Saul Williams
Encyclopedia
Saul Stacey Williams 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 1998 independent film Slam
.
. He attended Newburgh Free Academy
for high school, where he would write his song "Black Stacey." After graduating from Morehouse College
with a B.A. in acting and philosophy
, Williams moved to New York City
to earn a Master's Degree at New York University
in acting. There, he found himself at the center of the New York cafe poetry scene.
Williams and artist Marcia Jones began their relationship in 1995 as collaborative artists on the Brooklyn performance art and spoken word circuit. Their daughter, Saturn, was born in 1996. His collection of poems S/HE is a series of reflections on the demise of the relationship. Marcia Jones, a visual artist and art professor, created the cover artwork for The Seventh Octave, images through-out S/HE in response to Williams, and set designed his 2001 album Amethyst Rock Star. Saturn has recently been performing with her father on his 2008 concert tour
.
On his 36th birthday, February 29, 2008, Williams married his girlfriend of five years, actress Persia White
. Williams met White in 2003 when he made a guest appearance on the TV show Girlfriends
as a poet named Sivad. (1993). On January 17, 2009, White announced via her MySpace blog that she and Williams were no longer together.
Williams is a vegan.
'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, Oregon
.
The following year, Williams landed the lead role in the 1998 feature film Slam
. Williams served as both a writer and actor on the film, which would win both the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes
Camera D'Or (Golden Camera) 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 poets Allen Ginsberg
and Sonia Sanchez
. After releasing a string of EPs, in 2001 he released the LP
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 America
n tour. On the tour Williams announced that Trent Reznor
would co-produce his next album.
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. 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.
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:
Williams is a vocal critic of the War on Terrorism
and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
; among his better-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' song "List of Demands (Reparations)".
In a November 2008 interview with Wired.com, Williams talked about his forthcoming projects:
In January 2009, he released "NGH WHT – The Dead Emcee Scrolls with The Arditti Quartet", a reading of his 2006 poetry book of the same name. This collaboration with Thomas Kessler (who also set ,said the shotgun to the head to music) is released with two payment options: listeners may download Chapters 18-22 of the 27-minute composition for free (in mp3
format), or for $6, can download the entire 33-chapter composition in lossless .aif format, along with the isolated vocal and quartet multitrack stems. The entire paid download totals in size at 563 Megabyte
.
He currently resides in Paris
, France
. He has contributed to two tracks on the 2011 album Baba Love by French musician Arthur H
.
Saul has recently released a new song 'Explain My Heart' from his forthcoming album Volcanic Sunlight. Williams showcased the album at London's Hoxton Bar Kitchen on January 26, 2011. Livemusic.fm interviewed Williams on the evening and made a subsequent film. Artist Alex Templeton-Ward
produced the film. When Williams was asked what the point of poetry was he said "I'm making this up, I have no idea but here we go, I think that it would be to express, to share, to relieve, to explore", "for me poetry offers some what of a cathartic experience. I am able to move through emotions and emotional experience particularly, you know, break-ups, difficulties in all the things that I may face, whether that is with an industry or a loved one or whomever, there needs to be an infiltration process, like you have a window open over there. That is the purpose of poetry – it is the window that opens that allows some air in, some other insight, some other possibility so we can explore all that we feel, all that we think but with the space to see more than what we know, because there is so much more than we know.", "If I didn't open myself to the possibilities of the unknown then I would be lost."
Saul Williams: Volcanic Sunlight
Poetry
Poetry is a form of literary art in which language is used for its aesthetic and evocative qualities in addition to, or in lieu of, its apparent meaning...
and alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop
Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...
and for his leading role in the 1998 independent film Slam
Slam (film)
Slam is a 1998 independent film starring Saul Williams and Sonja Sohn. It tells the story of a young African-American man whose talent for poetry is hampered by his social background. It won the Grand Jury Prize for a Dramatic Film at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.- Synopsis :Raymond Joshua is a...
.
Biography
The youngest of three children, Williams was born in Albany, New YorkAlbany, New York
Albany is the capital city of the U.S. state of New York, the seat of Albany County, and the central city of New York's Capital District. Roughly north of New York City, Albany sits on the west bank of the Hudson River, about south of its confluence with the Mohawk River...
