Saul Williams - Real Niggery: Volume One

We don’t have a whole lot of hip-hop come thru here at Silent Uproar. Personally I think that’s a shame. Judging by the prominence of Kanye, Amerie, and M.I.A. on so many Indie Rock Best of 05 lists, maybe its time we took more notice. If Rock and Roll were a person, it’d be fifty or sixty years old by now. On the other hand, Hip Hop would just be old enough to buy a bottle of Cristal. So there is a lot of room for Hip Hop to grow, to experiment, to come into its own. That said, Saul Williams is just such an innovator, promoting the very idea of Hip Hop culture, beyond even just music or rapping or what have you. Williams is an actor, author, and rapper, but perhaps best known as a poet and spoken word artist. While poetry to music and rap could have much in common, what Williams does over a beat is quite different from what you might hear on Hot 97 fm. Saul Williams is not Money and Bitches. Saul Williams is injustice, adversity, racism (from all people, not just white), and reflecting a culture beyond the banality presented in most mainstream rap. So with all this praise, why did I rate this album so low? The thing about Mash-Ups and Mix tapes is that when they are bad, they are bad. Some beats just don’t work in every situation, and more often than not, that seems to be the case on this album. Mash-Ups are great when they are seamless, and all the pieces fit, creating a new song out of two or more older tunes. When Mash-Ups don’t work, it reflects poorly, as if no one in the group has rhythm. Unfortunately I haven’t heard all the originals included on this mix. I can say songs like “List of Demands” and “Black Stacy” become awkward and clunky. Do buy a Saul Williams album (I recommend the self-titled album). Don’t spend too much time hunting this mix tape down. [www.saulwilliams.com]