New York, NY - The memorial for the man known as the "Godfather of Rap" was a gentle mix of music, words and prayer.  The public service for the late Gil Scott-Heron took place at Riverside Church in Harlem, NY.  Among those who payed homage to the work of the songwriter, poet and advocate was R&B singer Kanye West.  His rap 'Lost In The World' included a track of one of Scott-Heron's society testimonials that were his trademark.

His ex-wife, actress Brenda Sykes and daughter Gia Scott-Heron gave moving rememberances of their life and love with Scott-Heron who died last Friday at age 62 after falling ill when he returned from Europe.

Scott-Heron's material spanned soul, jazz, blues and the spoken word. His 1970s work heavily influenced the US hip-hop and rap scenes.

Band member Glenn "Astro" Turner, played harmonica and piano along with other musician who stood with Scott-Heron through the decades.  The musical tributes included Scott-Heron's "The Bottle" and "Better Days"

Scott-Heron was born in Chicago in 1949 - the son of former soccer player in Britain - and grew up in Tennessee before moving to New York.

He had a long-running song-writing partnership with pianist and flautist Brian Jackson, who he met at Lincoln University.

He had a unique style that he developed while working with his friend Jackson.  He mixed minimalist percussion with poetry.  For the pioneering vibe, Scott-Heron is often described as the godfather of rap, a label he himself was uncomfortable with

"If there was any individual initiative that I was responsible for" he wrote "it might have been that there was music in certain poems of mine, with complete progression and repeating 'hooks', which made them more like songs than just recitations with percussion," Scott-Heron's quote was in the introduction to his 1990 Now and Then collection of poems.

Scott-Heron's music and poetry revealed his deep interest in justice and civil rights, and he railed against the consumer society of the 1970s and 80s as well as the development of nuclear technology.

He was among the first artists to use his music to attack the apartheid in South Africa, long before the issue became the focus of a popular global campaign.

In "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", first recorded in 1970, he issued a fierce critique of the role of race in the mass media and advertising age.

"The revolution will not be right back after a message about a white tornado, white lightning, or white people," he sang.

The song became an anthem for him and several generations of his fans.

Gil Scott Heron Hits

The Revolution Will Not Ne Televised -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGaoXAwl9kw&feature=related

The Bottle - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b2F-XX0Ol0&feature=related

Me and the Devil 2010 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OET8SVAGELA&feature=related

Lemn Sissay, a friend of Scott-Heron's who produced a documentary on his work, told the BBC he was "a polymath" who "spoke crucially of the issues of his people".

"In the late 60 and early 70s, black poets were the news-givers, because their stories were not covered in truth in the mainstream media".

But in a 1998 interview with the Chicago Tribune, Scott-Heron warned against focusing on the political aspect of his work.

"If you only focus on the political aspects of our work, you change us. We've done 20 albums and not all of the songs on them are political," he said.

Scott-Heron also wrote honestly about his own struggles with drugs and alcohol, which saw him spending a year-and-a-half in jail for possession.

In 2009, he told the BBC his jail term had forced him to confront the reality of his situation.

"When you wake up every day and you're in the joint, not only do you have a problem but you have a problem with admitting you have a problem."

He said despite some "unhappy moments" in the past few years, he still felt the need to challenge rights abuses and "the things that you pay for with your taxes".

"If the right of free speech is truly what it's supposed to be, then anything you say is alright."

He was championed by artists from a range of musical and literary backgrounds - rapper Kanye West paid tribute to him on his 2010 album ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' by sampling his voice extensively.

After a long break from recording, Scott-Heron found success again last year with a new album, I'm New Here.

The album was widely acclaimed and brought him to the attention of a new generation.

Among the artists immediately paying tributes on Twitter were Talib Kweli and Chuck D of the influential hip hop group, Public Enemy.

On Friday there will be another memorial service at the Frank E. Campbell Funeral Home at 81st Street and Madison Avenue from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m