Saul Williams

Born in Newburgh, New York, in 1972, Saul Williams first made his mark on the New York spoken-word scene of the 1990s, notably at the Nuyorican Poets Café, before moving from poetry to a musical form situated between alternative hip-hop, experimental rap, rock, and industrial textures. Since his beginnings, Williams has built a language where slam phrasing, singing, and declamation intersect, with politically charged and introspective writing carried by often tense rhythms and hybrid productions. After several EPs, he released Amethyst Rock Star in 2001, and Saul Williams in 2004. His career continues with collaborations with Rick Rubin, Trent Reznor, and Nine Inch Nails, which accompany the more abrasive evolution of The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! in 2007. Followed by NGH WHT with the Arditti Quartet in 2009, Volcanic Sunlight in 2011, MartyrLoserKing in 2016, Encrypted & Vulnerable in 2019 and Unanimous Goldmine in 2022, tied to the film Neptune Frost, which he co-wrote and co-directed with Anisia Uzeyman. Parallel to his discography, Saul Williams pursued a career as an author and actor, from the film Slam in 1998 to the Broadway musical Holler If Ya Hear Me, while maintaining a strong anchor in scenes at the frontier between concert, poetic performance, and transdisciplinary creation.