The Last Poets

With their politically charged raps, taut rhythms, and dedication to raising Black consciousness, the Last Poets almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for the emergence of hip-hop. Formed in 1968, the group's combination of incendiary, politically charged verses and Afro-centric musical accompaniment, usually informed by jazz, became wildly influential, and 1970's The Last Poets and 1971's This Is Madness were unlikely hits. The group embraced a more ambitious blend of jazz and poetry on 1972's Chastisement, but by the end of the '70s they'd quietly disbanded. After the r...