The legendary Gil-Scott Heron, the black radical poet, musician, composer, author, purveyor of spoken word and singer (whom many refer to lovingly with titles like “the black Bob Dylan” and “the godfather of rap”), has been long presumed dead due to his conspicuous absence from music. Though kept alive through retrospectives and reverential referencing of him by those whom he influenced, Scott-Heron himself seemingly vanished 15 years ago after an experimental and efficacious music career which spanned four decades. Like several of his contemporaries, Scott-Heron accrued a tremendous following and much of his success during the 1970′s and 1980′s, a short time after which he seemed to all but disappear. When Scott-Heron began failing to show up for scheduled concerts, rumors began to circulate over the course of many years about his cocaine abuse & health troubles.

So the stories swirled around: could it be true that one of the most important voices of self-empowerment for black people, who pushed for that empowerment in songs like “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” and “Whitey On The Moon”, or songs that dealt with hardcore issues like “Home Is Where the Hatred Is” or “The Bottle” lamenting the struggles of drug abuse and alcoholism in the black community, that this man had become ensnared by the demons he lambasted? The stories, it turned out, were unfortunate yet true: a spiraling Scott-Heron spent many years struggling with his addiction culminating in a one & one-half year prison sentence in 2002 on a cocaine possession charge and conviction. During these dark times, Scott-Heron quit making recordings, quit performing, and seemed to have become a footnote of a by-gone era.

But today, Scott-Heron seems convincing in letting us know: that lost incarnation of Gil Scott-Heron, who left us 15 years without a new studio recording, has taken a walk down a dusty avenue in Harlem. A revived and emphatic Scott-Heron appeared last night on BBC 2 in an interview with Stephen Smith. Gil-Scott Heron, we now know, will be returning in February 2010 with a new album from XL Recordings, produced by Richard Russell, entitled (oddly enough) I’m New Here.

For now, you can sign up for updates about the new record and download a free track, “Where Did the Night Go” at his recently-launched website, http://imnewhere.net and, if you so desire, watch the BBC 2 interview with Stephen Smith in which we get an intimate look at Scott-Heron who, this year, celebrated his 60th birthday. More details on his new album will be released here as they emerge.

Gil Scott-Heron – “The Bottle”
Gil Scott-Heron – “Where Did the Night Go” [from I'm New Here]

[I'm New Here official site : XL Recordings]