The Last Poets
(Celluloid Records 1984 CAL208)
Matrix No’s: A1/B1 – UK Pressing
Sleeve in Very Good+ condition
– wear to edges/corners and some marks/creasing
Vinyl in Nr MINT condition
(there are some light surface marks visible on the vinyl when held up to the light but they don’t affect the sound quality)
The Last Poets is a poetry collective and musical group that arose in the late 1960s as part of the African-American civil rights movement and black nationalism. The name was inspired by revolutionary South African poet Keorapetse Kgositsile who believed he was in the last era of poetry before guns took over.
The group originally composed of Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin, Umar Bin Hassan and Abiodun Oyewole. Lineup changes and departures led to offshoots, including The Original Last Poets composed of Oyewole, Gylan Kain and David Nelson. The versions of the group led by Nuriddin and Hassan had the largest impact on popular culture. The Last Poets were one of the earliest influences on hip-hop music. Critic Jason Ankeny wrote: “With their politically charged raps, taut rhythms, and dedication to raising African-American consciousness, the Last Poets almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for the emergence of hip-hop.” The British music magazine NME stated, “Serious spokesmen like Gil Scott-Heron, The Last Poets, and later Gary Byrd, paved the way for the many socially committed Black [emcees] a decade later.”
The Last Poets is the debut studio album by spoken word recording artists The Last Poets. It was released in 1970 through Douglas Records. Recording sessions took place at Impact Sound Studio with production by East Wind Associates, managers of The Last Poets at the time of recording. The album peaked at #29 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and at #3 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart in the United States.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lead vocals | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | “Run, Nigger” | Abiodun Oyewole | 1:14 |
| 2. | “On the Subway” | Alafía Pudím | 1:33 |
| 3. | “Niggers Are Scared of Revolution” | Omar Ben Hassen | 5:16 |
| 4. | “Black Thighs” | Omar Ben Hassen | 1:31 |
| 5. | “Gashman” | Abiodun Oyewole | 2:45 |
| 6. | “Wake Up, Niggers” | Alafía Pudím | 2:49 |
| 7. | “New York, New York” | Abiodun Oyewole | 3:36 |
| 8. | “Jones Comin’ Down” | Alafía Pudím | 2:51 |
| 9. | “Just Because” | Abiodun Oyewole | 2:31 |
| 10. | “Black Wish” | Omar Ben Hassen | 1:34 |
| 11. | “When the Revolution Comes” | Omar Ben Hassen | 1:47 |
| 12. | “Two Little Boys” | Abiodun Oyewole | 1:51 |
| 13. | “Surprises” | Alafía Pudím | 2:09 |
| Total length: | 31:27 | ||
Personnel
- Charles Davis – poet, lead vocals (tracks: 1, 5, 7, 9, 12), backing vocals
- Jalaluddin Mansur Nuriddin – poet, lead vocals (tracks: 2, 6, 8, 13), backing vocals
- Umar Bin Hassan – poet, lead vocals (tracks: 3, 4, 10, 11), backing vocals
- Raymond “Nilaja” Hurrey – percussion
- Danfort Griffiths – engineering
- Doug Harris – photography
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