Saul Williams! Well, he’s doing a Q & A at PLU’s bookstore, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he spits out a poem/rap.

If you’re not familiar, Saul Williams is an acclaimed poet, actor, activist (pretty much named the anti-war movement in ’03) and hip hop artist that will blow up your mind (in a good way) with his knowledge. He has a lot to say. Here’s a little sample from UK Hip Hop interview:

I believe that what is lacking from Hip Hop in it’s current commercial state is the same thing that is lacking from American culture at large: a firm belief and grasp in the power of imagination and visualisation simply stated, there seem to be few visionaries apparent in the main stream. Too many aim to appeal to the existing aesthetic and too few have the courage to aim at creating a new aesthetic.

He’s touring his new record, The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust (which was free to the first 100k takers), and has stops along the west coast in the coming weeks. This record was produced by Nine Inch Nails‘ Trent Reznor and has a distinctive crunch heard in very few, if any, hip hop records.

Here’s a taste that may make you pull out your old U2 records:

And here are his upcoming tour dates: