saul williams

Saul Williams came to public attention after the release of the internationally acclaimed film Slam (dir. Marc Levin), which he co-wrote and starred in, introducing the world to the Slam Poetry movement, and winning Sundance's Grand Jury Prize and the Cannes Camera D'Or, in 1998. 

As an actor, Saul was a series regular as “Sivad” on the CW's Girlfriends and has appeared in a handful of films including: K-Pax, Lackawanna Blues, New York, I Love You, and most recently the French-Senegalese Aujourd'hui- TEY (dir. Alain Gomis) which won 2013's L'Etalon D'Or at FESPACO, where Saul was the first African-American to win Best Actor in the largest and oldest African film festival. TEY was also awarded The Prize of the City at The Venice Film Festival. In 2014, Saul made his Broadway debut as the lead in Broadway's first hip-hop musical, Holler If Ya Hear Me, based on the lyrics and poetry of Tupac Shakur. He stars in the film Akilla’s Escape which will premiere at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival, and is currently working on his Directorial Debut Neptune Frost.

Saul has performed in over 30 countries and read his poetry at over 300 universities, with invitations that have spanned from the White House, the Sydney Opera House, Lincoln Center, The Louvre, The Getty Center, Queen Elizabeth Hall, to villages, townships, community centers, and prisons across the world. Saul has published five books of poetry which have been translated into several languages. Saul’s writings and lesson plans surrounding his work have been added to the curriculum of schools and universities around the world.

As a musician, Saul has released six albums and toured or collaborated with dozens of artists including: Kanye West, Nas, Janelle Monae, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine, The Roots, Mos Def, The Mars Volta, David Cross, Allen Ginsburg, Amiri Baraka, Gil Scott-Heron, Jose James, Arthur H, Camille, Ayo, TV On The Radio, System Of A Down, KRS ONE, DJ Krust, DJ Spooky, Cold Cut, Matisyahu, Blackalicious, K'naan, K-OS, and Erykah Badu.