Haven’t listened to his new record so not sure if the music or singing presented here is from there. Remember Twice The First Time though?

“He wanted to be filmed in Paris Catacombs. Not the official, clean ones. He wanted to go in the dirty, tough, cold and humid network of underground corridors.”

via Flavor$

not diggin the sounds. Link

Link

New Saul Williams track available NOW!!!

http://www.sendspace.com/file/f5xkfk

This went out as an email with this:

“Tardust Liberated”

We have overcome.

Except those of us now in Gaza. Except those of us whom police kill. Except those of us who are suspects. Except those of us whom the church hate. Except those of us damned to taste good. Except those of us held by fate. We are meeting in the capitol. Word is, freedom will not wait.

All that once was never shall be.
All they could do won’t be done.
All we sang of is now happening.

[note to self:]
Must write
new songs
to become…

…And so it was. Through the collective imagination of the people, the force of will and human potential, and an unflinching ability to hold himself to task, Niggy Tardust was liberated. His ability to see beyond the boundaries and obstacles of ‘genre’, ‘race’, and suppression, allowed him to encompass a grace and sound that embodied the all. All that had stood against him, now stood with him. All that had claimed a lesser harmony, now craved voice and resonance. He stood with poets, painters, dancers, students, children of the night who had transformed themselves into a million bright ambassadors of morning, and proclaimed,

“We declare declaratives and deny the official. Based in the landmark of the G-spot, we have overtaken ourselves and overthrown our forefathers. Let there be light within the light and let it answer to the name of Darkness. We are forever risen from the deadly: the anti-virus and the All Stars. Granted power by forces unbeknownst to us. Made in the likeness of kindness. We offer anger to the angry and fear to the fearful. We dance at our own funerals to forsake the mourners…

…This is no time to cry! This is no time at all! Here is the moment of the overlooked and the unforeseeable. We are the elected officials of the people: poets and artists. We are the declarative statement of the inarticulate, the irreparably damaged goods of the bad meaning good. We are the government! We are the government! We are the government!”

Fan vid by DreamOfStars

previously:
Saul Williams Presents: Niggy TV Episode #1

Dear Friends,

Although I cannot boast a lifetime of keeping my views to myself, I have seldom taken on the responsibility of trying to change someone (alright, maybe a few girlfriends, but you’ll never hold me to that). However, this year for me has been one of aggressively shifting from a reluctant pursuit of change and growth to taking a proactive stance on what I believe in times that I see as clearly representative of a societal paradigm shift both necessary and urgent for our country and world.

I received a lot of questions from some about why I would allow my song ‘List of Demands’ to be used in a Nike campaign. Ironically, half of the people now reading this post never heard of me until that commercial aired. That, indeed, was one of my reasons for allowing it. A small circle of poets and conscious do-gooders are not enough to effect the change necessary to shift our planet in peril. We must enlist people from all walks of life, people not accustomed to questioning the norm, people who may simply want to dance uninterrupted without message or slogan. I see no glory in ‘preaching to the converted’. Furthermore, I believe fully in the power of music and have branded my work with it’s own conscientious stamp and stomp of attitude fueled to steal the show in the face of the nonsensical. Quite simply, it was clear to me that people would not be rushing to the store to buy Nikes after seeing that commercial, but rather rushing to youtube or itunes to hear or download the song. I even imagined those who would be rushing to blogs to question how I could allow this to happen and the subsequent discussion of the ethical treatment of factory workers and how new minds would be informed and enlisted in the struggle for ethical change.

As an artist that characterizes himself and his work as a hybrid synthesis of creativity and responsibility I am forced to make politicized choices, weigh evils, and work strategically to make a living and contribute to the change I wish to see in my lifetime. For instance, the groundbreaking digital release of The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! wasn’t done simply because I wanted to give my album away for free and maintain my independence as an artist, but also because record companies left me little choice. As a musician I have been signed to both Columbia/Sony and Island/Def Jam rosters and have faced consistent naysayers who have basically insisted that I choose the type of music I am going to make and if the choice wasn’t according to their definition of hip hop showed little faith in it or in the possibility of a wide public supporting it, without realizing their role in determining what the public supports. Radio stations followed suit in determining my music not urban, alternative, or rock enough. Of course my music showed more rock influence than Eminem but the KROQ’s of the world seemed to be basing their definition of rock on something a little more surface than sound, at the time. Thus, I have always found myself with fans that have through their own hard work and diligence fought through the norm to find me, yet still voice surprise that more people haven’t.

The compliment “you’re ahead of your time”, often feels more like a curse than a gift from a well-wisher. I have never considered myself ahead of my time simply because a few executives may not have been visionary enough to determine where music or antiquated ideas of race are heading or to realize their role in continually underestimating the intelligence of the listener and our generation. Rather I have seen those ‘powers that be’ as behind the times and perpetuators of an old cycle. Likewise, I have seen their over-turn as inevitable. Thus, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! simply came at a point when I realized that we were, indeed, living at a crossroads and Victor Hugo’s saying, “There’s nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come”, came to life.

