Coded Language

I became aware of Saul Williams through a random YouTube search. "List of Demands", the lead single off of his self titled album was the one that did it. I quickly checked out his work on YouTube and was floored.

Then, a couple months later, Trent Reznor dropped the bomb that Saul would be opening for his With Teeth tour. And that he would be producing his next record, "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust".

I saw him live for the first time in April of 2008. He was scary, how intense he was. I was in the front row, and he was literally spitting on my face with his spoken word, his screams, his convictions. Nothing can make you yawn in the face of his intensity.

Tonight I saw him again. Unfortunately, it was a slightly off night. He was forgetting lyrics, CX Kidtronic (his DJ) dropped some of the electronics at times. He was humble in his apologies. He tends to jump into the crowd, meeting people with smiles and conversation on his way back to the stage. He is the nicest person, and he has a true message. An angry, yet uplifting message in his music. He is definitely one of the top five artists in my influence registry.

So, despite the mistakes, he was still amazing. One of the "truest" writers of our time.



Saul Williams -- "African Student Movement"