In an age where boundless leaps are being made in communication Saul Williams is evolutionary proof that age old concepts can be fused with new age precepts and expressed with mind opening precision.
'i know God personally in fact he lets me call him me'
Never before has the power of word and our ability to dictate our reality been expressed so clearly and creatively, at once. Saul's poetry represents an evolution of thought, artistry and spiritual consciousness delivered with the lyrical fervor of hip hop and the grace and linguistic mastery of Shakespeare. Saul channels the voice of the New Age, yet, allows a wide ranging stream of consciousness to distort the melody like some sort of lyrical Hendrix.
Saul's debut performance and featured poetry in the Trimark Pictures film Slam, which he co-wrote and starred in, brought audiences to their feet across the world. Winning the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival (1998), the Camera d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, along with the Audience Award for Best Picture and the World Distributers Award for Best Picture, Slam goes down in history for exposing the universal truths that one must grasp in order to escape imprisoned mind-states. Along with his co-star, Sonia Sohn, Saul was personally awarded the Perry Ellis Breakthrough Award by New York's Independent Film Project (IFP) and was also nominated for a Spirit Award for best performance. Marc Levin's idea to direct this poetic masterpiece came about after seeing saul recite his poetry in the Grand Slam Championship at the Nuyorican Poet's Cafe, where Saul became the the Grand Slam Champion for 1996.
Saul's love of language which is rooted in his love of hip hop has come full circle as he now takes his lyricism back to it's musical roots. Songwriting has become Saul's latest endeavor. He envisions a hip hop that is as musically evolved as his lyricism. collaborating with six band members (viola, cello, electric guitar, bass, drums, and dj) he is composing a sonic soundscape for his already rhythmic and expansive poetry. His music has been featured on a number of CD's, including: Lyricist Lounge, the Slam soundtrack (w/KRS One), Black Whole Styles (Ninja Tunes), Eargasms (Mercury), and Krust's Coded Language (Talkin' Loud). His forthcoming album, Amethyst Rock Star, which is co-produced by Saul and Rick Rubin is highly anticipated.
Saul's work has been featured in The New York Times, Esquire, Time Magazine, Elle, Details, Detour, Premiere, Entertainment Weekly, Vibe, Essence, Source, Rolling Stone, and countless other periodicals. His latest book of poetry, She, was published by MTV/ Pocketbooks and is now in it's third printing. His first book, The Seventh Octave, was published by Moore Black Press. Saul is also featured in a number of poetry anthologies: Listen Up! (Ballantine ), Catch The Fire, (Putnam), Slam, In Defense of Mumia (Harlem River Press).
Saul has performed all around the U.S., Canada, France, Germany, England, Scotland, Sweden, Belgium, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Brazil, and Japan. he has been featured at the Whitney Museum (NY), the New Museum (NY) Boston's Museum of Fine Arts, Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Arts, and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Stockholm, Sweden. His poetry has been added into the curriculum at a number of universities and high schools across the country where he has been asked to recite his work, lecture, and/or teach workshops, including: New York University, American University, MorehouseCollege, Oberlin, the New School, George Washington University, Cornell University, and Harvard.
Source: http://americanrecordings.com/saulwilliams/frameset.html |
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