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The Last Poets are a group of poets and musicians that emerged from the late 1960s African American civil rights movement. The group was founded by an Army paratrooper who chose to go to jail rather than fight in the Vietnam War, after converting to Islam and performing "spoken word" to a rhythmic beat while in prison. After being released, he joined the East Wind workshop in Harlem and began performing on the streets. He was part of the first version of The Last Poets, alongside members Gylan Kain, David Nelson, and Felipe Luciano, but left before they recorded their only album, "Right On," in 1967, which served as the soundtrack to a documentary of the same name. The Right On album was released under the name The Original Last Poets. The group adopted the name from South African writer Little Willie Copaseely, who believed he was in the last era of poetry before violence would take over. Formed in 1969, The Last Poets released their self-titled LP in 1970, which reached the Top Ten album charts. However, member Oyewole was arrested for robbery before a tour, leading to his replacement by Nilajah. Their follow-up album, "This is Madness," featured more radical and politically charged poetry, resulting in the group being listed as part of the counter-intelligence program initiated by President Richard Nixon. Following this, Hassan joined a southern-based religious sect and was replaced in time for the album

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