. He attended Newburgh Free Academy
Newburgh Free Academy
Newburgh Free Academy is the public high school educating all students in grades 10-12Newburgh Free Academy is the public high school educating all students in grades 10-12Newburgh Free Academy is the public high school educating all students in grades 10-12((now 9-12) in the Newburgh Enlarged City...
for high school, where he would write his song "Black Stacey." After graduating from Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
with a B.A. in acting and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, Williams moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to earn a Master's Degree at New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
in acting. There, he found himself at the center of the New York cafe poetry scene.
Williams and artist Marcia Jones began their relationship in 1995 as collaborative artists on the Brooklyn performance art and spoken word circuit. Their daughter, Saturn, was born in 1996. His collection of poems S/HE is a series of reflections on the demise of the relationship. Marcia Jones, a visual artist and art professor, created the cover artwork for The Seventh Octave, images through-out S/HE in response to Williams, and set designed his 2001 album Amethyst Rock Star. Saturn has recently been performing with her father on his 2008 concert tour
.
On his 36th birthday, February 29, 2008, Williams married his girlfriend of five years, actress Persia White
Persia White
Persia White is an American actress and musician. White is known for playing free-spirited professional student Lynn Searcy on the long-running sitcom Girlfriends. She is also a member of the industrial rock band XEO3 and a solo singer, releasing her debut album Mecca in 2010.-Early life and...
. Williams met White in 2003 when he made a guest appearance on the TV show Girlfriends
Girlfriends
Girlfriends is an American comedy-drama sitcom that premiered on September 11, 2000, on UPN and aired on UPN's successor network, The CW, before being cancelled in 2008...
as a poet named Sivad. (1993). On January 17, 2009, White announced via her MySpace blog that she and Williams were no longer together.
Williams is a vegan.
Career
By 1995, he had become an open mic poet and, in 1996, he won the title of Nuyorican Poets CafeNuyorican Poets Café
The Nuyorican Poets Café is a non-profit organization in Alphabet City, Manhattan. It is a bastion of the Nuyorican art movement in New York City, USA, and has become a forum for poetry, music, hip hop, video, visual arts, comedy and theatre.-History:...
's Grand Slam Champion. The documentary film SlamNation
SlamNation
SlamNation is a documentary film by director Paul Devlin. The film follows the National Poetry Slam in Portland, Oregon.It follows the 1996 Nuyorican Poetry Slam team as they competed at the 1996 National Poetry Slam held in Portland, OR...
follows Williams and the other members of the 1996 Nuyorican Poets Slam team (Beau Sia
Beau Sia
-Biography:Sia was born in Ohio. He is of Chinese-Filipino descent. Raised in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, Sia discovered spoken word poetry on MTV as a teenager...
, Mums da Schemer
MuMs da Schemer
muMs da Schemer is a poet and actor best known for his role as Arnold "Poet" Jackson on the HBO series Oz....
and Jessica Care Moore
Jessica Care Moore
Jessica Care Moore is an African American poet born in Detroit, on October 28, 1971.-Career:Moore first won acclaim as the first poet to ever win the nationally televised Showtime at the Apollo competition 5 times in a row. That same year, she would be filmed for the documentary SlamNation...
) as they compete in the 1996 National Poetry Slam
National Poetry Slam
The National Poetry Slam is a performance poetry competition where teams from across the United States, Canada, and France participate in a large-scale poetry slam. The event occurs in early August every year and takes place in a different US city....
held in Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
The following year, Williams landed the lead role in the 1998 feature film Slam
Slam (film)
Slam is a 1998 independent film starring Saul Williams and Sonja Sohn. It tells the story of a young African-American man whose talent for poetry is hampered by his social background. It won the Grand Jury Prize for a Dramatic Film at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.- Synopsis :Raymond Joshua is a...
. Williams served as both a writer and actor on the film, which would win both the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
Camera D'Or (Golden Camera) and serve to introduce Williams to international audiences.
