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Saul Williams Information
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Born in Newburgh, New York, 1972, 'Saul Williams' has been considered as a powerful voice of the hip-hop generation as a poet, preacher, actor, rapper, singer and musician. He is most known for his blend of spoken word poetry and hip-hop and for his leading role in the independent film Slam.
Biography
Williams was born Newburgh, N.Y. in 1972 to a preacher father and school-teacher mother. "My mother was rushed from a James Brown concert in order to give birth to me ... At that concert, he sang 'Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud,' and that shit came out in my bloodstream. I was born with that in me." As a child he learned to love the spoken and written word.
After graduating from Morehouse College with a B.A. in philosophy, Williams moved to New York City to take a Master's Degree at New York University in acting. Here he found himself at the epicentre of the New York cafe poetry scene. 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 renowned hip-hop artists The Fugees, Blackalicious, Erykah Badu, KRS-One, De La Soul, 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.
As a writer, Williams has been published in The New York Times, Esquire, Bomb Magazine and African Voices, as well as having released three collections of poetry.
Williams has toured and lectured across the world, appearing in dozens of universities and colleges. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
Williams played several shows supporting Nine Inch Nails on their European tour in summer 2005.
Bibliography
*The Seventh Octave, 1998, Moore Black Press
*S/he, 1999, MTV/Pocketbooks
*,said the shotgun to the head, 2003, MTV/Pocketbooks
Discography
*Penny For A Thought / Purple Pigeons - 2000
*Amethyst Rock Star - 2001
*Not In My Name - 2003
*Saul Williams - 2004
Various Compilations and Guest Appearances
*Black Whole Styles: Elohim (1972) - 1998
*Lyricist Lounge 1: OHM - 1999
*Wax Poetic's Nublu Sessions: Time (Jungle) Temple of Soul Mix - 2003
*Blackalicious's Blazing Arrow: Release Part 1,2&3 - 2002
*Eargasms: Twice the First Time - ??
*DJ Krust (feat. Saul Williams) - "Coded Language" - Talkin' Loud TLX51 - 1999
*Buckethead & Friends: Enter The Chicken - 2005
Filmography
*Slam - 1998
*SlamNation - 1998
*I'll Make Me a World - 1999
*K-Pax - 2001
*Underground Voices - Unknown
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