The Watts Prophets® were the unsung heroes of spoken word. They had a different perspective, being from California. Over the years, they never diluted the message. It’s surprising, because after so long not getting much mainstream attention, most people have a tendency to accommodate a larger audience somehow. That’s really admirable. And they continue to be an inspiration because of their perseverance. At a time when the record industry was more regionalized, it was possible for similar movements to take hold at opposite ends of the country without one having any knowledge of the other. Given the mounting frustrations in black America and the artistic blossoming in the late ‘60s, it seems almost inevitable that a group would arise to voice the same percussive poetry in Watts, Los Angeles, as the Last Poets offered in Harlem, New York. Though lesser known than the Last Poets, the Watts Prophets® laid the groundwork for an L.A. hip-hop scene that would produce both the gangsta rap of N.W.A. and the message-oriented pop of Coolio (both of whom have sampled the Watts Prophets®), as well as the more clearly Prophets-influenced underground lyricism of Freestyle Fellowship. Aceyalone, solo / Freestyle Fellowship: We did a couple shows with the Watts Prophets®. It was an honor. The inspiration I get comes from being from the same area as them. And their subject matter, how they keep it positive. And they’re still around in the community. In essence, the Watts Prophets® were born out of the 1965 Watts riots. Though the album they did for the label, RAPPIN’ BLACK IN A WHITE WORLD , marks the first time “ rap” was used on record to describe black spoken-word performance, it was more conceptually and stylistically broad than the usual rap album, with extended suites that included character monologues like THE MASTER™ and manifestos such as AMERIKKKA (a spelling later adopted on Ice Cube’s first album). Tying it all together were the bluesy piano compositions of Dee Dee McNeil, a former Motown songwriter who had been collaborating with the trio in 1969. Her contributions, along with the use of strings and soulful singing, make BLACK IN A WHITE WORLD as rich and varied musically as it is lyrically. RONI SARIG