Gregorian|date=August 11, 2013|archive-date=March 25, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325065412/http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/gil-scott-heron-daughter-exclude-half-brother-estate-article-1.1423606|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2011 Rackley had filed a suit against sister Gia Scott-Heron and her mother, Scott-Heron's first wife, Brenda Sykes believing they had unfairly attained US$250,000 of Scott-Heron's money. That case was settled for an undisclosed sum in early 2013 but the relationship between Rackley and Scott-Heron's two adult daughters had already become strained in the months after Gil's death. 
In her submission to the [[Surrogate Court]], Kelly-Heron stated that a [[DNA test]] completed by Rackley in 2011—using DNA from Scott-Heron's brother—revealed that they "do not share a common male lineage", while Rackley has refused to undertake another DNA test. A hearing to address Kelly-Heron's filing was scheduled for late August 2013, but by March 2016 further information on the matter was not publicly available.<ref name="Greg" /> Rackley continued to serve as court-appointed administrator for the estate, and he donated material to the [[Smithsonian]]'s new National Museum of African American History and Culture to be displayed when the museum opened in September 2016.

The case was decided in December 2018 when the Surrogate Court ruled that Rumal Rackley and his half-sisters are all legal heirs, and in a ruling issued in May 2019 Rackley was granted Letters of Administration.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/almID/1557264716NY20112283/ |title=Matter of Estate of Scott-Heron – Evidence Establishes Children's Paternity, Son Granted Letters of Administration |website=www.law.com |publisher=[[ALM Media Properties]] |date=May 10, 2019 |access-date=July 23, 2019 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=July 22, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190722192315/https://www.law.com/newyorklawjournal/almID/1557264716NY20112283/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Influence and legacy==
Scott-Heron's work has influenced writers, academics and musicians, from [[indie rock]]ers to rappers. His work during the 1970s influenced and helped engender subsequent African-American music genres, such as [[Hip hop music|hip hop]] and [[neo soul]]. He has been described by music writers as "the godfather of rap" and "the black [[Bob Dylan]]".<ref name="O'Hagan"/> [[Jamiroquai]] lead singer [[Jay Kay]] performed "[[The Bottle]]" with him at the [[Phoenix Festival]] in 1993 when his band was starting out, and Kay said in a 2022 interview that Scott-Heron had whispered to him: "It's your turn now." In the same interview, Kay called him a "super influence for me" and "a master, a poet, and so much more".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Radio 2 Celebrates the 90s – Mixing Influences... with Jamiroquai – BBC Sounds |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0019zgj |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en-GB}}</ref> In a review for Jamiroquai's ''[[Emergency on Planet Earth]]'', Entertainment Weekly writer Marisa Fox wrote: "Gil Scott-Heron is still alive, but his ghost has already surfaced in the form of 22-year-old mad hatter Jay Kay and his trendy London acid-jazz group."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fox |first=Marisa |date=August 13, 1993 |title=Emergency on Planet Earth |url=https://ew.com/article/1993/08/13/emergency-planet-earth/ |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010051510/https://ew.com/article/1993/08/13/emergency-planet-earth/ |archive-date=October 10, 2023 |access-date=2023-10-09 |website=EW.com |language=en }}</ref>

''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' writer [[Greg Kot]] comments on Scott-Heron's collaborative work with Jackson:

