Saul Williams - Amethyst Rock Star (2001) I’ve been listening to a lot of hip-hop lately – which has been tying in with some of my thoughts surrounding the role of the oral and aural in poetry – and Saul Williams has been one of those who has most interested me. Is hip-hop amplified. WatchLOUD Facebook: watchLOUD Twitter: watchLO. We caught up with Poet/Musician SAUL WILLIAMS (Slam) in Los Angeles where he is about to embark on a World Tour to promote his latest project, THE RISE AND I.
| The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by | |||
| Released | November 1, 2007 | ||
| Genre | Industrial hip hop, industrial rock | ||
| Length | 60:44 | ||
| Label | Fader Label | ||
| Producer | Trent Reznor | ||
| Saul Williams chronology | |||
|
The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is the third solo studio album by Saul Williams. It was released in 2007.[1] It peaked at number 41 on the BillboardHeatseekers Albums chart,[2] as well as number 89 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart.[3] The album is entirely produced by Trent Reznor.[4] The title of the album is a reference to David Bowie's 1972 album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.[5]
Release[edit]The album was available for purchase or free download at NiggyTardust.com. The website allowed users to pay $5 to support the artist and be given the choice of downloading a 192kbit/s MP3 version, 320kbit/s MP3 version or lossless FLAC version.[6] Digital distribution of the album is provided by Musicane. Reznor publicised the album on the Nine Inch Nails website and mailing list, saying that 'Saul's not the household name that Radiohead is' and urging fans to support him.[7] This was a reference to Radiohead's In Rainbows, which was released in October on the band's own website with customers choosing how much they want to pay for the album. The free option has since been removed, with a message on the website claiming their intention had always been to remove it after 100,000 free downloads of the album.[8]
Saul Williams Niggy TardustIt was announced at nin.com that, as of January 2, 2008, two months since its release, 154,449 people had downloaded NiggyTardust. Of that number, 28,322 people chose to pay the asked price of $5 USD ($141,610 USD Total). In comparison, Saul's self-titled album has sold 30,000 copies since its release in 2004.[9]
A physical release of the album was released on July 8, 2008. It contained five bonus tracks.[10]
Critical reception[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | [11] |
| The A.V. Club | B+[12] |
| Robert Christgau | [13] |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10[14] |
| RapReviews.com | 4.5/10[15] |
| Rolling Stone | [16] |
Thom Jurek of AllMusic gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, saying: 'This is Williams' finest moment, and interestingly, one of Reznor's, too.'[11]
Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters placed it at number 12 on the '101 Hip-Hop Albums of 2007' list.[17]
Track listing[edit]All tracks are written by Saul Williams and Trent Reznor, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 'Black History Month' | Williams, Reznor, Thavius Beck | 3:15 |
| 2. | 'Convict Colony' | Williams, Reznor, CX KiDTRONiK | 3:24 |
| 3. | 'Tr(n)igger' | 3:54 | |
| 4. | 'Sunday Bloody Sunday' | U2 | 4:05 |
| 5. | 'Break' | 3:18 | |
| 6. | 'NiggyTardust' | Williams, Reznor, CX KiDTRONiK | 3:40 |
| 7. | 'DNA' | Williams, Reznor, Beck, Isaiah 'Ikey' Owens | 4:02 |
| 8. | 'WTF!' | Williams, Reznor, CX KiDTRONiK | 5:29 |
| 9. | 'Scared Money' | 3:48 | |
| 10. | 'Raw' | 2:50 | |
| 11. | 'Skin of a Drum' | 3:55 | |
| 12. | 'No One Ever Does' | 3:14 | |
| 13. | 'Banged and Blown Through' | 3:43 | |
| 14. | 'Raised to be Lowered' | Williams, Reznor, CX KiDTRONiK | 5:22 |
| 15. | 'The Ritual' | 5:20 | |
| Total length: | 60:44 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16. | 'Pedagogue of Young Gods' | 3:18 | |
| 17. | 'World on Wheels' | 1:27 | |
| 18. | 'Can't Hide Love' | Earth, Wind & Fire | 2:27 |
| 19. | 'Gunshots by Computer' | 1:44 | |
| 20. | 'List of Demands (Reparations)' | 3:18 | |
| Total length: | 71:46 |
Credits adapted from liner notes.
Musicians
- Saul Williams – vocals, programming
- Trent Reznor – production, programming, backing vocals (5, 8)
- Atticus Ross – additional programming
- Thavius Beck – production (1, 7), programming (1, 7)
- CX KiDTRONiK – production, programming, backing vocals (1, 6)
- Isaiah 'Ikey' Owens – keyboards (7)
- Xuly Azaro – backing vocals (9)
- Maryam Nalo Blacksher – viola (13)
- Gingger Shankar – double violin (13)
- Persia White – backing vocals (11)
- Alan Moulder – mixing
- Brian Gardner – mastering
Technical personnel
- Angelbert Metoyer – artwork
- Melody Ehsani – cover art, jewelry design
- Rob Sheridan – graphic design, layout
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[2] | 41 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[3] | 89 |
- ^Saul Williams: NiggyTardust.com website. Retrieved on January 26, 2008. Archived October 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ ab'Saul Williams: Chart History (Heatseekers Albums)'. Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^ ab'Saul Williams: Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)'. Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^'Saul Williams and Trent Reznor Offer New Album As Free Download'. The Fader. October 25, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^Harding, Cortney (November 7, 2007). 'The Billboard Q&A: Trent Reznor And Saul Williams'. Billboard. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^Download info: NiggyTardust.com website. Retrieved on January 26, 2008. Archived October 27, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
- ^Reznor, Trent (2007-10-25). 'NiggyTardust!'. The official Nine Inch Nails website. Retrieved 2007-10-29.
- ^Download info: NiggyTardust.com website Archived January 11, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^Download infoArchived January 7, 2008, at the Wayback Machine: Digg.com website. Retrieved on January 26, 2008.
- ^MVRemix, [1], MVRemix Urban, May 23, 2008, Retrieved May 28, 2008.
- ^ abJurek, Thom. 'The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust - Saul Williams'. AllMusic. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^Koski, Genevieve (November 27, 2007). 'Saul Williams: The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of Niggy Tardust'. The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^Christgau, Robert. 'Saul Williams'. Christgau's Consumer Guide. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
- ^Patrin, Nate (November 9, 2007). 'Saul Williams: The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust!'. Pitchfork. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^Sirota, Eric (March 23, 2010). 'Saul Williams :: The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust :: Fader'. RapReviews.com. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^Christgau, Robert (November 29, 2007). 'Saul Williams: The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of Niggy Tardust'. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 23, 2007. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- ^Huff, Quentin B. (January 15, 2008). '101 Hip-Hop Albums of 2007'. PopMatters. Retrieved October 3, 2018.
- The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! at Discogs (list of releases)
- The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! at MusicBrainz (list of releases)
- Reelblack TV interview on YouTube
