Saul Williams

Born in Newburgh, New York, Saul Williams later graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in acting and philosophy, which would prove to be pertinent to his later career. Williams went on to earn a Masters from New York Univeristy’s Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts, and found himself at the highly-literate core of New York cafe poetry scene. The spoken-wordster used this highly creative way of stringing expressions together to become the Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s Grand Slam Champion, which featured in the documentary film “SlamNation” in 1996. As a result Williams earned the lead role in the 1998 feature film “Slam” which won both the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Festival and Cemera D’Or at Cannes.

Following the release of the EPs “Penny for a Thought” and “Purple Pigeons” in 2000, Williams released his debut full-length “Amethyst Rock Star” in 2001. Issued by Rick Rubin’s American Recordings, the album has drawn comparisons with the manic vocal delivery of Rage Against the Machine. Williams supported the release with a tour alongside Nine Inch Nails, after which he released the EP “Not in My Name”. The poet and rapper’s eponymously-titled sophomore album was issued in 2004 and earned favourable reviews from the critical press. The Trent Reznor produced “The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!” followed in 2007 led by the single “Sunday Bloody Sunday”.

On top of his own crafting his own material the poet and singer has contributed to the music of Nas, Start Davis, Sage Francis, Nine Inch Nails, Vic Mensa, and a host of other artists. Williams' song “List of Demands (Reparations)" was subsequently featured in a Nike commercial, after which Williams released his fourth studio album “Volcanic Sunlight” in May 2011. The full-length was showcased at London’s Hoxton Bar & Kitchen in January 2011 to positive critical response and is marked by a dance-pop sound not previously heard on a Williams record.