Williams was at this time breaking into music. He had performed with such artists as Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, The Fugees
The Fugees
Fugees were a Haitian American hip hop group who rose to fame in the mid-1990s. Their repertoire included elements of Hip hop, soul and Caribbean music, particularly reggae. The members of the group were rapper/singer/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer/producer Lauryn Hill, and rapper Pras Michel...
, Christian Alvarez, Blackalicious
Blackalicious
Blackalicious is an American hip hop duo from Sacramento, California made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel . They are noted for Gift of Gab's often "tongue-twisting", multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's "classic" beats...
, Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
, KRS-One
KRS-One
Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper...
, Zack De La Rocha
Zack de la Rocha
Zacarías Manuel "Zack" de la Rocha is an American rapper, musician, poet, and activist best known as the vocalist and lyricist of Rage Against the Machine.-Early life and childhood:...
, De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, and DJ Krust, as well as poets Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
and Sonia Sanchez
Sonia Sanchez
Sonia Sanchez is an African American poet most often associated with the Black Arts Movement. She has authored over a dozen books of poetry, as well as plays and children's books...
. After releasing a string of EPs, in 2001 he released the LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
Amethyst Rock Star
Amethyst Rock Star
Amethyst Rock Star is the first album release by Saul Williams.-Track listing:All songs written by Saul Williams#"Lalala" – 2:40#"Penny for a Thought" – 4:34#"Robeson" – 4:21...
with producer Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
and in September 2004 his self-titled
Saul Williams (album)
"List of Demands " was featured on a 2008 Nike Sparq Training commercial, and the video game NBA 2K10...
album to much acclaim. He played several shows supporting Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
on their European tour in summer 2005, and has also supported The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
.
Williams was also invited to the Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
music festival in Summer
Summer
Summer is the warmest of the four temperate seasons, between spring and autumn. At the summer solstice, the days are longest and the nights are shortest, with day-length decreasing as the season progresses after the solstice...
2005. The Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
stage allowed Williams to attract a wider audience. He also appeared on NIN
Nine Inch Nails
Nine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
's album Year Zero
Year Zero (album)
Year Zero is the fifth studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released on April 17, 2007, by Interscope Records. Frontman Trent Reznor wrote the album's music and lyrics while touring in support of the group's previous release, With Teeth...
, and supported the group on their 2006 North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
n tour. On the tour Williams announced that Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
would co-produce his next album.
This collaboration resulted in 2007's The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!
The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!
The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is the third album by Saul Williams, released on November 1, 2007. Williams worked closely with Trent Reznor on the album. The title of the album is a reference to David Bowie's 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from...
. 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. 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
FLAC
FLAC is a codec which allows digital audio to be losslessly compressed such that file size is reduced without any information being lost...
version. The material has been produced by Trent Reznor
Trent Reznor
Michael Trent Reznor is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, record producer, and leader of industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails. Reznor is also a member of How to Destroy Angels alongside his wife, Mariqueen Maandig, and Atticus Ross. He was previously associated with bands Option 30,...
and mixed by Alan Moulder
Alan Moulder
Alan Moulder is one of Britain's premier alternative rock record producers. He has worked with such artists as Depeche Mode, Erasure, Elastica, Gary Numan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Curve, Ride, Lush and My Bloody Valentine, Lostprophets, Shihad, Ivyrise and Placebo, as well as with many American...
. It was Reznor who said that, after his own recent dealings with record labels, they should release it independently and directly.
As a writer, Williams has been published in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, Bomb Magazine
Bomb Magazine
BOMB is a quarterly magazine edited by artists and writers. It is composed, primarily, of interviews between creative people working in a variety of disciplines — visual art, literature, music, film, theater and architecture....
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:
Williams is a vocal critic of the War on Terrorism
War on Terrorism
The War on Terror is a term commonly applied to an international military campaign led by the United States and the United Kingdom with the support of other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation as well as non-NATO countries...
and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
War in Afghanistan (2001–present)
The War in Afghanistan began on October 7, 2001, as the armed forces of the United States of America, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the Afghan United Front launched Operation Enduring Freedom...
; among his better-known works are the anti-war anthems "Not In My Name" and "Act III Scene 2 (Shakespeare)". In early 2008, a Nike
Nike, Inc.