Without question, we are living in powerful times, a time where the powers of being will truly prevail over the powers that be. This is evident in the political sector where it has become clear, at least to me, that my support of Barack Obama is not because he’s black, but because he seems to represent both symbolically and ideologically many of those ideas and ideals whose time has come. Ideas of the divine need for change (“God’s just a baby and her diaper is wet.” Get it?) in how we look at the world, ourselves, and at our individual and communal powers. The idea that might is right, that we demonstrate our power with aggressive force is great for football teams, but hardly the best idea for a country whose running source of pride has historically been the evidence of our collective imagination: our music; our films; our amusement parks; and the technology we create to share it. These products of peace are the things that made the world initially fall in love with us. We have rooted ourselves in a growing sense of independence as evidenced through our historic social movements, always upgrading our beliefs and laws to reflect our broadening understanding and vision. Of course, many, if not most, would label this a very optimistic perspective of the ongoing struggle for justice and equal opportunity for all people in this land. There is still a fight to have our voices heard and many of us when given the opportunity to speak seem to have very little to say. Then are those who have consistently fought against growth and change, who would rather fight for their right to maintain their antiquated, sometimes ignorant points of view, as if the age of the perspectives themselves is what validates them. Yet, the first technology is of the mind. It is the shift in perspective that allows us to streamline possibilities of understanding as reflected through invention. And quite simply, we are coming of age.

In this age it is our responsibility to challenge ourselves beyond cultural traditions and delineate between what we have perpetuated through ignorance rather than wisdom. We face an opportunity to broaden our worldview through the exchange of technology and information. We need not rely on what teachings of the past could not anticipate. It is an opportunity to forge ahead and beyond the wavering shortsightedness of our religious leaders, elected officials, teachers, principals, and sometimes parents and live in simple accordance with what we can feel deep within ourselves. We should no longer be surprised to sometimes find ourselves seemingly more intelligent, informed, or insightful than our leaders and bosses, rather we should feel encouraged to inspire and share our most informed selves in our every encounter. And that, my friends, is what has led me to write you today.

While sitting on a plane, on my way back from Lollapalooza, reading Thanking The Monkey by Karen Dawn, it struck me that this was the second awesomely inspiring and informative book I was reading this summer without sharing my thanks by spreading the word. I am sometimes hesitant about making a big deal about my vegan diet, as I have considered it a personal choice worth little discussion. Yet more and more, I have found myself attempting to encourage people who ask me where I find my inspiration, or what issues do I find important, or how can we curb warfare and violence to consider what we ingest. A story was recently recounted to me of a popular TV chef who chose to raise little piglets on his show to insure that they were fed organic food and not injected with chemicals (as is the practice on most factory farms), all for the sake of fattening them up for their slaughter and another primetime recipe. Yet, the time that this chef spent with these pigs taught him a valuable lesson (more valuable for the pigs, no doubt). What he learned was how intelligent pigs are. In fact, in recent times, it is common knowledge for most that pigs are arguably more intelligent than “mans best friend” and companion, the dog. For our chef, this meant switching gears and realizing that he could not consciously kill this intelligent animal, that it would constitute a murder as brutal as slicing your fluffy pets neck and watching it writhe and bleed to death, or sticking an electric prod up its ass and electrocuting it, if the fur or skin is of value…

It may seem like I have just taken a turn to the graphically extreme, I wouldn’t want to make you “lose your lunch”, but these are the common practices perpetuated by the factory farm industry on millions of animals a day, in the name of your breakfast lunch and dinner. And, no, I’m not simply talking about pigs, but also cows, chickens, turkey, horses (that’s right horses. Everyday), and fish. Everyday, our species participates in the mass genocide of other species without care or concern or even questioning whether the violence that we ingest and condone plays any role in our apathetic support of the war machine we have become. How is it that we as human beings can represent both the highest and most developed and lowest and least concerned forms of intelligence of any living species? Are we simply glued to age-old barbaric traditions that cloud our senses and render us inhumane in our dependence on comfort foods and practices? Is our dependence on foreign oil the only thing we need to curb? What about not so foreign species?

Some might argue that artists are a race or species apart from the common person. Yet we all identify with the teachings of Gandhi, the genius of Einstein, the art of Leonardo Da Vinci, Picasso, Rembrandt and the talent and compassion of living artists like Alice Walker, Will Smith, The Mars Volta, Dead Prez, Prince and countless others. Some of us choose to emulate their styles, their fashion, their career choices, but why not their diets? If our brightest most celebrated stars all have this one thing in common why are we so slow in connecting the dots for ourselves? Perhaps the biggest issue at hand is not what our cars run on, but essentially what do we run on? The fact is that factory farms are the number one users of crude oil, not cars. That’s basically what it takes to kill approximately one million chickens per hour (just in the US). More than half of our water supply goes to feed animals being fattened for slaughter. The methane gases that contribute to global warming are produced majorly by cow farts in factory farms, not to mention the amount of fossil fuels needed to create just one pound of beef.