<blockquote>
Together they crafted jazz-influenced soul and funk that brought new depth and political consciousness to '70s music alongside [[Marvin Gaye]] and [[Stevie Wonder]]. In classic albums such as ''Winter in America'' and ''From South Africa to South Carolina'', Scott-Heron took the news of the day and transformed it into social commentary, wicked satire, and proto-rap anthems. He updated his dispatches from the front lines of the inner city on tour, improvising lyrics with an improvisational daring that matched the jazz-soul swirl of the music".<ref name="KotG">{{cite web|url=http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2011/05/gil-scott-heron-soul-poet-dead-at-62.html|title=Turn It Up: Gil Scott-Heron, soul poet, dead at 62|author-link=Greg Kot|last=Kot|first=Greg|date=May 26, 2011|newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]|access-date=June 6, 2011|archive-date=June 1, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601012728/http://leisureblogs.chicagotribune.com/turn_it_up/2011/05/gil-scott-heron-soul-poet-dead-at-62.html|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Of Scott-Heron's influence on hip hop, Kot said he "presag[ed] hip-hop and infus[ed] soul and jazz with poetry, humor and pointed political commentary".<ref name="KotG"/> [[Ben Sisario]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote, "He [Scott-Heron] preferred to call himself a "bluesologist", drawing on the traditions of blues, jazz and Harlem renaissance poetics".<ref name="nyt-obit" /> [[Tris McCall]] of ''[[The Star-Ledger]]'' writes that "The arrangements on Gil Scott-Heron's early recordings were consistent with the conventions of jazz poetry – the movement that sought to bring the spontaneity of live performance to the reading of verse".<ref name="McCall">[[Tris McCall|McCall, Tris]] (May 28, 2011). [http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2011/05/gil_scott-heron_poet_rhymer_an.html "Gil Scott-Heron, poet, rhymer, and inspired protest singer, dead at 62"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601000401/http://www.nj.com/entertainment/music/index.ssf/2011/05/gil_scott-heron_poet_rhymer_an.html |date=June 1, 2011 }}. ''[[The Star-Ledger]]''. Retrieved June 6, 2011.</ref> A music writer later noted that "Scott-Heron's unique proto-rap style influenced a generation of hip-hop artists",<ref name="Azpiri">Azpiri, Jon. [{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r48879|pure_url=yes}} Review: ''Pieces of a Man''], [[AllMusic]]. Retrieved July 31, 2009.</ref> while ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that "Scott-Heron's work presaged not only conscious rap and poetry slams, but also acid jazz, particularly during his rewarding collaboration with composer-keyboardist-flutist Brian Jackson in the mid- and late '70s".<ref name="Harrington">Harrington, Richard (June 31, 1998), [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MWSB&p_theme=mwsb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB82BBCE4C9E771&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM Review: "''The Revolution Will Not Be Televised''"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020035945/http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=MWSB&p_theme=mwsb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB82BBCE4C9E771&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |date=October 20, 2012 }}, ''[[The Washington Post]]''.</ref> ''[[The Observer]]''{{'}}s [[Sean O'Hagan (journalist)|Sean O'Hagan]] discussed the significance of Scott-Heron's music with Brian Jackson, stating:

<blockquote>
Together throughout the 1970s, Scott-Heron and Jackson made music that reflected the turbulence, uncertainty and increasing pessimism of the times, merging the soul and jazz traditions and drawing on an [[oral poetry]] tradition that reached back to the blues and forward to hip-hop. The music sounded by turns angry, defiant and regretful while Scott-Heron's lyrics possessed a satirical edge that set them apart from the militant soul of contemporaries such as [[Marvin Gaye]] and [[Curtis Mayfield]].<ref name="O'Hagan">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/feb/07/gil-scott-heron-comeback-interview|title=Gil Scott-Heron: The Godfather of Rap Comes Back|first=Sean|last=O'Hagan|newspaper=The Observer|date=February 7, 2010|access-date=February 11, 2010|archive-date=December 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215231107/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2010/feb/07/gil-scott-heron-comeback-interview|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Will Layman of ''[[PopMatters]]'' wrote about the significance of Scott-Heron's early musical work:

<blockquote>
In the early 1970s, Gil Scott-Heron popped onto the scene as a soul poet with jazz leanings; not just another [[Bill Withers]], but a political voice with a poet's skill. His spoken-voice work had punch and topicality. "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and "Johannesburg" were calls to action: [[Stokely Carmichael]] if he'd had the groove of [[Ray Charles]]. "The Bottle" was a poignant story of the streets: [[Richard Wright (author)|Richard Wright]] as sung by a husky-voiced Marvin Gaye. To paraphrase [[Chuck D]], Gil Scott-Heron's music was a kind of [[CNN]] for black neighborhoods, prefiguring hip-hop by several years. It grew from [[the Last Poets]], but it also had the funky swing of [[Horace Silver]] or [[Herbie Hancock]]—or [[Otis Redding]]. ''Pieces of a Man'' and ''Winter in America'' (collaborations with Brian Jackson) were classics beyond category".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/120263-gil-scott-heron-im-new-here|title=Gil Scott-Heron: I'm New Here|website=PopMatters|last=Layman|first=Will|date=February 11, 2010|access-date=June 9, 2011|archive-date=June 5, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110605000821/http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/120263-gil-scott-heron-im-new-here|url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

