Gil Scott-Heron’s spoken-word recording “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” (1971) became one of the best-known protest poems of the 20th century, influencing hip-hop and being sampled and referenced by numerous rappers. A critique of consumer culture’s pacifying effect on political activism, it was commercialized when it was used for a Nike ad in the 1990s. (Scott-Heron gave permission for its use but later admitted to regretting the decision.) The recording was added to the National Recording Registry by the U.S. Library of Congress in 2005 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2014. It was also prominently featured in Paul Thomas Anderson’s film One Battle After Another (2025).
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