Saul Williams

Saul Williams sits at the point where spoken word and alternative hip-hop meet, a rapper, singer and poet whose work has also reached into writing and acting. Born in Newburgh, New York, in 1972, he came up through the New York café poetry scene after studying acting and philosophy at Morehouse College and earning an MFA at NYU's Tisch School. That grounding in verse is what gives his records their distinct weight and cadence.

His breakthrough on screen came with the 1998 independent film Slam, in which he took the lead role and also contributed as a writer. The film went on to win the Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera d'Or. Musically, he worked with Rick Rubin on the 2001 LP Amethyst Rock Star and released his self-titled album in 2004. His 2007 album, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!, produced by Trent Reznor, was initially sold only through its website. Volcanic Sunlight followed in 2011 and MartyrLoserKing in 2016. In June 2026 he released "Conspiracy" as the lead single from Leap Life, due on 28 August 2026.