Yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the release of Saul William’s debut album Amethyst Rock Star, an LP which, among it’s eleven abstract and arresting tracks, features Coded Language; a hip hop manifesto exploring the lyrical, rhythmic and musical elements of hip hop, outlining a flexible definition of hip hop as a genre and art form.
Given it’s density and structure, and the fact that poetry is fundamental to Williams’ MC’ing style; the piece lends itself to acapella delivery, but the version which features the industrial production of Bristol producer Krust is the one which appears on the album.
In the below interview with WatchLOUD, Williams revisits the piece, contextualising it and exploring the music and themes that inspired it.
Saul Williams plays live at Band on the Wall on 21st June, with support from Dizraeli and Young Identity.
