Saul Williams

Since Eric, can't stop talking about Nine Inch Nails ;) it was just a matter of time before he told me about Saul Williams He's a poet/emcee/rapper/actor who recently released an album NiggyTardust (Trent Reznor from NIN produced the record). Like, Radiohead's latest In Rainbows, NiggyTardust was released outside of the traditional channels and you can download it for free (or give $5) from the site. I downloaded it for free, not knowing if it was going to be my cup of tea.

After giving the album one spin through, I'm not disappointed though it's intense music so I don't know where it'll sit in my daily spin cycle. Musically it's amazing. If all you had was the music (without the lyrics) you could spend ages just searching out all the nooks and crannies of each song. Some of the songs are harsh, driving, and angry like "Black History Month" and "DNA" others are intimate and soft like "No One Ever Does". "Sacred Money" is jazzy (remember when US3 had that hit a decade ago?). Others are so simple and elemental (just a beat and voices) like "Raw." Saul also did a cover of "Sunday Bloody Sunday" which is a nice bonus.

The album is packed lyrically too. The lyrics are often uncomfortable because of the language (you might want to skip "The Ritual" unless you have a strong constitution ;) or because they force you to step outside of your context. Oftentimes the lyrics are spiritual and profound too. "No One Ever Does" is a beautiful example of that:

No one ever does.
No one ever does.
Memories are like promises that a seldom kept hence why Jesus wept.
Everyday we are torn away from the one we love. There's no God above.
Only if you would spend your gift to uphold the truth of just me and you and we represent all the time we've spent getting to this day.
There's no other way.
Aren't we who we claim to be.
The descendants of who we place above we must place within and slowly begin to love.
No one ever does.
No one ever does.

Suddenly who I thought was me was not me at all and I feel so small.
Sitting way beneath who I want to be.
I don't want to be who I've grown to be.
Only if I might somehow riff on the way before.
Let it be some more.
Lift me from this flaw if I can walk out [broad?] to love.
No one ever does.
No one ever does.

One of the reasons why I find music like this compelling is that there is no pretense. Saul seems very self-differentiated he is raw, unpolished, and honest (so it seems). Further, I hear an echo of God in the music. Many will find it offensive or difficult to listen to. I hear God intersecting our world; this is a thin place. I think there's a good chance that Papa is listening to Saul ;).

My curiosity piqued, I did some more reading on Saul and found an open letter he sent to Oprah. Again, there is spiritual content (but also themes and ideas which will offend):

There is nothing more mainstream than the denigration of women as projected through religious doctrine. Please understand, I am by no means opposing the teachings of Jesus, by example (he wasn't Christian), but rather the men that have used his teachings to control and manipulate the masses. Hip Hop, like Rock and Roll, like the media, and the government, all reflect an idea of power that labels vulnerability as weakness.

Phew! I shudder at the idea of sharing a letter like that with many Christians I know. Honestly, I considered not mentioning it here, but decided it could be fruitful to ponder.

What does Saul Williams teach us? How do we think rightly about stuff like this?