Saul Williams

Saul Stacey WILLIAMS (1972, USA) is a rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor, known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip-hop. He graduated from Morehouse College with a BA in Acting and Philosophy, then moved to New York City, where he earned an MFA in Acting from New York University's Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts. While at New York University, he became part of the New York café poetry scene. After his appearance in the documentary SlamNation, he landed the lead role in the 1998 feature film Slam. Williams contributed as both a writer and actor in the film, which would win both the Sundance Festival Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera D'Or. Around 1998, Williams was also performing with many artists such as Nas, The Fugees, Erykah Badu and De La Soul as well as poets Allen Ginsberg and Sonia Sanchez. In 2001, he released his debut LP Amethyst Rock Star, produced by Rick Rubin, and his self-titled album in 2004, to much acclaim. After gaining global fame for his poetry and writings at the turn of the century, Williams has performed in over 30 countries and read at over 300 universities, with invitations that have spanned from the White House, the Sydney Opera House, Lincoln Center, the Louvre, the Getty Center, Queen Elizabeth Hall, to countless villages, townships, community centers and prisons across the world. As a writer, Williams has been published in The New York Times, Esquire, Bomb Magazine and African Voices, as well as releasing four collections of poetry. In 2021, Williams wrote and co-directed his debut feature musical, Neptune Frost, with partner Anisia Uzeyman, which premiered in Cannes during the Directors' Fortnight.