Last Poets' co-founder Abiodun Oyewole shares "Harlem" and "My Life"

Check out "Harlem" and "My Life" off the forthcoming Gratitude album by Last Poets legend Abiodun Oyewole due in February. 

Here's the scoop...

Over the past several months, American and UK music fans have been enthralled with a documentary directed by Questlove about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival titled ‘Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)’ featuring previously unseen footage of Sly & the Family Stone, Stevie Wonder, Mahalia Jackson, The Staple Singers, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Nina Simone filmed live in August 1969 at Mount Morris Park in Harlem (New York City). 

‘Summer of Soul’ is interspersed with interviews and historical film footage of Harlem during the late 1960s-early 1970s – helping to define why this African American urban landscape is culturally, musically, and politically important. 

At the end of the movie, Nina Simone reads a poem ‘Are you ready, Black people?’ written by Dahveed Nelson of The Last Poets – the legendary grandfathers of rap & hip-hop. With a joyful passion she asks the 50,000 citizens of Harlem gathered in that park, “Are you ready to do what you have to do to create life - are you ready to build Black things?”

Just a year earlier (May 1968), The Last Poets in that same Mount Morris Park (in Harlem) performed their first-ever concert! 

Now, in 2021 – Afar is proud to present, not just the postscript to the Harlem based messages of ‘Summer of Soul’ – but a whole new way of thinking with a Harlem perspective from Abiodun Oyewole of The Last Poets - it's not a protest song, it's an inspirational one via the inclusive words and God-like voice of Abiodun - this is not an angry man, but an older wiser man - reflecting on his life and spiritual quests. Rappers love him for coining the phrase "Party and Bullshit" decades ago - but this is not that - this is a sacred journey with a universal message for all people regardless of their race.

In a new exclusive interview with Pat Thomas, author of Listen Whitey! The sounds of Black Power 1965-1975, Abiodun explained the inspiration of Harlem (the city) on “Harlem” (the song): 

“You gotta realize, Harlem was the place I wanted. It was like a desire, a dream. I was raised in Queens, New York. I would see Harlem every Sunday of my life because we went to church in Harlem. The energy of Harlem was exciting, electric. I told myself, 'I got to be here,' because there was no place in New York City that had that kind of energy and I really wanted that.

“When the opportunity arose that The Last Poets were gonna happen and Dahveed Nelson, a brother who I consider part of the group because it was his idea, he told me that we were going to read poetry at Mount Morris Park in Harlem, there was a part of me that was very happy and a part of me that was very scared. I was intimidated because I thought Harlem was a tough place to do anything. 

“Harlem was where everything was going to happen. When we set up our home base in Harlem, I spent all my time in Harlem, I got an apartment in Harlem - Harlem became everything to me.”

With all that in mind, tying together Harlem in 1969 with Harlem in 2021, comes Abiodun Oyewole's latest releases “Harlem” and "My Life" off his forthcoming Gratitude album slated for release in February from Afar Records. Get it from your favourite streaming service right here. Listen to audio clips of "Harlem" and "My Life" below.