A man of many trades, Gil Scott Heron, became one of the most influential poets, authors, and songwriters of his age. Born in Chicago to his mother, Bobbie Scott-Heron, and father, Gil Heron, he moved around several times as a child after the separation of his parents and death of his grandmother. By the age of 12, Heron was living with his mother in The Bronx, New York and eventually went on to attend the Fieldston School where he was one of five black students. With Langston Hughes as an influence, Heron attended Lincoln University, where Hughes went, and met Brian Jackson. The two went on to form the band, Black and Blues. Heron later became highly influential to many different art forms including neo-soul, hip-hop, and rap. As will be discussed later, Heron’s work in social justice has gone on to have a significant impact on the work of future artists such as Kendrick Lamar, Killer Mike, Drive-By Truckers, and J. Cole.
Throughout his young adult life, and through the rest of his time, Heron was an advocate for black rights and the Black Arts Movement. During college, he took two years off to write his two novels, The Vulture and The Nigger Factory, both of which exploit the harsh realities that …show more content…
His father, the addict in this case, has faced public scrutiny for years and has become trapped in the metaphorical bottle of despair and a lack of rights. Heron states that this man is living in the bottle because of the fact that his rights have been taken from him so many times that he, and the rest of the African-American population, feel as though there is nothing else they can do. Both “Me and the Devil” and “The Bottle” touch on the fact that if one ignores the problems they are faced with, whether it be drug and alcohol addiction or the stripping of their rights, the issues will not be resolved and will only continue to get
Throughout his young adult life, and through the rest of his time, Heron was an advocate for black rights and the Black Arts Movement. During college, he took two years off to write his two novels, The Vulture and The Nigger Factory, both of which exploit the harsh realities that …show more content…
His father, the addict in this case, has faced public scrutiny for years and has become trapped in the metaphorical bottle of despair and a lack of rights. Heron states that this man is living in the bottle because of the fact that his rights have been taken from him so many times that he, and the rest of the African-American population, feel as though there is nothing else they can do. Both “Me and the Devil” and “The Bottle” touch on the fact that if one ignores the problems they are faced with, whether it be drug and alcohol addiction or the stripping of their rights, the issues will not be resolved and will only continue to get