Scott-Heron's influence over hip hop is primarily exemplified by his definitive single "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", sentiments from which have been explored by various rappers, including [[Aesop Rock]], [[Talib Kweli]] and [[Common (rapper)|Common]]. In addition to his vocal style, Scott-Heron's indirect contributions to rap music extend to his and co-producer Jackson's compositions, which have been sampled by various hip-hop artists. "We Almost Lost Detroit" was sampled by [[Brand Nubian]] member [[Grand Puba]] ("Keep On"), [[Native Tongues]] duo [[Black Star (group)|Black Star]] ("Brown Skin Lady"), and [[MF Doom]] ("Camphor").<ref>{{cite web|url=http://samplesvshiphop.com/category/artistvshh/gil-scott-heron-and-brian-jackson-vs-hip-hop |title=Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson vs Hip Hop |publisher=Samples VS. Hip Hop |date=February 3, 2010 |access-date=May 28, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110715234702/http://samplesvshiphop.com/category/artistvshh/gil-scott-heron-and-brian-jackson-vs-hip-hop |archive-date=July 15, 2011 }}</ref> Additionally, Scott-Heron's 1980 song "A Legend in His Own Mind" was sampled on [[Mos Def]]'s "Mr. Nigga",<ref>[http://www.the-breaks.com/search.php?term=Gil+Scott-Heron&type=0 Search – Scott-Heron, Gil & Jackson, Brian] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140325055509/http://www.the-breaks.com/search.php?term=Gil+Scott-Heron&type=0 |date=March 25, 2014 }}. The (Rap) Sample FAQ. Retrieved June 9, 2011.</ref> the opening lyrics from his 1978 recording "Angel Dust" were appropriated by rapper [[RBX]] on the 1996 song "Blunt Time" by [[Dr. Dre]],<ref>Staff (June 2011). [http://www.bet.com/music/photos/2011/06/gil-scott-heron-samples-.photo11.html Gil Scott-Heron: Remembering The "Godfather of Rap" | Music | BET] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110611085640/http://www.bet.com/music/photos/2011/06/gil-scott-heron-samples-.photo11.html |date=June 11, 2011 }}. [[Black Entertainment Television|BET]]. Retrieved June 9, 2011.</ref> and [[CeCe Peniston]]'s 2000 song "[[My Boo (CeCe Peniston song)|My Boo]]" samples Scott-Heron's 1974 recording "The Bottle".<ref>[http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/96064/Ce%20Ce%20Peniston-My%20Boo%20(The%20Things%20You%20Do)_Gil%20Scott-Heron%20and%20Brian%20Jackson-The%20Bottle/ Ce Ce Peniston's "My Boo (The Things You Do)" sample of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson's "The Bottle"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110630014700/http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/96064/Ce%20Ce%20Peniston-My%20Boo%20(The%20Things%20You%20Do)_Gil%20Scott-Heron%20and%20Brian%20Jackson-The%20Bottle/ |date=June 30, 2011 }}. [[WhoSampled]]. Retrieved June 9, 2011.</ref>

