49: Saul Williams on His Hero’s Journey to Actor, Activist, Spoken Word Champion, and Musician

Welcome back to At the End of the Tunnel, a podcast that shines a light on the backstories of people who've taken a leap of faith away from convention and toward helping or inspiring people through their story, their work, or, in the case of today’s guest, their art.

Saul Williams is a multi-talented rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in films like the 1998 independent film, Slam.

Like this generation’s Harry Belafonte, Saul is first and foremost an activist whose medium is song. Themes that show up in his work include social justice, race, gender, and capitalism, and he has gone on to collaborate with the likes of Nine Inch Nails, NAS, Allen Ginsburg, and Rick Rubin.

Though he has been interviewed countless times during his prolific career, today’s conversation focuses on his backstory, diving deep into his upbringing as the son of a minister and an educator, both of whom were activists as well. Saul describes the moment that he discovered his passion for spoken word, which happened almost by accident, and how he had been preparing for that moment without even realizing it.

He also touches on his unlikely path to starring in Slam when he wasn’t the director’s first choice and explains why he decided to get into music later, a leap of faith that surprised even him. Tune in today to learn more about the incredible, inimitable Saul Williams!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Saul reflects on his favorite activities as a child and why he says he was never bored.
• Hear about Saul’s family heritage and his personal relationship with the church, activism, and the Civil Rights Movement.
• How Broadway, gospel music, and Shakespeare influenced his decision to become an actor.
• A moment in Saul’s life that influenced his view of the socialization process going forward.
• The exposure he had to queer and trans communities growing up in New York.
• How Saul envisioned his life playing out as a teen when he was enrolled in acting school.
• How attending acting courses at Spelman helped Saul discover the intersection between Black art, expression, feminism, and progression.
• How performing ‘Amethyst Rocks’ at Brooklyn Moon Cafe in 1995 officially opened the doors to his career as a poet.
• The feeling that he was on the precipice of calling that night, reciting a poem he had written.
• Why checking his ego as a poet was important; there was no room for braggadocio.
• What Saul means when he says that he sees poetry as an algorithm, a coded language.
• How practicing meditation helped him question the role of ego and remain centered.
• Being on the cusp of the spoken word movement in New York and his responsibility to ensure that what he wrote was open and progressive.
• Hear about Saul’s path to acting in Slam when he was originally meant to write for the film.
• Looking back to his childhood and seeing how Saul’s imagination has come into play throughout his life.

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