Yep. You doing the math? Basically if we shifted our compassion towards animals, the domino effect would heal the planet. We’d no longer be cutting down rain forests to create more space for cows to graze, we’d stop depleting the ocean of the necessary (keyword: necessary) food chains that our eco system depends on, diseases including many cancers, heart disease, obesity, and others which find their root in the food/toxins we ingest would slowly disappear as would our taste for violence.

Which brings me to the other book I read this summer that inspired me to reevaluate every aspect of what I’ve been taught through the news and media, especially concerning the war in Iraq and Afghanistan. That book is The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein.

So what are you reading?

I know what you should be listening to,

Niggy.

IN THIS EPISODE
NIGGY TALKS ABOUT HIS LATEST VIDEO, THE CONCEPT BEHIND IT & MORE

In slight protest to this, here’s one of the first tracks I ever heard from Saul Williams. Off of the Eargasms Crucialpoetics compilation.

Saul Williams – Twice The First Time

Link

FADERlabel artist Saul Williams is having quite a year, having released his Reznor-assisted Niggy Tardust album for free download to much fanfare, slayed SXSW, placed a song on a Nike ad, and generally taken his aesthetic to a level that none of us could have expected (and some of us have nightmares about). And it has all culminated in this new clip for “Convict Colony” directed by the same group of awesome weirdos who did the recent MGMT videos. We of course are biased so will avoid saying it’s the best thing ever, but it is safe to say that we are happy to be the first to put it into the universe.

In response to a relative’s typical comment about Hip-Hop being all about misogyny and violence. Took off the old songs and added others. Tekitha seriously needs to release her album already. Enjoy. Link

01. Qwel – If It Ain’t Been In A Pawn Shop, Then It Can’t Play The Blues
02. Wu-Tang Clan – I Can’t Go To Sleep
03. Saul Williams – Sha-Clack-Clack
04. Sage Francis – Threewrite (Reanimator Remix)
05. Rza & Tekitha – Build Strong
06. Common – Retrospect For Life
07. Pete Rock & CL Smooth – They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)
08. Last Emperor & Poetic – One Life
09. Kanye West – Self Conscious Poetry Style
10. Common – Be (Prod. By Kanye West)
11. Sage Francis – Inherited Scars
12. Black Star – Thieves In The Night

Not sure if Nike just used the same sample as Buck 65 or if this is actually an instrumental off his Vertex album. Pretty funny that Saul Williams is catching so much flack for his Nike commercial and Buck 65 pretty much flies under the radar. Or did I miss all the “Buck 65 is selling out” threads already? Link

Interview with Saul Williams regarding his most recent album The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust and the thought process behind it. Props to Ken Wilber and the Integral Institute. Link (via)

Part 1: The Rise and Liberation

Part 2: Deconstructing Niggy

“Niggy Tardust is about what it means to look at history and the present as a whole, as opposed to running away in disgust or bowing one’s head in guilt—saying ‘yes’ to all that has been, in full acknowledgement; saying ‘yes, all of those things convene in me….’”

In this talk, Saul describes his creative process while recording Niggy Tardust, and how he has been able to turn his life on and off the stage into a sort of “walking meditation,” so that he can harness all of the energy from performance, and focus it all into his creativity while working on the new album. He also discusses the connection between his poetry and his dancing, using his body to dictate the rhythms and cadence of his voice, whether he is rapping, singing, or reciting. By consciously bringing Spirit, mind, and body into mutual synchrony, we can open ourselves to a vast field of creative potential—and by creating from this transcendent space, the very same consciousness can be directly transmitted through artistic performance, as artist, artwork, and audience melt together into an absolutely singular experience, effortlessly unhindered by the this and that of dualistic thinking.

Saul offers an incredible walkthrough of The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, discussing the overall concept of the album, as well as an in-depth look at many of the songs. The album is about transcendence, pure and simple, as the title clearly states—whereas David Bowie used the Ziggy Stardust character to challenge people’s notions of sex, gender, and image, Niggy Tardust uses Hip Hop to challenge our attitudes of race, racism, and identity. It forces us to confront our accumulated fears, discomfort, and victimhood around some extremely sensitive issues, without the Novocain of political correctness or identity politics to numb our exposed nerve endings. He explains his effort to redefine the “N-word” itself—liberating a word synonymous with human oppression by allowing us to fully feel its power, its violence, and its pain. It is an attempt to infuse the profane with the sacred, a Tantric impulse to recognize all of existence as truly not-two, where Spirit can fully embrace even the darkest regions of our soul.

