Now and Then

A wide-ranging collection of poetry by the iconic “poet and polemicist whose lyrics have inspired and galvanized generations” (GQ).

Musician, poet, and spoken-word artist Gil Scott-Heron influenced generations of artists with his highly original, disarmingly witty, politically provocative song-poems. Coming into prominence in the early 1970s, the self-proclaimed “bluesologist” has earned, among many other accolades, the title of Godfather of Rap. Now and Then presents a collection of poems from across Scott-Heron long career—including some of his most iconic recorded pieces, as well as lesser-known works that have never been recorded.

With an introduction by Kate Tempest, this collection carries the reader from the global topics of political hypocrisy and the dangers posed by capitalist culture to painfully personal themes and the realities of everyday life. Through it all, Scott-Heron’s message is both steeped in history and as urgent as ever.

“Scott-Heron is such a fine writer…the least likely pop star ever, one with a truly brilliant mind”—Sunday Times, UK

“Some of the funniest and most literate lyrics in all music . . . From deadpan attacks on racism to withering sarcasm about the Great Society; from Chomskian rants to parodies of media shallowness—every line comes coated in a sardonically witty turn of phrase.”—Time Out