Facebook Live – The Last Poets are ten heralded as the “godfathers Hip Hop.” Their politically charged brand poetry served as inspiration for a bevy notable artists such as Marvin Gaye, Parliament-Funkadelic, Kanye West, Nas, Common, Curtis Mayfield and Public Enemy.
On Tuesday (May 19), the Universal Hip Hop Museum and Video Music Box in association with the Seeds The Last Poets Productions will host a virtual event titled “Bridging The Gap: An Evening Conversation with the Last Poets,” honoring the 50th anniversary the groundbreaking group’s self-titled debut.
Special guests include Rakim, KRS-One, Chuck D, Black Thought, Chubb Rock, Doug E Fresh. Jadakiss, Rapsody and Smif-N-Wessun, among others.
The event, which is hosted by Ralph McDaniels Video Music Box, features dynamic footage from Rakim, Chuck D, Chubb Rock, filmmaker Michael Holman and spoken word artist Jessica Care Moore in a conversation with the surviving members the group Abiodun Oyewole, Umar Bin Hassan and Don Babatunde.
Founding member Jalal Mansur Nuriddin — also known as the “Grandfather Hip Hop” — died in June 2018 at the age 74.
“Grandfather Of Rap” Jalal Mansur Nuriddin Of The Last Poets Dead At 74
Established in 1968, The Last Poets have witnessed a resurgence in popularity beginning in the early 1990s, appearing alongside such acts as the Beastie Boys and A Tribe Called Quest and collaborating with Common on the Grammy Award-nominated track “The Corner” produced by Kanye.
The event kicks f at 7 p.m. EST and will be live streamed on Facebook.