Slam Poet Saul Williams

The New York slam poet breaks back into the hip-hop scene.

An alternative hip-hop icon since acquiring the title of Nuyorican Poets Cafe’s Grand Slam Champion in 1996, esteemed spoken word artist Saul Williams has since risen to global fame for his poetry, writing and acting. Highly influential in both music and literature, his list of appearances and collaborators is long, including celebrated artists such as Nas, Zack de la Rocha, Trent Reznor, De La Soul and Rick Rubin.

Now on a world tour with his first album in five years, MartyrLoserKing, he strongly expresses his thoughts on current topics, his smooth, hypnotic, deep voice rapping, talking or singing to convey the deeper, often political message. Recorded in Reunion, Senegal, Paris, Haiti, New Orleans and New York, Williams cites musical inspirations as diverse as Beyoncé, Fredo Santana, and Haitian field recordings. The result is a distinctive sound, sometimes subtle, other times blunt; his elaborate wordplay complemented by varying musical arrangements, from complex tribal beats to classical music, such as a harmonic duo of violin and piano. In his own write: “I’m just letting you know what I’m reading and seeing while I’m writing. When I’m writing, the music leads.”