From what I’ve been reading, the tour is going well so be sure not to miss out! Link

Wed, Apr 9, 2008 @ 8:00 PM
$15.00

The Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza
17 Irving Place
New York, NY 10003

Footage of Saul Williams performing at this year’s South by Southwest festival. More videos after the jump.

see also:
Why Did Nike Do A Saul Williams Commercial? [video]

Saul Williams ain’t promoting Nike, it’s the other way around. At least that’s his perspective. This has made the rounds but just wanted to make sure people get a chance to see. Track and commercial after the jump. (v i a)

related: Krs-One Explains Why He’s Not Selling Out, Authenticity Is The New Business Model

update: Some comments by Saul Williams after the jump. Long read but definitely a must.

Download Saul Williams – List Of Demands (Reparations)

My better Nike

FYI guys Nike sales don’t actually fluctuate much based on their ad campaigns, they pretty much stay the same, based on actual sports figures. However, the amount of interest in the artists they feature does seem to raise. So, I repeat:

The question is not why is Saul Williams doing a Nike commercial, but rather, why is Nike doing a Saul Williams commercial? Could it somehow be related to why McDonalds is selling veggie burgers , car companies are creating hybrids, or Wal-Mart is going green? Is there any relation between the Niggy Tardust lyrics, “ …Paint him on your lunchbox or your thermos for a fee…side effects may include simply doing what you say..” and NikeResponsibility.com? Even if Nike is only making changes in their business tactics in response to the heat they”ve caught, they’ve actually gone to the point of now being a leader in getting foreign governments (and it’s the governments that have major changes to make) to stop child factory labor. Fact is, when I lived in Brasil, the city I lived in only offered high school classes at night because most kids my age had to work during the day (in their case, farms not factories). By day, many of them were picking fruit that we find in our grocery stores here. Now pose yourself this question: if you made veggie burgers for a living, filled with vitamins and all sorts of goodies intended to boost the immune system and support a healthy heart and Wendy’s contacted you and said, “Hey, we’d like to carry your veggie burgers in our store” would you become excited about all the people who might now experience the wonderful effects and health benefits of your veggie burger or would you say, “Fuck you! You and your cows are depleting the rain forest” and let them get their veggie burger from someone else (who uses egg whites in their mix)? { What if you could get them to start using biodegradable stuff to wrap them in? what if they decided to use it on all of their products? }

Ofcourse, you could also opt to open your own business and slowly begin to learn what it takes (and takes) to expand your vision. Or not.

The revolution is not eco-elitist. It involves leaving enough slack in the rope for the existing norm to change it’s ways, shift it’s patterns, and apply our growing concerns to new business models. There is certainly a time when a loud and emphatic NO! achieves the best result, but there are also times to invite those who have known no better into the broader realm of discussion and be a part of the paradigm shift.

I actually sat with the global director of Nike last week (yes, he got a chance to hang with Niggy for a day) and learned first hand about the history and the changes implemented in the corporation and it’s factories. A corporation, I might add, that ain’t going out of business anytime soon. What they hope to accomplish, factory-wise, by 2011 is pretty complex and if they are able to do it, it will effect many other brands and how they do business as well. I’m not trying to make them out to be the messiah or anything, I’m simply saying that if you think your cynical analysis as to why I would allow my song to play in that commercial is more their master plan than mine then maybe you’re giving too much power to the corporate entities and too little to the age and times we are living in. Maybe you don’t realize the power of artists and of art.

See, my activism has taken me from sticking my middle finger up at people who think differently than me to engaging in dialogue with those in position to make changes while realizing the power of my/our influence in these discussions. I didn’t go into business with Nike, they went into business with me and now begins the process of them putting their money where my mouth is. We talked about sports camps in inner cities, Africa, India, and Asia. We talked about scholarships. And as stated earlier, yes, we definitely talked about sweat shops and child labor.

I am with you in not trusting the media and the so-called powers that be, but if those powers have made us less than exuberant about being alive, less than imaginative about the change that we might create in our lifetime, less than aware of the fact that the powers of being will always prevail over the powers that be, then you’re already wearing the suit that you have rejected. The uniformity of cynicism that appeals to the intellectual elite, to the do-gooders, and the so-called rebels of our times is bad business for creative prosperity. We need to focus our energy on the creative upliftment of our times. Imagine the best possible results and begin manifesting them.

Measure the conceit of your choices. Are you defined by how much you’ve said No to or by the passion of your Yes? Your choices are your own. Your decisions are your own. Do not surrender the power of your perspective to cliché forms of analysis. We grow and learn, just like mega-corporations. We surrender our lesser practices for new and improved means of achieving our goals. As we raise our standards so does the world around us.

ps: Lose your cynicism. It’s way more powerful than ignorance, simply because it is pointed. If you are amongst us hoping and praying for change, do not invest in the negative “what if” conversations without realizing that you may be feeding that possibility by focused projection.

