Information AboutSaul Williams |
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Born in Newburgh , New York , 1972 , Saul Stacey Williams has been considered a powerful voice of the Hip Hop generation as a Poet , Preacher , Actor , Rapper , Singer and Musician . He is most known for his blend of Spoken Word poetry and hip-hop and for his leading role in the independent film '' Slam ''. BIOGRAPHY Williams was born in Newburgh, N.Y. in 1972 to a preacher father and school-teacher mother. ''"My mother was rushed from a James Brown concert in order to give birth to me ... At that concert, he sang 'Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud,' and that shit came out in my bloodstream. I was born with that in me."'' {Link without Title} As a child he learned to love the spoken and written word. After graduating from Morehouse College with a B.A. in Philosophy , Williams moved to New York City to take a Master's Degree at New York University in acting. Here he found himself at the center of the New York cafe poetry scene. By 1995 he had become a talented open mic poet and in 1996 he won the title of Nuyorican Poets Cafe 's Grand Slam Champion . Fame on the spoken-word circuit led him to the lead role in the 1998 feature film, '' Slam '', which won both the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera D'Or, introducing Williams to international audiences. Williams was at this time breaking into music. He had performed with such artists as renowned hip-hop artists The Fugees , Blackalicious , Erykah Badu , KRS-One , De La Soul , DJ Krust , as well as legendary poets Allen Ginsberg and Sonia Sanchez . After releasing a string of EPs, in 2001 he released the much-hyped '' Amethyst Rock Star '' with producer Rick Rubin and in September 2004 his Self-titled album to much acclaim. He played several shows supporting Nine Inch Nails on their European tour in summer 2005, and has also supported The Mars Volta . He also supported NIN on their 2006 North American tour, during which he announced that Trent Reznor would co-produce his next album. {Link without Title} As a writer, Williams has been published in '' The New York Times '', '' Esquire '', '' Bomb Magazine '' and '' African Voices '', as well as having released four collections of poetry. He has toured and lectured across the world, appearing at many universities and colleges. He currently resides in Los Angeles , California . BIBLIOGRAPHY
DISCOGRAPHY Albums/EPs
Guest and compilation appearances
FILMOGRAPHY
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