Abiodun oyewole biography of william shakespeare

American writer

Abiodun Oyewole (born Charles Davis, February 1948), is a poet, teacher and member of the African-American music and spoken-word group The Last Poets, which developed into what is considered to be the first hip hop group.^[1] Critic Jason Ankeny wrote, "With their politically charged raps, taut rhythms, and dedication to raising African-American consciousness, the Last Poets almost single-handedly laid the groundwork for the emergence of hip-hop."^[2]

Early life

Oyewole was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and he moved with his maternal aunt and her new husband at age three to Queens, New York.

At the age of 15, he attended a Yoruba Temple in Harlem. It was there that he was given the name by which he is best known.

As a youth, Oyewole was influenced by jazz and gospel music played by his parents and the poems of Langston Hughes.

The Last Poets

The group was born on May 19, 1968, Malcolm X's birthday, when Oyewole, Abiodun Oyewole - The University of Chicago Press VETAN