Is Martyr Loser King a Winner?

by Daniel Jaramillo

Martyr Loser King is the latest album by poet and hip-hop artist Saul Williams. In all of his albums Williams has attempted to make music that defies labels making them difficult to categorize. Martyr Loser King is no exception to his rule however M.L.K offers a comprehensive blend of electronic beats, African and tribal rhythms, spoken word and intense singing to top it all. It’s accessible but the music demands your attention and the lyrics especially will make you think about issues such as wealth inequality and the government’s fear of cyber hackers that release secret documents.

Musically the album also makes cool use of a lot of hip hop’s stylistic production techniques such as the chipmunk voices or the chopped and screwed vocals and of course the beats are layered in 808 drum machine patterns. In the past Saul Williams has recruited heavyweight producers such as Rick Rubin and Trent Reznor and has also attempted the role himself, this time Justin Warfield who is not so well known but has dozens of underground rock and hip hop albums to his credit as well as his own band’s She Wants Revenge releases took charge of the production.

In M.L.K Williams and Warfield have created a hybrid of all the music that the artist respects and admires. The album is part of a graphic novel to be released later in the year and without creating a “spoiler alert” about the storyline it certainly focuses on the digital age and what the life of a “hacktivist” is like. Williams is an artist that doesn’t compromise his creativity and wears many hats including being an actor and a writer. However his work is not about trying to be popular or commercial it is there to serve a deeper purpose which is to inspire and encourage us to all think outside of the box musically and conceptually.

This album would certainly work well in a club setting but it also appeals to a much more alternative crowd, balancing the two styles quite nicely. Songs like Ashes and the Bear have a really club/dance style about them yet the chorus line on Ashes which goes “Dancing on the Corpses Ashes” is a lyric borrowed from an At the Drive-In song called Invalid Litter Dept. As a Saul Williams fan I am always excited to hear a new album from him and when I finally got the chance to listen to M.L.K it was what I new Williams to have always done which was something that was experimental but accessible at the same time. M.L.K is a decent album but not one of Saul Williams’s best releases and if you’re new to his work I would recommend listening to his first 3 studio albums which have a more rock influenced sound. Those albums will give any listener a better understanding of Williams approach to making music of a left field and hybrid persuasion.