Saul Williams

Saul Williams first rose to prominence through his influential poetry before earning acclaim as an award-winning screenwriter and actor, after which he channeled his voice into the role of MC. Departing from standard hip-hop conventions, he delivered his lines as poetry in a frenzied spoken-word style that stressed rhythmic cadence over alliteration. His initial major release came through a collaboration with KRS-One on the track “Ocean Within,” which appeared on the soundtrack to the award-winning film Slam that he co-wrote and in which he starred. In the late ’90s he began working with additional musicians, most notably supplying the title track for drum’n’bass producer Krust’s album Coded Language. Those scattered projects, together with the visibility gained from Slam, led to a recording contract with Rick Rubin’s American Recordings. Late in 2001 the long-anticipated solo debut Amethyst Rock Star reached stores, featuring a full band, Rubin’s production, and Williams’ manic vocals at the forefront. The record leaned more toward rock-rap in the manner of Rage Against the Machine than toward straight-ahead rap. Although critical responses were mixed, Williams impressed enough listeners to secure an invitation to the 2001 Detroit Electronic Music Festival and to draw enthusiastic crowds at concerts across Europe. The 2003 EP Not in My Name, issued on Synchronic, presented Williams’ material reworked by Coldcut and DJ Spooky. His self-titled album followed on the Fader label in 2004. Three years later he released The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, recorded with Nine Inch Nails frontman Trent Reznor and initially offered as a free download from Reznor’s website before its CD edition appeared in 2008. Williams sustained an active schedule of global touring and collaborations, eventually signing with Sony’s Columbia imprint in 2010. He recorded his debut for the label, Volcanic Sunlight, in Paris with producer Renaud Letang and engineer Thomas Moulin; the album reached stores in November 2011. In 2016 he returned with the conceptual album MartyrLoserKing, produced by Justin Warfield and accompanied by a graphic novel.