Saul Williams

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Saul Williams
Saul Williams in Dallas, 2007
Saul Williams in Dallas, 2007
Background information
Birth name Saul Stacey Williams
Born February 29, 1972 (1972-02-29) (age 36)
Genre(s) Spoken word, poetry, industrial, electronic, alternative
Occupation(s) Poet
Writer
Singer
Musician
Actor
Instrument(s) Vocals
Website Official Site

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.

Contents

[edit] Biography

He was born in Newburgh, New York. Williams is the youngest of three 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. On his birthday, February 29th, 2008, Williams married his longtime girlfriend, Persia White.

[edit] 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 at the moment, however a physical version of the album is expected this summer. This physical release will include new tracks and album artwork.[2] 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 directly.[3]

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' song "List of Demands (Reparations)."

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums/EPs

[edit] Guest and compilation appearances

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] 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)

[edit] Television

[edit] References

  1. ^ Saul Williams recording with Trent/Atticus. The NIN Hotline (2006-03-13). Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
  2. ^ Interview: Saul Williams
  3. ^ Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) produced album by Saul Williams yours for zero dollar

[edit] External links

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