If Only the Rise was as Inevitable

The new album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! by the musician, poet, actor, philosopher, activist, artist and all genius savant Saul Williams is deserving of far more praise than it has received, both for its bold new DIY distribution method as well as its bold genera-bending sounds, the first being dwarfed by the attention paid to In Rainbows.

On November 1st Saul Williams released Niggy Tardust only at his website NiggyTardust.com. Like the much-publicized Radiohead record Williams released it digitaly, DRM free, either for free or for a donation. For Williams this move was far bolder than for Radiohead, being far less well known in the media and without the legions of fans. Williams is an interesting experiment to see if this kind of model can work for the smaller artist.

The other, more abstract, story of Niggy Tardust is the music itself. The record was produced by NIN‘s Trent Reznor with Reznor writing much of the music. The sound to come out of this eccentric collaboration fuses industrial rock, electronic sounds, Hip Hop beats and punk aggression in a way completely distinct and independent from the rap rock craze of a few years ago. The sounds often compliment for Williams spoken word style. The mood set is perfect for the angry rhetoric.

It has been Williams’s lyrics and poetry that have attracted me to his music. Williams is truly a poet rather than a simple MC, having published four books of poetry and only three proper albums of recorded music. In fact much of Niggy Tardust was adapted from his previously released book of poems The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop. Williams is as likely to tour universities lecturing as he is to tour clubs rapping, having degrees in both Philosophy and Acting.

This record is challenging to the listener, its intellectual and poetic side can obscure the heavy messages Williams drives at. The lyrics are anything but straightforward. Williams songs often deal with themes of race, religion, personal identity and Hip Hop culture, all with a depth few in Hip Hop could attain even if the ever chose to deal with topics this deep and complex. Hip hop in general has turned into little more than club music, shallow and empty of meaning, at least in the main stream. Williams may not have the club hit, but his songs have a soul and are filed with heart and a sharp intellect that makes them at least more relevant and interesting if not more important.

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myspace: www.myspace.com/saulwilliams

Saul WIlliams - Sunday Blody Sunday (U2 cover) [MP3]
Saul WIlliams - Scared Money [MP3]
The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! [FREE ALBUM]