Saul Williams’s Followers (434)

Saul Williams

Born

in Newburgh, New York, The United States

February 29, 1972

Website

http://saulwilliams.com

Genre

Poetry

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Saul Williams is an acclaimed American poet, musician, actor, and filmmaker whose work fuses raw political insight, lyrical intensity, and a bold disregard for genre boundaries. Widely recognized for his dynamic presence in both spoken word and alternative hip hop, Williams emerged in the mid-1990s as a vital voice in contemporary poetry before expanding into music, theater, film, and literature.
Born in Newburgh, New York, Williams studied acting and philosophy at Morehouse College and later earned an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. It was in New York's vibrant poetry scene that he honed his distinctive voice—fusing personal narrative, political urgency, and rhythmic precision. His breakout came in 1996 when he was named Grand Slam Saul Williams is an acclaimed American poet, musician, actor, and filmmaker whose work fuses raw political insight, lyrical intensity, and a bold disregard for genre boundaries. Widely recognized for his dynamic presence in both spoken word and alternative hip hop, Williams emerged in the mid-1990s as a vital voice in contemporary poetry before expanding into music, theater, film, and literature.
Born in Newburgh, New York, Williams studied acting and philosophy at Morehouse College and later earned an MFA from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. It was in New York's vibrant poetry scene that he honed his distinctive voice—fusing personal narrative, political urgency, and rhythmic precision. His breakout came in 1996 when he was named Grand Slam Champion at the Nuyorican Poets Café. He soon co-wrote and starred in the film Slam (1998), a bold meditation on incarceration, art, and resistance. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and the Camera d’Or at Cannes, launching Williams into international prominence.
Williams has published several collections of poetry, including The Seventh Octave, Said the Shotgun to the Head, and The Dead Emcee Scrolls, which reflect his ability to merge the cadence of hip hop with spiritual and philosophical inquiry. His writing is known for its fierce social critique and experimental form, often pushing beyond traditional poetic boundaries to embrace typography, performance, and digital culture.
As a musician, Williams has created a genre-defying body of work that blends hip hop, punk, rock, electronic, and spoken word. His debut album Amethyst Rock Star (2001), produced by Rick Rubin, was followed by the critically acclaimed self-titled Saul Williams (2004). He collaborated with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor on The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! (2007), a provocative, pay-what-you-want release that challenged music industry norms and addressed race, identity, and digital freedom. Later albums such as Volcanic Sunlight, MartyrLoserKing, and Encrypted & Vulnerable further showcased his global perspective and political urgency, incorporating influences from African rhythms, industrial noise, and cyberpunk aesthetics.
In theater, Williams originated the lead role in Holler If Ya Hear Me, the Broadway musical inspired by the lyrics of Tupac Shakur. As an actor, he has appeared in films like Today, Akilla’s Escape, and Neptune Frost—the latter of which he co-directed with Anisia Uzeyman. Neptune Frost premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and exemplifies Williams’ vision of “sonic fiction,” combining sci-fi, Afrofuturism, and social commentary in a deeply poetic cinematic language.
Williams is also known for his global activism, his commitment to nonconformity, and his exploration of identity. He describes himself as queer and has consistently used his platform to advocate for justice, equality, and creative freedom. His life and work reflect a boundary-crossing ethos, uniting the spiritual and the political, the poetic and the revolutionary.
Across all mediums, Saul Williams defies categorization. Whether through verse, film, or song, he invites audiences to question, to imagine, and to awaken. His artistry continues to inspire new generations of poets, musicians, and thinkers worldwide. ...more

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Saul Williams’s books

Average rating: 4.21 · 7,427 ratings · 555 reviews · 21 distinct works • Similar authors

	, said the shotgun to the head. 4.21 avg rating — 3,199 ratings — published 2003 — 11 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	She by Saul Williams, Marcia Jones (Illustrator) 4.21 avg rating — 1,993 ratings — published 1999 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop 4.22 avg rating — 1,394 ratings — published 2006 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Seventh Octave: The Early Writings of Saul Williams by Saul Williams, Jessica C. Moore (Editor), Jessica Care Moore (Editor) 4.28 avg rating — 321 ratings — published 1998	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Chorus by Saul Williams, Dufflyn Lammers (Editor), Aja Monet (Editor) 4.09 avg rating — 268 ratings — published 2012 — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	US 4.17 avg rating — 211 ratings — published 2015 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Amethyst Rock Star 4.55 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2001	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Los manuscritos de un EMCEE muerto: Las enseñanzas perdidas del hip - hop 4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Coded Language it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	She by Saul Williams (1-Jun-1999) Paperback 4.50 avg rating — 2 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Saul Williams (?)

“Have you ever lost yourself in a kiss? I mean pure psychedelic inebriation. Not just lustful petting but transcendental metamorphosis when you became aware that the greatness of this being was breathing into you. Licking the sides and corners of your mouth, like sealing a thousand fleshy envelopes filled with the essence of your passionate being and then opened by the same mouth and delivered back to you, over and over again - the first kiss of the rest of your life. A kiss that confirms that the universe is aligned, that the world's greatest resource is love, and maybe even that God is a woman. With or without a belief in God, all kisses are metaphors decipherable by allocations of time, circumstance, and understanding”
― Saul Williams, , said the shotgun to the head.

tags: love, poetry, spirituality

1398 likes

“Come, my love, we have oceans to sail.”
― Saul Williams, , said the shotgun to the head.

163 likes

“Talk to strangers
when the family fails and friends lead you astray
when Buddha laughs and Jesus weeps and it turns out God is gay.
'Cause angels and messiahs love can come in many forms:
in the hallways of your projects, or the fat girl in your dorm,
and when you finally take the time to see what they’re about
perhaps you find them lonely or their wisdom trips you out.”
― Saul Williams

162 likes

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Saul Williams’s Followers (434)

Saul Williams

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Combine Editions
Saul Williams’s books