Saul Williams wears many hats; besides his storied music career, Williams has released four collections of poetry and performed lead roles both in film and on Broadway. In this episode of Exclaim! TV's Sweet 16s, though, our host King Reign discusses the icon's thriving rap career and where it all began.
Citing the biblical influences of his pastor father, a fascination with Shakespeare and the world of old English and his first exposure to hip-hop, in the form of T La Rock's 1984 song "It's Yours," Williams discusses how his wide range of influence allowed him to realize the incredible power of language.
With that in mind, it was no surprise when Williams changed up his originally planned favourite 16 bars on the spot, swapping in a cut from his forthcoming MartyrLoserKing. Though it's just a taste of what's to come, one can already hear the wit woven masterfully into the lyrics as the politically weighty track moves between a triad of languages.
The new LP arrives in full on January 29, but you can catch a glimpse of the album by watching Williams deliver his latest and sweetest 16 bars in the player below.
Hosted by King Reign
Filmed and edited by Katherine Kwan
Citing the biblical influences of his pastor father, a fascination with Shakespeare and the world of old English and his first exposure to hip-hop, in the form of T La Rock's 1984 song "It's Yours," Williams discusses how his wide range of influence allowed him to realize the incredible power of language.
With that in mind, it was no surprise when Williams changed up his originally planned favourite 16 bars on the spot, swapping in a cut from his forthcoming MartyrLoserKing. Though it's just a taste of what's to come, one can already hear the wit woven masterfully into the lyrics as the politically weighty track moves between a triad of languages.
The new LP arrives in full on January 29, but you can catch a glimpse of the album by watching Williams deliver his latest and sweetest 16 bars in the player below.
Hosted by King Reign
Filmed and edited by Katherine Kwan