Saul Williams

Infobox musical artist
Name = Saul Williams


Img_capt = Saul Williams in Dallas, 2007
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Saul Stacey Williams
Born = Birth date and age|1972|2|29|mf=y
Genre = Hip-hop, Spoken word, poetry, industrial, electronic, alternative
Occupation = Poet Writer Singer Musician Actor
Years_active =
Instrument = Vocals
Label =
Associated_acts =
URL = [http://www.saulwilliams.com/ 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".

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. On his birthday, February 29th, 2008, Williams married his longtime girlfriend, Persia White. He was formerly married to artist Marcia Jones, [cite web|url=http://natcreole.com/may.issue/printable/art-title1.htm|title=Marcia Jones|publisher=Nat Creole|accessdate=2008-18-08] and his collection of poems S/HE is a series of reflections on the demise of the relationship. Williams and Jones have one daughter, Saturn Williams. Saturn has recently been performing with her father on his 2008 concert tour. [cite web|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/142762-lollapalooza-report-sunday-amy-phillips|title=Lollapalloza Report|publisher=Pitchfork|accessdate=2008-18-08]

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 actorAptowicz, 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.] on the film, which would win both the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera D'Or (Golden Camera) [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0139615/awards IMDB Awards page for "Slam"] ] 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, during which Williams announced that Trent Reznor would co-produce his next album. [cite web | url = http://www.theninhotline.net/news/archives/backissue.php?y=06&m=3#1142284426 | title = Saul Williams recording with Trent/Atticus | publisher = The NIN Hotline | date = 2006-03-13 | accessdate = 2008-01-10]

This collaboration resulted in 2007's "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!". This album was available only at the website [http://www.niggytardust.com niggytardust.com] until a physical CD of the album was issued. The physical release included new tracks and extended album artwork. [ [http://www.drop-d.ie/article.php?article_id=567 Interview: Saul Williams ] ] 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. [ [http://www.side-line.com/news_comments.php?id=26846_0_2_0_C Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) produced album by Saul Williams yours for zero dollar] ]

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 Bush administration, the War on Terrorism, and the Iraq War [cite web|url=http://loserdomzine.com/saulinterview.htm|title=Interview with Saul Williams Loserdom #13|publisher=Loserdom zine|accessdate=2008-07-02] ; 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)."

He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.

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
*"Black Stacy Remix ft. Nas"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

*"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)
*"The N Word" (2004)
*"Lackawanna Blues" (2005)
*"New York, I Love You" (2009)

Television

*"Girlfriends" (2003)

References

External links

* [http://www.saulwilliams.com/ Official Site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/saulwilliams Saul Williams] at MySpace
* [http://www.discogs.com/artist/Saul+Williams Saul Williams] at Discogs
*imdb name|id=0931654|name=Saul Williams