Saul Williams — The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust

‘The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust’ is a cooperation between poet/rapper Saul Williams and musician/producer Trent Reznor (of Nine Inch Nails fame.) Most of the music seems to be the work of Reznor, while Williams — as the heading artist — brings the vocals, the lyrical message and the hip-hop fundamentals. There is also a bunch of guest musicians featured, including Thavius Beck, CX KiDTRONiK and Ikey Owens.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit I know shit about hip-hop. You can’t claim to know something about a street-culture without having been part of it, and — let’s face it — most of us haven’t. I do, however, know a thing or nine about genre-defying music, because it’s exactly the kind of shit I love. When the purists wrinkle their powdered, little nose-jobs and turn away, I’m one of those few, blissed-out freaks, dancing like a dervish on a cocktail of e and binaural beats.

Thus, this album is probably more suited for me and my ilk than for the people who believe that hip-hop should stay “pure” (whatever the fuck that is.) If you took a ’38 to my genitals and forced me to categorise it, I’d call it a cross between hip-hop, trip-hop and industrial with a sharp dash of rock’n’roll sensibility. That’s just label wankery, though, so don’t get your straight-lacing caught on it.

I’ve heard Saul Williams on occasion, before, and I’m a bit of a Nine Inch Nails fan, so I realised from the outset that The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust was going to take some serious, fucking listening. In retrospect, I wouldn’t say my assumption was wrong, but the album isn’t as hard to get into as I thought it would be. I guess for an old Saul Williams fan, the gritty soundscapes and the change of tone could seem awkward and abstruse. Me, I was grinning with maniacal delight after the first track.

There’s a heavy dose of Fragile-era Nine Inch Nails, here, counterpointing William’s rapping, vocal experimentation and lyrical cunnilingus. Williams was apparently involved in the latest NIN album, and it’s not hard to find similarities. In fact, NiggyTardust partially sounds like what some of us would have preferred on NIN’s Year Zero. To summarise for the contextually challenged: if you don’t like distorted noise, luv, stay the fuck away, because this shit detonates. It’s down, it’s rhythmic, it’s jagged and it’s got a message that rolls you over like the boots of a thousand outcasts, headed for emancipation.

If you’ve heard anything Reznor has produced in the last ten years, I won’t have to tell you that the production values on this album are immaculate. There’s a fine balance between letting sounds stand out and make their mark and getting everything to fit neatly together in a soundscape, and Reznor has become a master at the craft. With someone as talented and quirky as Williams to work with, the results can hardly be any less stimulating than french-kissing an open junction box.

I’m not going to do a track rundown because this album needs your own attention. Every song stands by itself, and is a part of the whole. The message is clear, even when Williams gets esoteric: step out, embrace yourself and those around you; refuse to be disciplined by a culture that doesn’t accept you; trust yourself, trust your friends and your love of freedom. It’s a black man’s song, but it goes out to all of us. Listen. Learn.

There are a thousand reasons why you should get this album instead of any other, and not all of them have to do with the music in itself. Trent Reznor has recently become terminally disenchanted with record labels, and so he and Willams decided to release this album exclusively via the ‘net, without any ties to publishers. The 192kbps MP3 version is free. Yes, you heard me; LAME 3.97, 192kpbs MP3, encoded directly from the source material, completely free, directly off the site — no questions asked. For a $5 fee you get FLAC or 320kbps MP3. Also included is a beautifully done PDF document with lyrics, art and credits. If you’re one of the people who’ve complained about the evil traditions of the music industry, here’s a chance to make a difference. It’ll only cost you a measly five bucks and you’ll get an awesome album for your money. Don’t sit there, staring, you slobbering, anthropoid mutt! Go fucking buy it!

Originally written by guest reviewer Ahnion & published on November 20,2007, elsewhere