Gil Scott-Heron is one of the legends. He's not just a legend, he's one of the legends. He's the voice of a generation, of a city, of a movement. Know the phrase "The revolution will not be televised"? That was him. Ever heard a rap song? There are parts of him there, too.
Gil fell on some hard times in the 2000s, most notably getting booked for two years for coke possession and being diagnosed as HIV positive. This year, though, he made a comeback with his minimalistic album I'm New Here. It's a gritty, personal album that mixes spoken word and rap, straying closer to the poetry side of things. The opening track, "On Coming From A Broken Home (Pt. 1)," is beautiful, stark, evocative.
Perhaps the most talked about track on this unique album is "New York Is Killing Me." It's built on a foundation of hand claps and deep bass, relying almost completely on the texture of Scott-Heron's voice to infuse the song with melody through pure spoken word.
Recently, a couple of my favorite rappers have chimed in on top of the track - rappers with some New York cred under their belt. The first I heard was Mos Def's take on the track, which is a nice little tip of the cap to one of the fathers of the genre. Rather than taking over the piece, Mos just chimes in every now and then with a couple quick verses, leaving Scott-Heron as the heart of the track. It's a respectful approach that fits nicely.
The second rapper to touch up the track is Nas, of "New York State of Mind" fame. His verses are more present than Mos' - but they're also more New York-centric, which fits nicely with the thematic content of the track. I go back and forth about which remix I like better, but I think in the end I side with Nas. Neither - in my opinion - can match the emotional barrenness of the original, but they're definitely worth checking out.
Gil Scott-Heron - New York Is Killing Me (YSI) (filesavr)
Gil Scott-Heron - New York Is Killing Me (f. Mos Def Remix) (YSI) (filesavr)
3 comments:
TruedaT, Mr. Gil Scot Heron, is a living legend, that don't get deserved credit from many ignant persons(po niggas smh)that recognize only him speaking. Fuh instance, the man could be standing in the middle of a Hollywood nightclub and maybe one chIl that do see him won't ax naw ting cuz she smell like pee.frealstory.mayb nextime the being can member Mos saying "to hell wit parade day rain" atlease we get2b, thanks fuh this blogging senor stu reid. much love, mo steFinitely! 1.
OK…yeah the dr. dont know, but new york was killN me. buncha doctors come around, dey don’t know dat new york is killN me. yea, well, i need to go home n take it slo, down in jaXson, tennessee.Lord have mercy on me(we)…{keep calling me well let’s c yall hearing? just ain’t fuh sing baby strengthening}ffffffewwwffffuu boogieman know…friday night gun fight, sunday style, nations of the planet on a marathon mile. hours up and down on dat nasdaq and dow, diamonds and thorns in the emperors crown, mickey d’s got em all kiln fuh these dudes, u aint got to ask q who got the juice?some read the time, scoot up closer, like the news. remember the seed son, da amsterdam too. white collar lowlifes chilling in the highrise, heavy traffic, cornerview. bedroom, pint size! you welcome! thata b a million dollars! see dat building right there? it aint gon b here tomorrow! see dat mansion right there? just opened up today! they building on something that was here since they traded slaves! POWERFUL LANDMARK N NATIVE GRAVE.(pntsuff) little fish, cash rule everyday!…living ain’t all it’s cracked up2b yea say me need2go home n slow down in jaXson tennessesee. city don’t sleep, all it do is: eat, pass gas, n pick fresh killa out his teeth. new nothing bitch yell, sparkling beats! u make a man fuh dead like a local police, but Ya wont dead me! Godwilln. sean bell, rest in peace. ma me say, save your soul, get out the streets! now, your, crazy, NYC. fly High, get Free! Lord have mercy, have mercy! on me(we) tell dem2 bury my body back home in jaXson tennessee. Need to be back home. born in chicago but i call home tennessee. Lord have mercy on me. need2b back home need2b back home born in chicAGO but iii…(y poreso dijimos: it’s bigger than hip hop!!!) ig, no rant?! ask quest ions. don’t stop, keep going…much love, mo steFinitely! 1. Lordamercy, peace :)
OK…yeah the dr. dont know, but new york was killN me. buncha doctors come around, dey don’t know dat new york is killN me. yea, well, i need to go home n take it slo, down in jaXson, tennessee.Lord have mercy on me(we)…{keep calling me well let’s c yall hearing? just ain’t fuh sing baby strengthening}ffffffewwwffffuu boogieman know…friday night gun fight, sunday style, nations of the planet on a marathon mile. hours up and down on dat nasdaq and dow, diamonds and thorns in the emperors crown, mickey d’s got em all kiln fuh these dudes, u aint got to ask q who got the juice?some read the time, scoot up closer, like the news. remember the seed son, da amsterdam too. white collar lowlifes chilling in the highrise, heavy traffic, cornerview. bedroom, pint size! you welcome! thata b a million dollars! see dat building right there? it aint gon b here tomorrow! see dat mansion right there? just opened up today! they building on something that was here since they traded slaves! POWERFUL LANDMARK N NATIVE GRAVE.(pntsuff) little fish, cash rule everyday!…living ain’t all it’s cracked up2b yea say me need2go home n slow down in jaXson tennessesee. city don’t sleep, all it do is: eat, pass gas, n pick fresh killa out his teeth. new nothing bitch yell, sparkling beats! u make a man fuh dead like a local police, but Ya wont dead me! Godwilln. sean bell, rest in peace. ma me say, save your soul, get out the streets! now, your, crazy, NYC. fly High, get Free! Lord have mercy, have mercy! on me(we) tell dem2 bury my body back home in jaXson tennessee. Need to be back home. born in chicago but i call home tennessee. Lord have mercy on me. need2b back home need2b back home born in chicAGO but iii…(y poreso dijimos: it’s bigger than hip hop!!!) ig, no rant?! ask quest ions. don’t stop, keep going…much love, mo steFinitely! 1. Lordamercy, peace
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