The Very Best of Gil Scott-Heron

Yesterday another legend passed. Aged 62, Gil Scott-Heron was a musician, poet and author who has been a pioneer of Spoken Word, Hip-Hop and Soul for the the past 40 years. He was one of music's most charismatic personalities and inspired many people through his unique talent to tell stories in a way that no-one else could. During the late 60s and early 70s in particular his role was crucial, as black poets were the news-givers, ­because their stories were not covered in truth in the mainstream media. Through doing this many people believe that he is the Godfather of rap; with albums such as 'Pieces Of A Man', Gil Scott-Heron took soul/funk/spoken word to a whole new level and pretty much single-handedly created Hip-Hop as we know it today. Check the tracklist and grab the download link below - you will probably recognise most songs from some of your favourite Hip-Hop tracks of all-time. A genius, who will be sorely missed.

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The Very Best of The Streets

Mike Skinner, aka The Streets, is a pioneer of UK Rap Music and has become one of the most well respected artists in the country throughout the past 10 years. His unique production style along with the spoken-word flow that he uses made him completely different to any other artist out there and it was something that was embraced by people of all ages and backgrounds. The merging of Hip-Hop, Grime and UK Garage was a sound that had never been heard before and it helped open doors for a number of artists who have recently gained recognition and respect from a much wider audience. Unfortunately I feel as though the quality of the albums have gradually decreased as time has gone on; however there have been classic tracks on every release and I still find the time to listen to them regularly today. Original Pirate Material is one of the most important albums in my life and shall forever be seen by many as a piece of work that changed UK music, for the better. Looking forward to hearing his final release as The Streets later on this year/early next year. Tracklist and download link after the jump.

Tomorrow: Special surprise. My favourite group in the world. People who know me well enough may be able to guess.

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