The Last Poets are an influential group, founded in the late 1960s, known for their fusion of spoken word with jazz-infused rhythms, which laid the groundwork for the emergence of hip-hop. Notable members include Abiodun Oyewole, Umar Bin Hassan, and Jalal Mansur Nuriddin, who used their music as a platform for socio-political commentary on issues like racism and social injustice. Their seminal work, "The Last Poets" (1970), is considered a cornerstone in the development of conscious, lyric-driven music. Their legacy is significant, often credited with pioneering the genre of spoken word music.