—————————————————————–

Three of my books are published by MTV and I discuss my reasons for that in the middle of ,said the shotgun. Now is the MTV/Viacom machine much different than NIke? Probably not. I’ve sat with those executives too. My first album was distributed by Sony/Columbia, I met with those executives too. My film Slam was distributed by Trimark, I met with those executives too. I say all this to say that if you wish to think that I am now working from within the system, then you should probably conclude that I have been all along. But in my, opinion, you’ll still be giving too much power to “the system” and not enough power to the fact that I all I have done is used the existing infrastructure to crumble it. That was my goal with Slam and remains. It is not contradictory to my stating that many in commercial hip hop are stating, believing, or teaching that money is power. In fact I’m actually demonstrating how we can use our collective spirit, our power, our insight, and their money against them. By the way, I am participating in this discussion because I think it’s important that all would be revolutionaries upgrade their idea of how, when, and why, and through what means the revolution takes place. Ofcourse, my perspective is that it is internal: a shift of ideals, values etc, and then a re-application of ones wealth, spirit, and intelligence as applied to the world at large. Think of the number of people who either, one, know nothing of Nike’s practices past or present, never even considered holding a corporation responsible for being about change, maybe even some of them are athletes (and most atheletes have a very different perspective of the Nike brand and corporation), two, think of the many people that never hear of me until now, who saw the commercial, researched the song, listened to the lyrics, sought out more material and are now on the path of possibly thinking in new ways about themselves, about art, about the media, about race, about America, etc. (they’re sending me long letters on myspace), three, think of the computer you’re typing on, who made it? where? using what? from where? and realize that the inevitable rise and liberation of us all is dependent on threads like this as much as they are dependent on artists like Sage, or people like you, and that all of us have a lot of growing up to do, alot to contemplate and question, and that standing firm on your position is much easier at times than re-thinking, forgiving, broadening your scope etc. The fact is, I chose to do the ad, because i remembered the time when I wouldn’t and I needed practice in articulating why and how my views had expanded. It was the same thing that I was attempting to express in the song Niggy Tardust with the “paint him on your lunchbox” line. I think you move through ranks with your learning. Just as I have expressed that I went through times when I hated white people and that those times were preceded by times when I wished I was white, and am now looking at a bigger, broader, and more compassionate picture, I have also, grown alot in my perspective as to why I create art, how I choose to package, market, or sell it, and what it all means to my proccess. I certainly used to think that anyone who made money off their art was a sellout. I grew out of that when I was offered an initial 7 grand to make Slam which was more money than I ever had in my life. Then I learned about getting short changed etc., playing my cards differently etc. However, throughout all of my growth process you seldom hear me talk about money in my work. why? ’cause it ain’t the lesson I’ve aimed to teach. We got enough emcees teaching that lesson, and I’m actually not dissing when I say that. I think what Jay z has taught drug dealers about flipping their loot into legitimacy is really important. The CIA wasn’t gonna teach that after they brought the drugs in, so more power to him. He actually upgraded alot of the community with that. And so did many others. That discussion is not my forte though. What I’m trying to show now is that even my perspective on those rappers you hear me talk about on the wakeup show has shifted in the time between then and now. Not that I think their views are any less republican, simply that I’ve found a better way of expressing my perspective and also a clearer insight into the pro’s of their actions instead of only voicing the cons, which is basically just easy. Think Malcolm X vs. El Hajj Malik el Shabazz. Most of us prefer Malcolm X, Just like many people love to hear me spit Amethyst Rocks. Why? ’cause we like that anger and it’s willfully destructive qualities. But there’s something that comes after that. And if u stick around for a minute you begin to learn from and through your anger and channel it into a more articulate rage. That’s the difference between amethyst Rocks and , Saiid the Shotgun. me then and me now. I’m blossoming y’all and I really dig it, even if you don’t.

—————————————————————–

1. Is white privilege ever mentioned or the varying modes of dissent in different communities? Does anyone acknowledge that my largely white underground fanbase may be upset by the ad but that a grand majority of the people my music addresses may not have had me under their radar until now?… Including those who would most readily benefit from ‘reparations’, who are now swopping airforce ones online, and have given little thought to corporate integrity suddenly are exposed to these ideas and more through my work?

Two quotes come to mind here:
“If I contradict myself it is because I contain multitudes”
Walt Whitman

“I contradict myself? I contradict myself!”
Oscar Wilde

2. The next thing that comes to mind is cynicism and those who define their political consciousness by mere dissent and what they say no to versus what they are open to and the power of their Yes. I think of this primarily because when I spoke to a Nike exec last week and asked if they were aware of the hate they get from the thinking few, which was really my way of bringing up Nikeresponsibility.com to see how real it was, I was surprised by the steps they are taking and the people they are bringing in to help them shift their corporation. This has made me contemplate how the activist responds when their rally cry is heard. Are
we prepared to show love to those who begin to correct their wrongs or do we damn them to hell? As an ‘AfricanAmerican’, I’ve had to learn to be very forgiving towards people who in many cases simply knew no better and didn’t realize the weight of their comments or actions on me.

