Way back in high school is when I first got into Saul Williams; I’m not sure how, but at some point I got a hold of his first CD Amethyst Rock Star; I’m not going to lie it changed my life. Not really because of the subject matter, but because of the delivery. If you you’ve never heard Saul Williams before you are missing out on some serious stuff; he can transcend most mediums, he is a Writer, Musician, Poet, Actor. His last album self titled Saul Williams; was a reaction against the “gangster play” of both our country and popular music; songs like Grippo, Telegram to Hip-hop, African Student Movement all dealt with politics in this country and also and at times more importantly inner politics. At times it takes on some very heavy social matters but delivered in a way that you could bob your head to. Saul Williams is not just Hip-Hop, he transcends genres without even trying, the very nature of his art is the knowledge of self. His new and most ambitious album to date called The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Stardust is produced by both him and Trent Reznor. Take a look at the track listing and our probably going to be baffled (if the name of the album hasn’t already) if your not familiar I think it’s a play on The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust the seminal album by David Bowie. With songs like Tr(nigger), Raw, Skin of a Drum and Raised to be Lowered its definitely an intense album and a more focused one. The influence of Trent Reznor can be heard all over the place but the focus is still on Saul, his words never disappoint.
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Tags: Music
