In Pictures: Saul Williams

The Roxy | Los Angeles, CA | 13 November 2009 | Flickr Set

Heralded for his spoken word, poetry, and “alternative” hip hop, a term likely needed as much for the depth of substance in his lyrics atypical of popular hip hop as it is for his incorporation of other musical styles into its construction, Saul Williams performed at the Roxy in Los Angeles on a recent Friday the 13th, headlining the Afro-Punk tour.

And he rocked the hell out of the place.

Williams emerged from back stage, feathers in hair and paint covering his face, taking on his ‘Niggy Tardust’ persona, an obvious nod to David Bowie’s glam rock persona with just as obvious racial overtones mixed in, invented for his most recent album. Williams ripped through a set spanning his catalogue, incorporating material as early as “Sha-Clack-Clack,” a spoken word piece from the film Slam he starred in ten years ago to new material yet unreleased. Perhaps the biggest surprise of his set was the merging Björk’s “Declare Independence” into his own songs, descending into the audience to dance with the moshers.

As if the tour hadn’t given us enough art through the music present, Los Angeles-based artist Mear One took up residence in a corner of the stage for most of the night until mid-way through Saul’s set. After working on a painting through several acts, he put away his brushes and grabbed a camera for a couple songs, then joined the rest of the crowd in rocking out for the remainder of the concert.