In addition to the Scott-Heron excerpt used in "Who Will Survive in America", [[Kanye West]] sampled Scott-Heron and Jackson's "Home is Where the Hatred Is" and "We Almost Lost Detroit" for the songs "My Way Home" and "The People", respectively, both of which are collaborative efforts with Common.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whosampled.com/artist/Gil%20Scott-Heron|title=Gil Scott-Heron|publisher=whosampled.com|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=May 31, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110531233404/http://www.whosampled.com/artist/Gil%20Scott-Heron/|url-status=live}}</ref> Scott-Heron, in turn, acknowledged West's contributions, sampling the latter's 2007 single "Flashing Lights" on his final album, 2010's ''I'm New Here''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/20835/Gil%20Scott-Heron-On%20Coming%20From%20a%20Broken%20Home%20%28Parts%201%20%26%202%29_Kanye%20West%20feat.%20Dwele%20and%20Connie%20Mitchell-Flashing%20Lights|title=Gil Scott-Heron on Coming From a Broken Home (Parts 1 & 2) Kanye West feat. Dwele and Connie Mitchell Flashing Lights|publisher=whosampled.com|access-date=May 28, 2011|archive-date=June 4, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604180749/http://www.whosampled.com/sample/view/20835/Gil%20Scott-Heron-On%20Coming%20From%20a%20Broken%20Home%20(Parts%201%20%26%202)_Kanye%20West%20feat.%20Dwele%20and%20Connie%20Mitchell-Flashing%20Lights/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Scott-Heron admitted ambivalence regarding his association with rap, remarking in 2010 in an interview for the ''Daily Swarm'': "I don't know if I can take the blame for [rap music]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thedailyswarm.com/swarm/daily-swarm-interview-gil-scott-heron-revolution-will-not-be-blogged|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100313092403/http://www.thedailyswarm.com/swarm/daily-swarm-interview-gil-scott-heron-revolution-will-not-be-blogged/|url-status=dead|archive-date=March 13, 2010|title=The Daily Swarm Interview: Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Blogged|last=Gensler|first=Andy|date=March 10, 2010|work=The Daily Swarm|access-date=January 26, 2014}}</ref> As ''New York Times'' writer Sisario explained, he preferred the moniker of "bluesologist". Referring to reviews of his last album and references to him as the "godfather of rap", Scott-Heron said: "It's something that's aimed at the kids ... I have kids, so I listen to it. But I would not say it's aimed at me. I listen to the jazz station."<ref name="nyt-obit" /> In 2013, Chattanooga rapper [[Isaiah Rashad]] recorded an unofficial mixtape called ''Pieces of a Kid'', which was greatly influenced by Heron's debut album ''Pieces of a Man''.

Following Scott-Heron's funeral in 2011, a tribute from publisher, record company owner, poet, and music producer [[Malik Al Nasir]] was published on ''The Guardian''{{'}}s website, titled "Gil Scott-Heron saved my life".<ref name=Nasir>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/19/gil-scott-heron-saved-me|title='Gil Scott-Heron saved my life'|first=Abdul Malik|last=Al Nasir|newspaper=The Guardian|date=June 19, 2011|access-date=December 11, 2016|archive-date=July 10, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170710030733/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2011/jun/19/gil-scott-heron-saved-me|url-status=live}}</ref>

In the 2018 film ''[[First Man (film)|First Man]]'', Scott-Heron is a minor character and is played by [[soul music|soul]] singer [[Leon Bridges]].

