Saul Williams “Saul Williams” (Best of the Decade)

Saul Williams is, in many ways, the Michael Jackson of spoken-word. He’s the iconic figure, the only thing close to a star the movement (at least the slam-oriented, most recent manifestation of this movement) has produced. His work has influenced a legion of followers: some talented, many not. He is to spoken-word poetry what Picasso is to Cubism—for many, he’s the only practitioner of the art the majority can name.

Which is why for many, his self-titled sophomore album just doesn’t work. He’s not performing a capella slam poems; instead, he’s singing and rapping his way through an industrial-punk-funk meatgrinder, a dissonant mess of super-hardcore beats and tortured, wailed vocals. His debut, Amethyst Rock Star, had a few weird moments, but was still very much a spoken-word album. And while the lyrical content on his follow-up is still there, the jump from spoken-word to whatever-the-hell-this-is was too jarring for many of his fans.

It’s also, however, what makes Saul Williams such an incredible album. In an era where every bland funk/hip hop/rock band claims to “reject genre boundaries,” Williams actually managed to mash genres into something new, interesting and fucking hardcore.

After a gripping spoken-word intro, the album launches into “Grippo,” a scathing, snarling examination of race and hip hop that starts with the line “I gave hip hop to white boys when nobody was lookin’/Found it locked in a basement when they gentrified Brooklyn.” Right away, you know this album isn’t easy listening. “List of Demands” is a hypnotically propulsive call-to-arms featuring a brutal distorted bass. “PG” is basically a 50 Cent parody track with a deeper message. “Black Stacy” is an unflinchingly honest exploration of skin color, masculinity and identity. Williams’s music is as intense as the industrial, punk and hip hop acts who are obvious influences, but his experience as a poet allows him to take these sounds into new places by matching them with content that is challenging, original and engaging.

While his flow (Williams raps on a couple of songs) is still a bit stilted, it’s a minor concern on this album; his writing, singing and production talents more than outweigh his failings as a rapper. While his other albums all have worthwhile tracks, Williams has never sounded so focused; his self-titled album isn’t a spoken-word masterpiece—it’s just a masterpiece.