By the way, what struck me the most about visiting the Nike headquarters was not that they were corporate vampires, but they were all ex-athletes and coaches who had gotten injured or retired and started working with Nike. That whole ‘did u see the game?’ mentality was the main vibe of the whole place. Very different from a corporate empire as I might imagine. No suits, just basketball hoops in offices, blaring sports center moniters, and story swopping about their kids playing for whatever school and winning or losing. They were a bunch of jocks who thought my music was great to work out to and then found that it resonated a little deeper with each listen. I didn’t know it was founded by two track stars (one was Prefontaines coach and is credited with
bringing/popularizing jogging to the states) who were hired by Tiger, a japanese training shoe company, who eventually left the company to start their own using their Tiger connections..thus the asian factory connection. Ofcourse the cultural norm in other lands, in particular in regards to working age and hours can be pretty fucked outside of our zone of priviege. And the fact is, smaller US companies benefit from these practices now more than Nike, but because of their size and dimension, Nike is one of the few who can actually make demands to the governments of these countries to change their ways, which is the only way to truly end child labor or sweatshops when it is a cultural norm. It was interesting to learn of how most of the higher ups started paying
attention to this only because their kids started asking questions. So then they started asking questions and are now in the middle of a major shift, just like the record industry, just like America. Just like me, I might add. I’ve gone from saying fuck you to those I disagree with to actually sitting down with them and realizing that I could influence their behavior better through dialogue. An example of this is how Kanye’s Diamonds are from Sierre Leone song came about. It was originally entitled Diamonds are Forever, but when my producing partner, Tiffany Persons sent a treatment that I wrote of a doc we were then working on about the relationship between the attrocities surrounding diamond mines in Africa and Hip Hop and the African American population,
he actually called us saying he had no clue and could we come give him a crash course. So we did. First he changed the name of the song, then he had me come sit with him and Hype Williams as they mapped out a video tracing a diamond from a mine to a showcase. Years earlier, I had had a pretty big argument with my girlfriend of the time, a friend of Hypes, who had invited him to dinner with us, where I had refused to say a word to him cause I couldn’t stand his effect on hip hop through his affiliation with puffy and such…

Anyway, back to my Nike tour, i actually couldn’t believe how much money sports generate, which is great when I remember that just last year I was thinking of national sports teams being possibly the best alternative to war. People need something to do with their nationalism. Anyway, as u can see, I learned and am learning a lot through this little gesture of saying yes where in the past I would have said no.

Its funny cause my new year resolution back in 2002 was to say yes to whatever comes, cause I had spent previous years saying No to so much and I wanted to see if I could trust the possibility of the universe bringing things my way for my growth and spiritual prosperity rather than for the sake or test of my rejection. That year, the thing I said yes to was the TV show Girlfriends, a UPN sitcom produced by Kelsey Grammar. Not only did I learn not to judge a book by its cover by meeting and interacting with the super-smart and funny women who created and star in the show, who raised politicized questions behind the scenes about their characters and lines in ways I never imagined they would, but I also met, Persia, whose boyfreind I played on the show, and is now
my wife (its been 30 days!).

This year my new years resolution was to accept greater responsibility. The definition of responsibility that I like best has primarily to do with handling greater amounts of energy. To me, this involves not shying away from anything from responding to emails or song liscensing requests even though the repercussions may demand more of my attention than I feel like giving. In the case of this commercial which uses my song, I really do believe that its my song that’s using the commercial. And no I do not stand behind all the harm that major corporations can and have done to humanity and that also goes for Apple (which aint green) and countless others that I believe we will make more responsible for their actions through dialogue such as this and by the mere evolution of our
awareness. And yes, also by the power of our dissent. Creative dissent makes the biggest waves it seems. But sometimes saying No or Fuck you is way to easy when we ostracize a world of change we could create. Blah Blah. Pull this van over I gotta piss.

Grippo,

Saul

]]> http://grandgood.com/2008/04/05/why-did-nike-do-a-saul-williams-commercial-video/feed/ 12 http://grandgood.com/2008/01/30/the-tar-spangled-banner-tour-feat-saul-williams-312-423/ http://grandgood.com/2008/01/30/the-tar-spangled-banner-tour-feat-saul-williams-312-423/#comments Thu, 31 Jan 2008 03:22:25 +0000 Ming-Tzu http://grandgood.com/2008/01/30/the-tar-spangled-banner-tour-feat-saul-williams-312-423/

Saul Williams going on tour soon. I’ve never had the chance to see him live so I’m definitely going to try and hit up that NY date. This was taken from his most recent newsletter.