He is one of eight significant people shown in mosaic at the 167th Street renovated subway station on the Grand Concourse in the Bronx that reopened in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://welcome2thebronx.com/2019/01/11/watch-newly-renovated-subway-station-celebrates-famous-people-with-bronx-ties-including-sonia-sotomayor-gil-scott-heron/|title=WATCH: Newly Renovated Subway Station Celebrates Famous People With Bronx Ties Including Sonia Sotomayor, & Gil Scott-Heron|date=January 11, 2019 |publisher=welcome2thebronx.com|access-date=January 19, 2019|archive-date=January 21, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190121064046/https://welcome2thebronx.com/2019/01/11/watch-newly-renovated-subway-station-celebrates-famous-people-with-bronx-ties-including-sonia-sotomayor-gil-scott-heron/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Discography==
=== Studio albums ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Title
! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:15em;"| Album details
! colspan="8" |Peak chart positions
|-
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[Billboard 200|US]]<br><ref name="Billboard 200">{{cite magazine |title=Gil Scott-Heron Chart History: The Billboard 200 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/gil-scott-heron/chart-history/tlp/ |magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]] |access-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408084213/https://www.billboard.com/artist/gil-scott-heron/chart-history/tlp/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[Billboard charts|US<br>Jazz]]<br><ref name="Billboard Jazz">{{cite magazine |title=Gil Scott-Heron Chart History: Jazz Albums |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/gil-scott-heron/chart-history/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-date=November 21, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121101746/https://www.billboard.com/artist/gil-scott-heron/chart-history/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums|US<br>R&B]]<br><ref name="Billboard R&B Albums">{{cite magazine |title=Gil Scott-Heron Chart History: Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/gil-scott-heron/chart-history/blp/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118004917/https://www.billboard.com/artist/gil-scott-heron/chart-history/blp/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[Ultratop|BEL<br>(FL)]]<br><ref name="Ultratop">{{cite web |title=Discografie Gil Scott-Heron |url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Gil+Scott%2DHeron |website=Ultratop |access-date=April 4, 2022 |language=nl |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408084219/https://www.ultratop.be/nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Gil+Scott-Heron |url-status=live }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|FRA]]<br><ref name="Les Charts">{{cite web |title=Discographie Gil Scott-Heron |url=https://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Gil+Scott%2DHeron |website=Les Charts |access-date=April 4, 2022 |language=fr |archive-date=October 29, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181029121253/https://lescharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Gil+Scott%2DHeron |url-status=live }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[Irish Recorded Music Association|IRE]]<br><ref name="Irish Charts">{{cite web |title=Discography Gil Scott-Heron |url=http://www.irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Gil+Scott-Heron |website=Irish Charts |access-date=April 4, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408084217/http://www.irish-charts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Gil+Scott-Heron |url-status=live }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[Swiss Hitparade|SWI]]<br><ref name="Swiss Charts">{{cite web |title=Discographie Gil Scott-Heron |url=https://hitparade.ch/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Gil+Scott-Heron |website=Swiss Hitparade |access-date=April 4, 2022 |language=de |archive-date=November 7, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107134906/https://hitparade.ch/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Gil+Scott%2DHeron |url-status=live }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[UK Albums Chart|UK]]<br><ref name="UK Charts">{{cite web |title=Gil Scott-Heron |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21940/gil-scott-heron/ |website=Official Charts |access-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-date=October 9, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009153230/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/21940/gil-scott-heron/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Pieces of a Man]]''
|
*Released: 1971
*Label: [[Flying Dutchman Records|Flying Dutchman]]
|—
|—
|—
|168
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Free Will (Gil Scott-Heron album)|Free Will]]''
|
*Released: 1972
*Label: Flying Dutchman
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[The Mind of Gil Scott-Heron]]''
|
*Released: 1978
*Label: [[Arista Records|Arista]]
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Winter in America]]'' {{small|(with [[Brian Jackson (musician)|Brian Jackson]])}}
|
*Released: 1974
*Label: [[Strata-East Records|Strata-East]]
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[The First Minute of a New Day]]'' {{small|(with Brian Jackson and the Midnight Band)}}
|
*Released: 1975
*Label: Arista
|30
|—
|8
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[From South Africa to South Carolina]]'' {{small|(with Brian Jackson)}}
|
*Released: 1975
*Label: Arista
|103
|—
|28
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[It's Your World (album)|It's Your World]]'' {{small|(with Brian Jackson)}}
|
*Released: 1976
*Label: Arista
|168
|—
|34
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Bridges (Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson album)|Bridges]]'' {{small|(with Brian Jackson)}}
|
*Released: 1977
*Label: Arista
|130
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Secrets (Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson album)|Secrets]]'' {{small|(with Brian Jackson)}}
|
*Released: 1978
*Label: Arista
|61
|—
|10
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[1980 (album)|1980]]'' {{small|(with Brian Jackson)}}
|
*Released: 1980
*Label: Arista
|82
|—
|22
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Real Eyes]]''
|
*Released: 1980
*Label: Arista
|159
|—
|63
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Reflections (Gil Scott-Heron album)|Reflections]]''<ref name="Larkin">{{Cite book |title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn=9780195313734 |editor-last=Larkin |editor-first=Colin |edition=4th |language=en}}</ref>
|
*Released: 1981
*Label: Arista
|106
|—
|21
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Moving Target (Gil Scott-Heron album)|Moving Target]]''
|
*Released: 1982
*Label: Arista
|123
|—
|33
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Spirits (Gil Scott-Heron album)|Spirits]]''
|
*Released: 1994
*Label: [[TVT Records|TVT]]
|—
|16
|84
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''[[I'm New Here]]''
|
*Released: 2010
*Label: [[XL Recordings|XL]]
|—
|5
|38
|62
|100
|35
|97
|39
|-
! scope="row" |''[[We're New Here]]'' {{small|(with [[Jamie xx]])}}
|
*Released: 2011
*Label: XL, [[Young (record label)|Young Turks]]
|—
|—
|—
|44
|38
|32
|—
|33
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Nothing New (album)|Nothing New]]''
|
*Released: 2014
*Label: XL
|—
|3
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |''We're New Again – A Reimagining By [[Makaya McCraven]]''<ref>{{cite web |last=Kalia |first=Ammar |date=February 7, 2020 |title=Makaya McCraven and Gil Scott-Heron: We're New Again review – a modern classic revived |url=http://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/feb/07/makaya-mccraven-gil-scott-heron-were-new-here-review-xl |access-date=April 4, 2022 |website=The Guardian |language=en |archive-date=December 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211205085801/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/feb/07/makaya-mccraven-gil-scott-heron-were-new-here-review-xl |url-status=live }}</ref>
|
*Released: 2020
*Label: XL
|—
|3
|—
|93
|—
|—
|58
|—
|-
| colspan="10" style="font-size:90%" | {{Small|"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.}}
|}

