Vibe.com, February 23rd, 2006
Another poet exhibiting such bravado could be easily dismissed, but with his fourth poetry collection, Williams shows and proves, sticking to the classic hip hop proverb, there ain’t no future in yo’ frontin.’
It’s obvious that it’s the future that he’s concerned about by the way he manipulates time like a dope sample. Take for instance the book’s concept: In 1994, Williams discovered an ancient scroll hidden in an abandoned subway line, and once he deciphered the scroll’s message, it played a significant role in informing his poetry.
Looking at it symbolically, Williams is proposing that hip hop is a force embedded in us with power that reaches back in time and possibilities that reach deep into the future. But such a power doesn’t come without responsibility, and this is the call he presents to hip hoppers. “The power of the word surpasses all,” he says. “Ready to Die? Dead. Word is bond. The question is what is hip hop’s relationship to itself? How can an emcee not realize the power of word after being forced to serve a sentence?”
After laying down the intro, he launches into “NGH WHT,” a masterpiece of thirty-three chapters that does just as Williams intends. “The reader” he says, “should be able to feel the beats off the page.” Think gritty. Think Premier. Nonstop head nodding to poetry.
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Excerpt:
Dissonant chords find necks like nooses. That
NGH kicked the chair from under my feet.
Harlem Shaking from a rope, but still on beat.
Damn that loop is tight! NGH found a way to
sample the way, the truth, the light. Can’t wait to
play myself at the party tonight. NGHs are gonna
die!
Cop car swerves to the side of the road. Hip-hop
takes its last breath. The copy scrawls vernacular
manslaughter onto his yellow pad, then balls the
paper into his hands, deciding he’d rather freestyle.
You have the right to remain silent. You have the
right to remain silent. You have the right to remain
silent. And maybe you should have before your
bullshit manifested.
Copyrights
Felicia Pride. The Dead Emcee Scrolls by Saul Williams. Copyright 2006 Vibe.com.
