The Last Poets concert @ Poetry International, Rotterdam

As pioneers of the spoken-word genre and precursors of American hiphop, the Last Poets have been a major influence and source of inspiration for writers, rappers and musicians for half a century. The group was formed in 1968, arising out of the civil rights movement, and released their first album in 1970. Since then, the Last Poets – in changing constellations of band members – have continued to produce music and poetry that is always topical and politically provocative. Last year, twenty years after their last album, they – founding members Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan and drummer Baba Donn Babatunde – released Understand What Black Is, a strongly reggae-influenced record that ties into the Black Lives Matter movement. Of course these spoken-word giants had to feature on the Poetry International programme on the occasion of the festival’s 50-year anniversary.DeDe

As pioneers of the spoken-word genre and precursors of American hiphop, the Last Poets have been a major influence and source of inspiration for writers, rappers and musicians for half a century. The group was formed in 1968, arising out of the civil rights movement, and released their first album in 1970. Since then, the Last Poets – in changing constellations of band members – have continued to produce music and poetry that is always topical and politically provocative. Last year, twenty years after their last album, they – founding members Abiodun Oyewole and Umar Bin Hassan and drummer Baba Donn Babatunde – released Understand What Black Is, a strongly reggae-influenced record that ties into the Black Lives Matter movement. Of course these spoken-word giants had to feature on the Poetry International programme on the occasion of the festival’s 50-year anniversary.DeDe