The Last Poets

More relevant than ever, the forefathers of hip-hop invite you to their 50-year band anniversary.

In the New York neighborhood of Harlem in the late 1960s, The Last Poets developed a political and, especially, rhythmical spoken-word style in the midst of the civil rights movement that is now considered a crucial forerunner of hip-hop. Because of their radical texts and proximity to the Black Panthers, the members were occasionally monitored by the FBI at that time, but gained little attention otherwise. It wasn’t until the emergence of hip-hop in the 1980s that the significance of The Last Poets became clear. Their influence extends far beyond the hip-hop community, and musicians like Mick Jagger or recently deceased David Bowie have described the band as an important influence on their own work. The Last Poets have continuously released their own music with a changing band roster and worked with megastars like Nas and Kanye West. For the 50th anniversary of the band, they have released – in an iteration that includes Umar bin Hassan and Abiodun Oyewole – an album with the very current title »Understand What Black Is.« In one of their rare German appearances, they will perform this and other works from their long history. After the concert DJ Mune_Ra will guarantee you some real late night entertainment with his rare vinyl mix of organic afrobeat, Jazz, Funk, Disco, Brazil, Ethiofunk and everything else that gets your body moving.