=== Live albums ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:18em;" | Title
! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Album details
|-
! scope="row" |''[[Small Talk at 125th and Lenox]]''
|
*Released: 1970
*Label: Flying Dutchman
|-
! scope="row" |''[[It's Your World (album)|It's Your World]]'' {{small|(with Brian Jackson)}}
|
*Released: 1976
*Label: Arista
|-
! scope="row" |''Tales of Gil Scott-Heron and His Amnesia Express''<ref name="Larkin"/>
|
*Released: 1990
*Label: Peak Top
|-
! scope="row" |''Minister of Information: Live''<ref name="Larkin"/>
|
*Released: 1994
*Label: Peak Top
|-
! scope="row" |''The Best of Gil Scott-Heron Live''<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web |title=Gil Scott-Heron Albums and Discography |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gil-scott-heron-mn0000658346/discography/compilations |access-date=April 4, 2022 |website=AllMusic |language=en |archive-date=September 3, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903124653/http://www.allmusic.com/artist/gil-scott-heron-mn0000658346/discography/compilations |url-status=live }}</ref>
|
*Released: 2004
*Label: Intersound
|-
! scope="row" |''Save the Children''<ref name="AllMusic"/>
|
*Released: 2004
*Label: Deluxe
|-
! scope="row" |''Greatest Hits Live: Collector Series''<ref name="AllMusic"/>
|
*Released: 2005
*Label: Intersound
|-
! scope="row" |''Live at the Town and Country 1988''<ref name="AllMusic"/>
|
*Released: 2008
*Label: Acadia
|}

=== Compilation albums ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:18em;" | Title
! scope="col" style="width:15em;" | Album details
|-
! scope="row" |''[[The Revolution Will Not Be Televised (album)|The Revolution Will Not Be Televised]]''
|
*Released: 1974
*Label: Flying Dutchman
|-
! scope="row" |''[[The Best of Gil Scott-Heron]]''
|
*Released: 1984
*Label: Arista
|-
! scope="row" |''Glory: The Gil Scott-Heron Collection<ref name="Larkin" />''
|
*Released: 1990
*Label: Arista
|-
! scope="row" |''Ghetto Style<ref name="Larkin" />''
|
*Released: 1998
*Label: Camden
|-
! scope="row" |''Evolution & Flashback: The Very Best Of Gil Scott-Heron<ref name="Larkin" />''
|
*Released: 1999
*Label: [[RCA Records|RCA]]
|-
! scope="row" |''Anthology: Messages<ref name="AllMusic" />''
|
*Released: 2005
*Label: Soul Brother
|}

