Dead emcee scrolls4/19/2023 AMB: In Chapter 23 of NGH WHAT you say, 'You must stop letting cities define you' which I feel has such crucial implications for hip-hop America. AMB: When did you come up with the premise for the Dead Emcee Scrolls? SW: About four years ago. Depends on how much of me you feel you can handle. AMB: Do you think you are as good on paper as you are in person? SW: I am a person who writes on paper. If we could make these choices rather than entering fields simply for the money, we would be a step closer to living in a world devoid of heartless business, i.e. AMB: What is the number one thing people need to know for the world to change and war to cease right now? SW: All it takes for the world to change is for each one of us to make our career choices based on what we believe to be our calling, what we feel we were born or created to do and be. I shied away when they started asking me to read poems about candy bars and cars. When I first graduated from acting school I used to audition for "voice-work". For example, voicing an animated character in a Hayao Miyazaki-esque film feature with black and/or African characters? SW: I would love to do that sort of work, and the characters needn't be Black or African for me to do it. AMB: Would you be interested - and do you think your magic would resonate - in voice work. Joi's new album, Tennessee Slim is the Bomb, CX Kidtronik's Krak Attack!, and Jay Dee's Donuts. AMB: What books, music, or films can you not put down right now? SW: Fear of Flying by Erica Jong, and The Gift by Hafiz. For films, Slam, Mary Poppins, Naked, and Farewell My Concubine. Temple of my Familiar by Alice Walker, The Famished Road by Ben Okri, and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. What's important is that the youth feel inspired to creatively express themselves as opposed to "being seen but not heard." AMB: What books, music, or films changed your life? SW: Autobiography of Malcolm X, autobiography of Assata Shakur, and of Miles Davis. A few bad poems/songs can't stop our progression. The spoken word movement is ongoing and definitely a place where young people are learning to articulate the way in which they'd like to see the world evolve. As long as we're making songs about dances, I'm pleased (and dancing). There's a lot of new energy in hip hop, right now, primarily from the South. AMB: What's hurting more - hip hop, or the spoken word scene? SW: Neither. WireTap recently talked with Saul Williams about his new book and the sources of his inspiration.Īdrienne Maree Brown: Have you ever thought of turning Shotgun To The Head or other pieces into a play or film? Saul Williams: Yes, I've been working on a one-man show that incorporates a lot of my poetry. Read it if you love hip-hop and read it, if you want some exploration and contradiction and wonder for your journey. It's not the same as watching him live, but there is a joy to being able to sit back and sift through the meaning, underlining the beautiful and powerful lines. The poems - many of which will be familiar to fans of Williams' live shows - unfold in tight, wild and deep verses, which make you want to head-bop in your chair. His recent book, The Dead Emcee Scrolls puts forth the premise that on an underground subway graffiti tour, a young Williams stumbled across indecipherable scrolls, which became his first rhymes. He played the leading role in the highly praised film, Slam that tells a story about a young man who discovers the power of poetry in prison. In addition to publishing The Seventh Octave, She and ,Said the Shotgun to the Head, Williams has also released two albums. Williams has been an active performer poet and teacher for over a decade. On stage and on paper he captures a true MC spirit and establishes a furious, hypnotic hip-hop flow, as he tackles serious subjects from god to love to music to power to poverty. Saul Williams has been acclaimed as the 'Hip Hop Poet Laureate' and for good reason.
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