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Saul Williams

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Saul Williams

Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American poet, writer, actor and musician known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip-hop and for his leading role in the independent film Slam.

Biography

He was born in Newburgh, New York. Williams is the youngest of three children. 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.

Williams and artist Marcia Jones began their relationship in 1995 as artists on the Brooklyn performance art and spoken word circuit. Their daughter Saturn was bom in 1996 [1] with Marcia Jones. His collection of poems S/HE is a series of reflections on the demise of the relationship [2]. Marcia,a California based illustrator, created the artwork for his 2001 Universal cd "Amethyst Rockstar". Saturn has recently been performing with her father on his 2008 concert tour [3] [4].

On his birthday, February 29th, 2008, Williams married his longtime girlfriend of five years Persia White. Williams met actress Persia White in 2003 when he guested on Girlfriends as a poet named Sivad. White has a daughter named Mecca (1993)[5] [6].

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. The documentary film SlamNation follows Williams and the other members of the 1996 Nuyorican Poets Slam team (Beau Sia, Mums da Schemer and Jessica Care Moore) as they compete in the 1996 National Poetry Slam held in Portland, OR.

The following year, Williams landed the lead role in the 1998 feature film Slam. Williams served as both a writer and actor[7] on the film, which would win both the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera D'Or (Golden Camera)[8] and serve to introduce Williams to international audiences.

Williams was at this time breaking into music. He had performed with such artists as Nas, 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. On the tour Williams announced that Trent Reznor would co-produce his next album [9] .

This collaboration resulted in 2007's The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!. This album was available only at the website niggytardust.com until a physical CD of the album was issued. The physical release included new tracks and extended album artwork [10]. The first 100,000 customers on the website had the option to download a free lower-quality audio version of the album. The other option was for users to pay $5 to support the artist directly and be given the choice of downloading the higher-quality 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, they should release it independently and directly [11].

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. As a poet and musician, Williams has toured and lectured across the world, appearing at many universities and colleges. In his interview in the book, Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam, Williams explained why he creates within so many genres, saying:

It's not that I balance [those arts] out, all the different arts balance me out. So, that there is a certain type of emotion that is more easily accessible through music than poetry... Some things are meant to be written, some are meant to be sung, some things are meant to be hummed, some things are made to be yelled, and so that's just how life works [12].

Williams is a vocal critic of the Bush administration, the War on Terrorism, and the Iraq War [13]; 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 Trainingcommercial featured Williams' song "List of Demands (Reparations)".

In a November 2008 interview with Wired.com, Williams talked about his forthcoming projects:

...but there's one [album] that I'm waist-deep into. I'm aiming to finish it up next month. Trent wants to work on a sequel for Niggy that I think would be cool and I also have an album and new songs demoed at home that I'm ready to go into the studio and lay down.It’s a complete reflection of how I feel in this country; it's a very transformative time [14].

He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

Discography

Albums/EPs

Guest and compilation appearances

"Release" with Blackalicious, Zac de la Rocha, Sela Kerr and Lyrics Born - Blazing Arrow April 30, 2002 MCA Records

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

Television

References

  1. ^ http://blackcelebkids.com/2008/08/06/videosaul-williams-and-daughter-attend-lollapalooza-festival Saul/Saturn Williams
  2. ^ "Marcia Jones". Nat Creole. Retrieved 2008-18-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ "Lollapalloza Report". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2008-18-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  4. ^ http://eventorb.com/videowatch.aspx?vid=saulwilliams&q=0&kw=Lollapalooza Saul& Saturn Williams Perform @ Lollapalooza, 6 Aug 8
  5. ^ http://i2.tinypic.com/xliln9.jpg Persia/Mecca feed a lamb
  6. ^ http://www.prphotos.com/store/category.cgi?item=SGG-059590&type=store&ps=1&start=23 Persia/Mecca,19 Mar 05 Genesis Awards
  7. ^ Aptowicz, Cristin O'Keefe. (2008). Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam. Soft Skull Press, 226. ISBN 1-933-36882-9.
  8. ^ IMDB Awards page for Slam
  9. ^ "Saul Williams recording with Trent/Atticus". The NIN Hotline. 2006-03-13. Retrieved 2008-01-10.
  10. ^ Interview: Saul Williams
  11. ^ Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) produced album by Saul Williams yours for zero dollar
  12. ^ Aptowicz, Cristin O'Keefe. (2008). Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam. Soft Skull Press. Page 229. ISBN 1-933-36882-9.
  13. ^ "Interview with Saul Williams Loserdom #13". Loserdom zine. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  14. ^ One Year Later, Saul Williams Talks Niggy Tardust's Wins, What's Next[1]
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