mysp*ce.com/saulwilliams

3/12 Austin, TX @ SXSW Austin Convention Center, 5:30pm [music]
3/13 Austin, TX @ SXSW [music]
3/17 Vancouver BC @ Plaza Club, 8pm [music]
3/18 Portland, OR @ Aladdin, 8pm [music]
3/19 Seattle WA @ Neumo’s, 8pm [music]
3/21 San Francisco, CA @ Slims, 8pm [music]
3/22 Santa Barbara, CA @ Club Mercy, 8pm [music]
3/24 San Diego, CA @ Casbah, 8pm [music]
3/25 Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour, 8pm [music]
3/26 Tempe, AZ @ Clubhouse [music]
3/27 Phoenix, AZ @ Chandler Gilbert Community College, 8pm [spoken word]
3/28 Phoenix, AZ @ Estrella Mountain Community College, 8pm [spoken word]
3/29 Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad, 8pm [music]
3/31 Dallas, TX @ The Loft, 8pm [music]


4/01 Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live Studio, 8pm [music]
4/03 New Orleans, LA @ The Parish, 8pm [music]
4/04 Atlanta, GA @ The Loft, 8pm [music]
4/06 Annapolis, MD @ Ramshead, 8pm [music]
4/07 Washington, DC @ 930 Club, 8pm [music]
4/08 Boston, MA @ Paradise, 8pm [music]
4/09 New York, NY @ Irving Plaza, 8pm [music]
4/11 Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero, 8pm [music]
4/12 Northampton, MA @ Iron Horse, 8pm [music]
4/13 Montreal QC @ La Tulipe, 8pm [music]
4/14 Toronto ONT @ Mod Club, 8pm [music]
4/16 Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig, 8pm [music]
4/17 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop, 8pm [music]
4/18 Chicago, IL @ Martyrs, 8pm [music]
4/19 Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theatre, 8pm [music]
4/21 Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre, 8pm [music]
4/22 Aspen, CO @ Belly Up, 8pm [music]
4/23 Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court, 8pm [music]

]]> http://grandgood.com/2008/01/30/the-tar-spangled-banner-tour-feat-saul-williams-312-423/feed/ 1 http://grandgood.com/2008/01/10/if-i-could-redo-everything-and-start-again-i-think-having-a-physical-product-is-a-good-thing-trent-reznor-from-new-interview-on-niggytardust/ http://grandgood.com/2008/01/10/if-i-could-redo-everything-and-start-again-i-think-having-a-physical-product-is-a-good-thing-trent-reznor-from-new-interview-on-niggytardust/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:48:09 +0000 g http://grandgood.com/2008/01/10/if-i-could-redo-everything-and-start-again-i-think-having-a-physical-product-is-a-good-thing-trent-reznor-from-new-interview-on-niggytardust/ Trent Reznor still coming to terms with the sales for NiggyTardust. And although he alludes to the idea that music is ultimately “free”, he still feels that a physical product is worthwhile. At this point in time anyway. Down the line, when digital distribution has an even stronger sense of ubiquity, will that continue to ring true? Vinyl heads, state your case. Interview with Saul Williams, who supposedly has a very different perspective, forthcoming tomorrow. Link

What did you learn from the experience?
If I could redo everything and start again, I think having a physical product is a good thing. I think that having some more coordination on our part–and I’ll take the blame on that because there was an urgency to get this done and get it out that I was the ringleader for–I think if we could wave a magic wand and do it again I think being able to offer an inexpensive version in addition to a premium physical product that could be shipped out afterward.

On day one you can buy it online and it’s also in the store. But the manufacturing (of CDs) is the leak (to file-sharing sites) for everything and the leak is important to get around. The leak blows momentum. It happens and it’s going to happen on every release there is. It’s a fact of life. But that leak happens once it leaves mastering and goes to manufacturing, if it hasn’t by then, then it certainly does at that point. I like the energy of release day, the excitement of watching blogs light up and bulletin boards. I think that’s an important spike in attention. And the only way I can see to accommodate a physical release if it goes to manufacturing after the thing is in the hands of people. But I do think there is a need for presence in physical retail.

see also:
Saul Williams’ NiggyTardust Album A Flop?
Niggy Tardust Presented By Saul Williams For Online Release Only, Free If You Want It To Be

]]> http://grandgood.com/2008/01/10/if-i-could-redo-everything-and-start-again-i-think-having-a-physical-product-is-a-good-thing-trent-reznor-from-new-interview-on-niggytardust/feed/ 0 http://grandgood.com/2008/01/03/saul-williams%e2%80%99-niggytardust-album-a-flop/ http://grandgood.com/2008/01/03/saul-williams%e2%80%99-niggytardust-album-a-flop/#comments Fri, 04 Jan 2008 03:56:00 +0000 Ming-Tzu http://grandgood.com/2008/01/03/saul-williams%e2%80%99-niggytardust-album-a-flop/ Trent Reznor seems to think so. In his most recent blog entry, the Nine Inch Nails mastermind who was behind the production for Saul Williams‘ latest album “The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust” reveals some bleak statistics. If you don’t recall, the album was made available for free in 192kbps mp3 format. However, a $5 contribution gives you the option of downloading higher quality audio files. Looks like only one in five downloaders actually paid. Was this even a surprise? Didn’t buying an album on the strength of an artist’s reputation die with the introduction of cheap, high speed internet connections? Unfortunately, if sales for this album are any indication, it seems so. Link (via)

It’s a strange time to be an artist in the recording business. It’s pretty easy to see what NOT to do these days, but less obvious to know what’s right. As I find myself free from the bloated bureaucracy of major labels, finally able to do whatever I want… well, what is that? What is the “right” way to release records, treat your music and your audience with respect and attempt to make a living as well? I have a number of musician friends who are either in a similar situation or feel they soon will be, and it’s a real source of anxiety and uncertainty. I’d like to share my experience releasing Saul Williams’ “The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust” and what I’ve learned from the process. Perhaps by revealing of all our data – our “dirty laundry” – we can contribute to a better solution.