Nike, Inc. is a major publicly traded sportswear and equipment supplier based in the United States. The company is headquartered near Beaverton, Oregon, which is part of the Portland metropolitan area...
Sparq Training commercial featured Williams' song "List of Demands (Reparations)".
In a November 2008 interview with Wired.com, Williams talked about his forthcoming projects:
In January 2009, he released "NGH WHT – The Dead Emcee Scrolls with The Arditti Quartet", a reading of his 2006 poetry book of the same name. This collaboration with Thomas Kessler (who also set ,said the shotgun to the head to music) is released with two payment options: listeners may download Chapters 18-22 of the 27-minute composition for free (in mp3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format), or for $6, can download the entire 33-chapter composition in lossless .aif format, along with the isolated vocal and quartet multitrack stems. The entire paid download totals in size at 563 Megabyte
Megabyte
The megabyte is a multiple of the unit byte for digital information storage or transmission with two different values depending on context: bytes generally for computer memory; and one million bytes generally for computer storage. The IEEE Standards Board has decided that "Mega will mean 1 000...
.
He currently resides in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He has contributed to two tracks on the 2011 album Baba Love by French musician Arthur H
Arthur H
Arthur Higelin , better known under his stage name Arthur H , is a pianist, songwriter and singer. He is best known in France for his live performances - four of his albums were recorded live - and remains relatively little-known in the English-speaking world.-Career:He is the son of the French...
.
Saul has recently released a new song 'Explain My Heart' from his forthcoming album Volcanic Sunlight. Williams showcased the album at London's Hoxton Bar Kitchen on January 26, 2011. Livemusic.fm interviewed Williams on the evening and made a subsequent film. Artist Alex Templeton-Ward
Alex Templeton-Ward
Alex Templeton-Ward is an English musician, poet, artist, writer and film maker. Having worked for several publications including Vice magazine, Horse and Hound, The Field and Country Life, he is currently the editor of Livemusic.fm...
produced the film. When Williams was asked what the point of poetry was he said "I'm making this up, I have no idea but here we go, I think that it would be to express, to share, to relieve, to explore", "for me poetry offers some what of a cathartic experience. I am able to move through emotions and emotional experience particularly, you know, break-ups, difficulties in all the things that I may face, whether that is with an industry or a loved one or whomever, there needs to be an infiltration process, like you have a window open over there. That is the purpose of poetry – it is the window that opens that allows some air in, some other insight, some other possibility so we can explore all that we feel, all that we think but with the space to see more than what we know, because there is so much more than we know.", "If I didn't open myself to the possibilities of the unknown then I would be lost."
Albums/EPs
- Penny for a Thought / Purple Pigeons (2000)
- Amethyst Rock StarAmethyst Rock StarAmethyst Rock Star is the first album release by Saul Williams.-Track listing:All songs written by Saul Williams#"Lalala" – 2:40#"Penny for a Thought" – 4:34#"Robeson" – 4:21...
(2001) - Not in My NameNot in My Name-Track listing:#"The Pledge" #"September 12th"#"Bloodletting"#"The Pledge" #"Not in Our Name" #"The Pledge" #"The Pledge"...
(2003) - Saul WilliamsSaul Williams (album)"List of Demands " was featured on a 2008 Nike Sparq Training commercial, and the video game NBA 2K10...
(2004) - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is the third album by Saul Williams, released on November 1, 2007. Williams worked closely with Trent Reznor on the album. The title of the album is a reference to David Bowie's 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from...
(2007) - NGH WHT – The Dead Emcee Scrolls with The Arditti Quartet (2009)
- Volcanic SunlightVolcanic Sunlight-Track listing:All lyrics written by Saul Williams#"Look to the Sun" - 4:08#"Patience" - 3:52#"Explain My Heart" - 4:15#"Triumph" - 6:03#"Diagram" - 3:47#"Girls Have More Fun" - 2:27#"Give It Up" - 4:12#"Dance" - 3:35#"Volcanic Sunlight" - 3:56...
(2011)
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 OneLyricist Lounge, Volume OneLyricist Lounge, Volume One is the first installment of Rawkus Records Lyricist Lounge album series, based on the Lyricist Lounge showcases in New York...
