Agent Pays Tribute To Scott-Heron

Working with Gil Scott-Heron was one of the most memorable times in his 25 years in the music business, says GLP agent Walter Laurer.

The 62-year-old U.S. musician and poet, often called the Godfather of Rap, died in a New York hospital May 27.

The cause of his death wasn’t clear at press time but he’s believed to have become ill after returning from a visit to Europe.

Laurer cites Scott-Heron’s last 51-date European tour as one of the highlights of their working relationship.

“Though challenged by ash-clouds, situations of exhaustion, over 60 flights across the continents and Europe it was one of THE tours,” he said, claiming it had “magical and spiritual moments.”

He said the number of people of all ages who came up to him and thanked him for bringing their “hero” and “changer of life” to their city was enough to bring a tear to his eye.

“I still feel more than honoured to have known him, worked for him, experienced his music, art, his magic, his extraordinary humour and yes, wisdom beyond the realms of reality,” Laurer explained. “I lost a friend, brother, inspiration and much more than words can express.”

Scott-Heron helped lay the groundwork for rap by injecting political expression into his spoken-word poetry on songs such as “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” but was continually battling drug addiction.

It meant his career was put on hold by his battle with crack cocaine, which also led to jail time.

The day after Scott-Heron’s death, the politically outspoken Michael Franti released a statement saying Scott-Heron’s talent was his ability to “make us think about the world in a different way, laugh hysterically about the ironies of American culture, anger at the hypocrisy of our political system, all to a beat that kept us on the dance floor, with a voice and flow that kept you waiting with anticipation for the next phrase.”