Gil Scott Heron: Pieces Of A Man by Marcus Baram (St. Martin’s Press 2014)

THE MESSENGER is the first biography of the late Gil Scott-Heron, a musical legend, considered to be the godfather of hip-hop for his pioneering style of rapping poetry over jazz-funk beats in the early ‘70s. His lyrics touched on politics, racism, mass media and relationships with poignant honesty and a sarcastic edge. By refusing to compromise his music, his lyrics or his attitude, he always remained the great outsider – exalted by his devoted fans yet overlooked by the mainstream. Though his influence has been pervasive and his life story tracked the ups and downs of the black experience in America over the last six decades, Gil Scott-Heron’s full story has never been told.

” Controversial and enigmatic, the tragic trajectory of Scott-Heron’s life and career is expertly examined in this testament to one of the last great radical artists.” —Kirkus