(1999) - "Coded Language" on Coded Language by DJ KrustKrustKrust or DJ Krust is an English drum and bass producer and DJ who is part of the Bristol based Reprazent collective, as well as releasing his own solo material such as "Burnin" which was released on Kickin Records.Krust was interested in hip hop, acid house and rave music as a youth, and was a...
(1999) - "Release" with Lyrics BornLyrics BornLyrics Born , is a Japanese American rapper, record producer, songwriter, and voice over announcer. He is also one half of the group Latyrx with Lateef the Truthspeaker.-History:...
and Zack De La RochaZack de la RochaZacarías Manuel "Zack" de la Rocha is an American rapper, musician, poet, and activist best known as the vocalist and lyricist of Rage Against the Machine.-Early life and childhood:...
on Blazing ArrowBlazing ArrowBlazing Arrow is the second full-length album by Blackalicious, the follow-up to 2000's Nia. It was released on April 30, 2002 on MCA Records.- Track listing :All tracks by Chief Xcel and Gift of Gab# "Introduction: Bow and Fire" – 1:06...
by BlackaliciousBlackaliciousBlackalicious is an American hip hop duo from Sacramento, California made up of rapper Gift of Gab and DJ/producer Chief Xcel . They are noted for Gift of Gab's often "tongue-twisting", multisyllabic, complex rhymes and Chief Xcel's "classic" beats...
(2002) - "Time (Jungle) (Temple Of Soul Mix)" on Nublu Sessions, mixed by Wax PoeticWax PoeticWax Poetic is a New York-based trip-hop band. The band came together in 1997 founded by Turkish music guru Ilhan Ersahin who is still a current member, playing tenor saxophone and keys...
(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 ChickenEnter the Chicken-Personnel:* Tracks #1-7, 9-11 Recorded at John Merrick Recorder* Track #8 Recorded at the Serjical Strike Dungeons* Vocals for Tracks #1-4, 6-10 Recorded at the Serjical Strike Dungeons* Produced by Serj Tankian* Engineered, Mixed and Co-Produced by Dan Monti...
by Buckethead & FriendsBucketheadBrian Carroll , better known by his stage name Buckethead, is a guitarist and multi instrumentalist who has worked within several genres of music. He has released 34 studio albums, four special releases and one EP. He has performed on over 50 more albums by other artists...
(2005) - "Sea Lion (Extended)" (with Will OldhamWill OldhamWill Oldham , better known by the stage name Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, is an American singer-songwriter and actor. From 1993 to 1997, he performed and recorded under variations of the Palace name, including the Palace Brothers, Palace Songs, and Palace Music...
) on "Sea Lion" by Sage FrancisSage FrancisPaul "Sage" Francis is a hip-hop artist from Providence, Rhode Island.-Biography:Born Paul Francis in Miami, Florida, Sage Francis is a rapper/writer/performer from Providence, Rhode Island. He is the founder and CEO of the independent hip-hop record label Strange Famous Records...
(2005) - "Mr. Nichols" on Sound MirrorsSound MirrorsSound Mirrors is the fifth studio album by Coldcut. It was released in January 2006. Four singles were released from the album including the Top 75 hit "True Skool" with Roots Manuva.- CD :#"Man in a Garage"...
by ColdcutColdcutColdcut are an English dance music duo, comprising Matt Black and Jonathan More. Their signature style is electronic dance music, featuring cut up samples of hip hop, breaks, jazz, spoken word and various other types of music, as well as video and multimedia.-1980s:In 1986, computer programmer Matt...
(2006) - "April Showers, April Tears" on ¿What by Stuart DavisStuart Davis (musician)Stuart Davis is an American contemporary musician and songwriter. He has been performing throughout the United States and Europe since 1993...
(2006) - ",said the shotgun to the head" on Thomas Kessler by Thomas Kessler (2006)
- "SurvivalismSurvivalism (song)"Survivalism" is the first single by Nine Inch Nails from their 2007 album Year Zero. The song is the third track on the album...