A quick history: Saul makes a great record that I produce. We can’t find the right home at a major label. We decide to release it ourselves, digitally. Saul does not have limitless financial resources so we shop around for a company that can fulfill our needs. We choose Musicane because they are competent and are willing to adapt to what we want. The results are here: niggytardust.com

We offer the entire record free (as in totally free to the visitor – we pay bandwidth costs) as 192 MP3s, or for $5 you can choose higher fidelity versions and feel good about supporting the artist directly. We offer all major CCs and PayPal as payment options.
Here’s what I was thinking: Fans are interested in music as soon as it’s available (that’s a good thing, remember) and usually that’s a leak from the label’s manufacturing plants. Offering the record digitally as its first appearance in the marketplace eliminates that problem. I thought if you offered the whole record free at reasonable quality – no strings attached – and offered a hassle free way to show support that clearly goes straight to the artists who made it at an unquestionably low price people would “do the right thing”. I know, I know…

Well, now I DO know and you will too.

Saul’s previous record was released in 2004 and has sold 33,897 copies.

As of 1/2/08,
154,449 people chose to download Saul’s new record.
28,322 of those people chose to pay $5 for it, meaning:
18.3% chose to pay.

Of those paying,

3220 chose 192kbps MP3
19,764 chose 320kbps MP3
5338 chose FLAC

Keep in mind not one cent was spent on marketing this record. The only marketing was Saul and myself talking as loudly as we could to anybody that would listen.

If 33,897 people went out and bought Saul’s last record 3 years ago (when more people bought CDs) and over 150K – five times as many – sought out this new record, that’s great – right? I have to assume the people knowing about this project must either be primarily Saul or NIN fans, as there was very little media coverage outside our direct influence. If that assumption is correct – that most of the people that chose to download Saul’s record came from his or my own fan-base – is it good news that less than one in five feel it was worth $5? I’m not sure what I was expecting but that percentage – primarily from fans – seems disheartening. Add to that: we spent too much (correction, I spent too much) making the record utilizing an A-list team and studio, Musicane fees, an old publishing deal, sample clearance fees, paying to give the record away (bandwidth costs), and nobody’s getting rich off this project.

But…

Saul’s music in in more people’s iPods than ever before and people are interested in him. He’ll be touring throughout the year and we will continue to get the word out however we can. So – if you’re an artist looking to utilize this method of distribution, make of these figures what you will and hopefully this info is enlightening.

Best,
TR

see also:
Niggy Tardust Presented By Saul Williams For Online Release Only, Free If You Want It To Be
Saul Williams and Trent Reznor Discuss Their New Collaboration, MP3s and OiNK

]]> http://grandgood.com/2008/01/03/saul-williams%e2%80%99-niggytardust-album-a-flop/feed/ 5 http://grandgood.com/2007/12/05/not-that-it-matters-but-prodigy-should-win-best-hip-hop-album-in-this-years-plug-awards/ http://grandgood.com/2007/12/05/not-that-it-matters-but-prodigy-should-win-best-hip-hop-album-in-this-years-plug-awards/#comments Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:38:11 +0000 g http://grandgood.com/2007/12/05/not-that-it-matters-but-prodigy-should-win-best-hip-hop-album-in-this-years-plug-awards/

And it really doesn’t matter, to me anyway (Yet oddly I’m still posting about it, therefore I conclude I wish it didn’t matter to me, but it actually does. But it probably matters to me in a negative way. Alrighty, public display of introspection done for the day.). And the nominees are: Link

Aesop Rock – None Shall Pass (Definitive Jux)
Black Milk – Popular Demand (Fat Beats)
Brother Ali – The Undisputed Truth (Rhymesayers)
Busdriver – RoadKillOvercoat (Epitaph/Anti-)
Devin The Dude – Waitin’ To Inhale (Rap-A-Lot)
Dizzee Rascal – Maths + English (XL)
El-P – I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead (Definitive Jux)
Lifesavas – Gutterfly:The Original Soundtrack (Quannum)
Little Brother – Getback (ABB)
Prodigy – Return Of The Mac (Koch)
Sage Francis – Human the Death Dance (Epitaph)
Saul Williams – The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of NiggyTardust (The FADER Label)

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