You're Not As Dead As You Seem (a music review)

First Impression Music Review

Saul Williams - The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust A-

Have you ever wondered what Nine inch Nails would sound like if Trent Reznor was black? Well wonder no longer.

Produced by Trent Reznor, Niggy Tardust is vital and brimming with urgency. I found it immediately likable, innovative, and raw. Williams holds nothing back, "Killer, blood spiller Bitch, steal a mac truck/Bad luck fuckin' with this black buck/Bigger Thomas, I promise/Leave a corpse in the furnace" (The Ritual).

While Tr(N)igger is sure to play repeatedly on my ipod, this Public Enemy sampled track gets my blood pumping and juices flowing (a great song for the gym). Furthermore, I read that many of these yrics are from his 2006 poetry book, The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop.

This is an ambitious effort by Williams, and with one or two fewer tracks (there's 20 including the bonus tracks) this would probably be a classic. But as it stands it's pretty damn good!

"Freakshow hear him speak so properly cuz every word is/Measured against meaning probably scheming to unlearn us/Don't you call him by his name, white people call him Curtis" (Niggy Tardust).