Phases & Stages

Saul Williams

BookPeople, March 24

"Hip-hop allows history to catch up with the present," Saul Williams explained as he expounded on his latest poetry collection The Dead Emcee Scrolls. "The book is meant to read like scripture." Time-shifting righteous ideals from prior precedents of clarity, the slam figurehead and outspoken rapper addressed a roomful of fans with concepts developed "back before John the Boom Baptist." Between rhythmic readings, Williams offered nuggets of sound advice for those wishing to perform their own lyrical resurrections. "It's not about doing the stand-out thing. It's about doing the stand-up thing." Known as an activist, as well as an entertainer, the Mohawked wordsmith – in town opening for Nine Inch Nails – wisely shrugged off lofty expectations placed upon him by a savior-starved public. "I don't aim to have people agree with what I say. I aim to encourage people to think for themselves." Challenging consumer culture out of its mundane rut, Williams wielded "eyes like two turntables" as courage samples from Paul Robeson converged with Oscar Wilde quotes in a DJ Spooky sort of pounding amalgamation. "Music is our alchemy through which we redefine our future," the poet clarified. Revealing pages from "carefully folded forests, void of autumn," Williams portrays time as a plaything for the clever, bending similarities between the ages, his excavation of ancient lore shielding dissident resolution within a buzzing force field of unapologetic free verse.