Saul Williams

The Leap Life Album Tour

For nearly three decades, Saul Williams has moved across music, poetry, literature and film without allowing himself to be constrained by genres. As a musician and poet, he has developed an expression in which the spoken word can carry the same emotional force as song.

His musical roots range from black church sermons and Fela Kuti's intense afrobeat monologues to Jim Morrison's theatrical narratives, Tricky's trip hop experiments and the poetry of open mic scenes. At Leap Life, Williams speaks, fairs, and improvises over fluid arrangements that unite spoken word, jazz, hip hop, West African rhythms, ambient and ceremonial sound design.

Williams has released six albums and, throughout his career, has toured and collaborated with artists such as Nas, Janelle Monáe, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against the Machine, The Roots, Mos Def, Gil Scott-Heron, and Erykah Badu. Most recently, he released the Grammy-nominated collaboration with Carlos Niño, Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends at TreePeople.