Gil Scott-Heron dies at 62; ‘godfather of rap’ receives Twitter tributes from Eminem, Snoop Dogg and more

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Gil Scott-Heron received an outpouring of love on Twitter after news spread that the influential poet and musician had passed away.

The 62-year-old was best known for 1960s and ‘70s recordings such as “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” about inner-city life and the media, and his influence on later artists earned him the nickname “godfather of rap.” He’d made a bit of a comeback in 2009 with “I’m New Here.”

Eminem was among the artists to recognize his inspiration, tweeting, “RIP Gil Scott-Heron. He influenced all of hip-hop,” while Usher paid tribute to the singer’s “Revolution,” writing, “The revolution will be live!!”

Chuck D shared the sentiment, “we do what we do and how we do because of you. And to those that don’t know tip your hat with a hand over your heart & recognize.”

Ghostface Killah asked everyone to “Salute Mr. Gil Scott-Heron for his wisdom and poetry!” adding, “May he Rest in Paradise.”

Sean “Diddy” Combs and Snoop Dogg kept it simple. Combs wrote, “RIP Gil Scot-Heron,” while Snoop posted, “#rip to 1 of tha greats gil scott heron.”

For more on Scott-Heron’s life and work, visit our sister blog, Pop & Hiss.

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Gil Scott-Heron dies; influential poet/musician helped inspire rap

-- Emily Christianson