Saul Williams: Difference between revisions
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Williams is a vocal critic of the [[George W. Bush|Bush administration]], the [[War on Terrorism]], and the [[Iraq War]]; among his more well-known works are the anti-war anthems "Not In My Name" and "Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare)". |
Williams is a vocal critic of the [[George W. Bush|Bush administration]], the [[War on Terrorism]], and the [[Iraq War]]; among his more well-known works are the anti-war anthems "Not In My Name" and "Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare)". |
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In early 2008, a Nike Sparq Training commercial featured Williams's song "List of Demands (Reparations)." |
In early 2008, a [[Nike]] Sparq Training commercial featured Williams's song "List of Demands (Reparations)." |
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==Discography== |
==Discography== |
Revision as of 16:47, 1 May 2008
Saul Williams |
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Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American writer, actor and musician known for his blend of poetry and hip-hop and for his leading role in the independent film Slam. He has had a significant place in the movement of DRM-free music.
Biography
Early life
He was born in Newburgh, New York. Williams is the youngest of 3 children; his two older siblings are sisters. After graduating from Morehouse College with a B.A. in philosophy, Williams moved to New York City to earn a Master's Degree at New York University in acting. Here he found himself at the center of the New York cafe poetry scene.
Career
By 1995 he had become a talented open mic poet and in 1996 he won the title of Nuyorican Poets Cafe's Grand Slam Champion. Fame on the spoken-word circuit led him to the lead role in the 1998 feature film Slam, which won both the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera D'Or, introducing Williams to international audiences.
Williams was at this time breaking into music. He had performed with such artists as The Fugees, Christian Alvarez, Blackalicious, Erykah Badu, KRS-One, Zack De La Rocha, De La Soul, and DJ Krust, as well as legendary poets Allen Ginsberg and Sonia Sanchez. After releasing a string of EPs, in 2001 he released the much-hyped Amethyst Rock Star with producer Rick Rubin and in September 2004 his self-titled album to much acclaim. He played several shows supporting Nine Inch Nails on their European tour in summer 2005, and has also supported The Mars Volta. Williams was also invited to the Lollapalooza music festival in Summer 2005. The Chicago stage allowed Williams to attract a wider audience. He also appeared on NIN's album Year Zero, and supported the group on their 2006 North American tour, during which Williams announced that Trent Reznor would co-produce his next album.[1] This collaboration resulted in 2007's The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!. This album is available only at the website niggytardust.com. Users can pay $5 to support the artist directly and be given the choice of downloading the MP3 version or the lossless FLAC version. The material has been produced by Trent Reznor and mixed by Alan Moulder. It was Reznor who said that after his own recent dealings with record labels that they should release it directly.[2]
As a writer, Williams has been published in The New York Times, Esquire, Bomb Magazine and African Voices, as well as having released four collections of poetry. He has toured and lectured across the world, appearing at many universities and colleges. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Williams is a vocal critic of the Bush administration, the War on Terrorism, and the Iraq War; among his more well-known works are the anti-war anthems "Not In My Name" and "Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare)".
In early 2008, a Nike Sparq Training commercial featured Williams's song "List of Demands (Reparations)."
Discography
Albums/EPs
- Penny For A Thought/Purple Pigeons (2000)
- Amethyst Rock Star (2001)
- Not in My Name (2003)
- Saul Williams (2004)
- The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! (2007)
Guest and compilation appearances
- "Twice the First Time" on Eargasms - Crucialpoetics Vol. 1 (1997)
- "Elohim (1972)" on Black Whole Styles (1998)
- "Ohm" on Lyricist Lounge, Volume One (1999)
- "Coded Language" on Coded Language by DJ Krust (1999)
- "Release" with Lyrics Born and Zack De La Rocha on Blazing Arrow by Blackalicious (2002)
- "Time (Jungle) (Temple Of Soul Mix)" on Nublu Sessions, mixed by Wax Poetic (2003)
- "Sent from Sandy Shores" (with Sacajawea) on Dreams of Water Themes by Adventure Time (2003)
- "Wake up Show Freestyles by Sway and King Tech (2004)
- "Three Fingers" on Enter the Chicken by Buckethead & Friends (2005)
- "Sea Lion (Extended)" (with Will Oldham) on "Sea Lion" by Sage Francis (2005)
- "Mr. Nichols" on Sound Mirrors by Coldcut (2006)
- "April Showers, April Tears" on ¿What by Stuart Davis (2006)
- ",said the shotgun to the head" on Thomas Kessler by Thomas Kessler (2006)
- "Survivalism" and "Me, I'm Not" on Year Zero by Nine Inch Nails (2007)
- "Gunshots By Computer" and "Survivalism" on Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D by Nine Inch Nails (2007)
- "Lyrical Gunplay" on Thru by Thavius Beck
- "Dance Of The Dead" on The Unbound Project, Vol. 1 a compilation benefit album for Mumia Abu-Jamal
- "List Of Demands" on Nike Sparq Commercial
Bibliography
- The Seventh Octave, 1998, Moore Black Press ISBN 0-9658308-1-0
- She, 1999, MTV/Pocketbooks ISBN 0-671-03977-6
- ,said the shotgun to the head, 2003, MTV/Pocketbooks ISBN 0-7434-7079-6
- The Dead Emcee Scrolls, 2006, MTV/Pocketbooks ISBN 1-4165-1632-8
Filmography
- Downtown 81 (voice) (1981/2000)
- Underground Voices (1996)
- Slam (1998)
- SlamNation (1998)
- I'll Make Me a World (1999)
- King Of The Korner (2000)
- K-PAX (2001)
- Lackawanna Blues (2005)
Television
- Girlfriends (2003)
References
- ^ "Saul Williams recording with Trent/Atticus". The NIN Hotline. 2006-03-13. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
- ^ Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) produced album by Saul Williams yours for zero dollar
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- Official Site
- Saul Williams at MySpace
- Saul Williams at Discogs
- Saul Williams at IMDb
- SlamNation Web Page
- Is There A Future For Spoken Word? @ dropmagazine.com
- Free download of his album NiggyTardust
- Why Saul's Niggy Tardust beats Jay-Z's American Gangster
- Lyrical Warfare review and interview
- Interview with The Smoking Section
- Interview with Saul Williams August 2005
- Interview with Saul Williams April 08- Drop-d.ie
- 1972 births
- African-American actors
- African American musicians
- African American poets
- American activists
- American anti-Iraq War activists
- American film actors
- American poets
- American rappers
- American television actors
- Copyright activists
- Integral art
- Living people
- Morehouse College alumni
- New York musicians
- People from Newburgh, New York
- Slam poetry
- Slam poets
- Urban fiction