" and "Me, I'm Not" on Year ZeroYear Zero (album)Year Zero is the fifth studio album by American industrial rock act Nine Inch Nails, released on April 17, 2007, by Interscope Records. Frontman Trent Reznor wrote the album's music and lyrics while touring in support of the group's previous release, With Teeth...
by Nine Inch NailsNine Inch NailsNine Inch Nails is an American industrial rock project, founded in 1988 by Trent Reznor in Cleveland, Ohio. As its main producer, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist, Reznor is the only official member of Nine Inch Nails and remains solely responsible for its direction...
(2007) - "Gunshots By Computer" and "SurvivalismSurvivalism (song)"Survivalism" is the first single by Nine Inch Nails from their 2007 album Year Zero. The song is the third track on the album...
" on Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3DYear Zero Remixed-Vinyl:-Critical reception:Year Zero Remixed received generally positive reviews. Virgin Media's review described the album as "a real cornucopia of treats" and "Highly recommended." Pitchfork Media's review, however, criticized the album, writing that it "lacks cohesion and is predictably...
by Nine Inch Nails (2007) - "Lyrical Gunplay" on Thru by Thavius BeckThavius BeckThavius Beck is an electronic musician, producer, MC, saxophone/bass guitar player, and a certified trainer of Ableton Live. He currently lives in Los Angeles, California.-Work:...
- "Dance Of The Dead" on The Unbound Project, Vol. 1 a compilation benefit album for Mumia Abu-JamalMumia Abu-JamalMumia Abu-Jamal was convicted of the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner and sentenced to death. He has been described as "perhaps the world's best known death-row inmate", and his sentence is one of the most debated today...
- "List Of Demands" on Nike Sparq Commercial
- "Black Stacy Remix" ft. NasNasNasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
- "U Can Do It" (with Maeckes) on "KIDS" by Maeckes (2010)
- "Dance or Die" on The ArchAndroid by Janelle MonáeJanelle MonáeJanelle Monáe is an American R&B/soul musician signed to Bad Boy Records and Atlantic Records.Monáe debuted with a conceptual EP, Metropolis: Suite I ...
(2010)
Filmography
- Downtown 81Downtown 81Downtown 81 is a film that was shot in 1980-1981.This film, directed by Edo Bertoglio, written and produced by Glenn O'Brien with post-production in 1999-2000 by Maripol, is a rare real-life snapshot of ultra-hip subculture of post-punk era Manhattan...
(voice) (1981/2000) - Underground Voices (1996)
- SlamSlam (film)Slam is a 1998 independent film starring Saul Williams and Sonja Sohn. It tells the story of a young African-American man whose talent for poetry is hampered by his social background. It won the Grand Jury Prize for a Dramatic Film at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival.- Synopsis :Raymond Joshua is a...
(1998) - SlamNationSlamNationSlamNation is a documentary film by director Paul Devlin. The film follows the National Poetry Slam in Portland, Oregon.It follows the 1996 Nuyorican Poetry Slam team as they competed at the 1996 National Poetry Slam held in Portland, OR...
(1998) - I'll Make Me a World (1999)
- King Of The Korner (2000)
- K-PAXK-PAX (film)K-PAX is a 2001 American science fiction and mystery film directed by Iain Softley and starring Kevin Spacey, Jeff Bridges, Mary McCormack and Alfre Woodard. The screenplay, written by Gene Brewer and Charles Leavitt, is based on a novel of the same name by Brewer about a psychiatric patient who...
(2001) - The N WordThe N-WordThe N-Word is a 2004 documentary directed and written by Todd Larkins Williams. The movie, as the title may suggest, looks into the history and usage of the word nigger and its variations.Interviews With:*Sandra Bernhard*Todd Boyd*Elaine Brown...
(2004) - Lackawanna BluesLackawanna BluesLackawanna Blues is an American play written by Ruben Santiago-Hudson in 2001. It was later adapted as a television movie that aired in 2005. The play dramatizes the character of the author's primary caregiver when he was growing up in Lackawanna, New York, during the 1950s and 1960s.-Play:The...
(2005)
External links
- Official Site
- Saul Williams at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
Saul Williams: Volcanic Sunlight