=== Film scores ===

* ''The Baron'' (1977) — with Brian Jackson and Barnett Williams<ref>{{cite web |title=The Baron (1977): Full Cast & Crew |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075729/fullcredits/ |access-date=April 5, 2022 |website=iMDb |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408084215/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075729/fullcredits/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Charted songs ===
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Title
! rowspan="2" | Year
! colspan="3" |Peak chart positions
! rowspan="2" |Album
|-
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|US<br>R&B]]<br><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Gil Scott-Heron Chart History: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/gil-scott-heron/chart-history/bsi/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-date=November 18, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211118003632/https://www.billboard.com/artist/gil-scott-heron/chart-history/bsi/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[Mexico Ingles Airplay|MEX Ing.]]<br><ref>{{cite magazine |title=Gil Scott-Heron Chart History: Mexico Ingles Airplay |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/gil-scott-heron/chart-history/min/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-date=April 8, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220408084215/https://www.billboard.com/artist/gil-scott-heron/chart-history/min/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
! scope="col" style="width:2.5em;font-size:90%;" | [[UK Albums Chart|UK]]<br><ref name="UK Charts" />
|-
! scope="row" |"[[The Bottle]]" {{small|(with [[Brian Jackson (musician)|Brian Jackson]])}}
|1974
|98
|—
|—
|''Winter in America''
|-
! scope="row" |"Johannesburg" {{small|(with Brian Jackson)}}
|1975
|29
|—
|—
|''From South Africa to South Carolina''
|-
! scope="row" |"Angel Dust"
|1978
|15
|—
|—
| rowspan="2" |''Secrets''
|-
! scope="row" |"Show Bizness"
|1979
|83
|—
|—
|-
! scope="row" |"Shut 'Um Down"
|1980
|68
|—
|—
|''1980''
|-
! scope="row" |"A Legend in His Own Mind"
| rowspan="2" |1981
|86
|—
|—
|''Real Eyes''
|-
! scope="row" |"B-Movie"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JvpNY1QHzs|title='B' Movie (Intro, Poem, Song)|date=November 7, 2014|via=YouTube}}</ref>
|49
|—
|—
|''Reflections''
|-
! scope="row" |"[[Re-Ron]]"
|1984
|72
|—
|89
| rowspan="2" {{N/A|Non-album singles}}
|-
! scope="row" |"Space Shuttle"
|1990
|—
|—
|77
|-
! scope="row" |"[[I'll Take Care of You (song)|I'll Take Care of You]]"
|2011
|—
|32
|—
|''I'm New Here''
|-
| colspan="6" |{{Small|"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.}}
|}

==Bibliography==
{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Year
!Title
!ISBN
|-
|1970
|''The Vulture''
|0862415284
|-
|1972
|''The Nigger Factory''
|0862415276
|-
|1990
|''So Far, So Good''
|0883781336
|-
|2001
|''Now and Then: The Poems of Gil Scott-Heron''
|086241900X
|-
|2012
|''The Last Holiday''
|0857863010
|}

==Filmography==
* ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'', musical guest, December 13, 1975.
* ''Black Wax'' (1982). Directed by [[Robert Mugge]].
* ''5 Sides of a Coin'' (2004). Directed by [[Paul Kell]]
* ''The Revolution Will Not Be Televised'' (2005). Directed by [[Don Letts]] for [[BBC]].
* ''The Paris Concert'' (2007).
* ''Tales of the Amnesia Express Live at the Town & Country'' (1988).

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|first=Gil |last=Scott-Heron|title=The Last Holiday: A Memoir|date=August 20, 2013|publisher=Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated|isbn=978-0-8021-9443-5}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|https://www.gilscottheron.net/}}
* [http://www.gilscottherononline.com/ Family website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120407103847/http://www.gilscottherononline.com/ |date=April 7, 2012 }}
* [https://www.discogs.com/artist/16533-Gil-Scott-Heron Discography] at [[Discogs]]
* {{imdb name|0779942}}
* [http://historyisaweapon.com/defcon1/herontelevised.html Text] of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised"
* [https://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip_529-hd7np1xr73 Gil Scott-Heron interview] on ''[[In Black America]]'', October 1, 1984, at the [[American Archive of Public Broadcasting]]
* [https://brooklynrail.org/2007/11/express/an-american-griot-gil-scott-heron-with-d "An American Griot: Gil Scott-Heron in Conversation with Don Geesling"] at ''[[Brooklyn Rail]]'' (November 2007)
* [https://www.npr.org/2011/05/28/16924993/gil-scott-heron-forefather-of-rap Interview with Gil Scott-Heron] at [[NPR]], from December 11, 2007
* [https://vimeo.com/24442513 Video interview] Gil Scott-Heron interview with Brian Pace, part 1 of 2 with link to part 2. (February 17, 2009) at Vimeo

{{Gil Scott-Heron}}
{{2021 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scott-Heron, Gil}}
[[Category:Gil Scott-Heron| ]]
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[[Category:20th-century African-American musicians]]
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