One of the greatest poets of all time

the best of his words. word! kind of shocking, seeing the best of his words NEVER belonged to him; he discovered them. the point he brings in DEAD EMCEE SCROLLS is how those discovered words inspired his life AND everything he has touched since that fateful day. we are all inspired by something or someone prior to us. the truth. how do we then in turn inspire others i guess is the real question.....

part compilation of Saul's earlier work, part new exploration, this piece is classic Saul that never fails.

A book of poetry about hip-hop. And it is hip-hop. The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop. Another reviewer stated that they didn't come away with any more of an understanding of hip-hop than before. The book seems to be more geared towards those already familiar with hip-hop. But even then, I don't think it's going to give a whole new understanding because chances are that if you're reaching for this book you're already in line with what Saul is saying about the state of hip-hop.

The book is about more than hip-hop though. Just like Saul's music it's about life, love, finding ourselves, living up to our full potential, freedom. Those very things that Saul states that hip-hop was created for and can still bring about.

"I have learned the importance of stories, the importance of dreams (night and day), the need to look beyond mirrors, the flow of energy, the hindrances of 'control dramas,' the inconsistencies of time, the inaction that self-consciousness leads to, the reality of the 'unreal,' the universal source of energy, the beauty of all things, the unity of all things, that coincidences aren't, that love cannot be specified (kinda), the ineptitude of belief, death only comes to those who believe in it, life only comes when you're not reading writing, or thinking about it. 'Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans.'"

I had trouble connecting with this work until I stopped trying to make sense of the words on the page and, instead, started hearing Saul's voice delivering this message in my mind, with his distinct rhythm and inflection and flow. Then it became magic.

loved this, tho I prefer to listen to him rather than read his rhymes .

In this volume, Saul Williams becomes a hip hop Walt Whitman, transcending through ghetto culture and black history by the means of a musical/poetic salvation, aided with a scholastic perspective, enabling him to comment upon society with an academic persuasion through his timely lyrics and occasional prose that make the Dead Emcee Scrolls one of the best collections under his name.

Hip-Hop is still a genre of writing and entertainment outside my spectrum. I can appreciate hip-hop, but I don't see it as necessary to my personal culture and identity.

Still, liked this book and can appreciate were the author is coming from.

3.5*** I enjoyed this authors own personal mind more than the scrolls themselves. He had some really interesting and correct things to say. A lot of the information he talked about was very insightful and I appreciated his take on things.

I enjoyed the essays at the beginning and the end of this book, where he talks about some of the purported origins of his verse and his views of the state of hip-hop in the 21st century. It's hard to tell how much to take the claim of ancient mysterious found scrolls as the original source of the rhymes in his debut album Amethyst Rock Star, but it makes a good tale and probably does have at least a germ of truth about his writing process.

I usually have a hard time finding my way in to rap lyrics written out on a page. At times I will find a striking phrase, a surprising rhyme, a sense of the pulse of the line. So for the most part, I read through this section quickly to get a sense of the variety of the pieces and the range of subjects that flash through them. They were interesting enough to make me want to stream some of his recorded work to try to get a better idea of how they compared to their origins.

Saul Williams is such an impactful artist and thinker.  I remember how much I loved Slam when it came out, saving my money to buy a VHS copy, and I remember how he challenged us to really think critically when he came to speak to my college class.  I'd always wanted to have his works written down, although reading I instead felt the urge to watch Slam again.  Powerful thoughts and powerful in performance.

I really love Saul Williams and this book is him at his best. It's a compilation of new and old stuff