It's a dramatized conversation between 3 people; the narrator (who relates the dialogue to us), his friend/nigga, and a man they meet on the street (the 'new nigga on the block,' whom they think is a 'crazy muthafucka').
The song/poem juxtaposes two things: The first two men's raplyric lifestyles ('acid-wash Guess' and 'Gucci,' and at the end, the narcissistic refrain: 'we rock the party' etc.), and the third man's mad ('crazy') ramblings about an imagined Atlantis (some kind of utopia).
Williams is implying that this madman's ramblings offer us some kind of truth. That is, if we can hear them beyond the violent chatter of commercial rap (which he is satirizing, while showing us an alternative, altogether more poetic lyrical mode).
As far as I'm concerned, whatever you get out of this poem is what you're meant to understand. Sure Saul has a message within it and the more you listen the more pieces you'll begin to understand, but for the most part Saul writes these for himself so the message you hear is bound to be different from what Saul probably intended.
I know the volume of the sea and sound waves as I will
alberts1985 1 month ago
You can read about 1987 (and about the story Saul is telling through it) in The Dead Emcee Scrolls.
VoXtrinus 1 year ago
Comment removed
alberts1985 1 month ago
It's a dramatized conversation between 3 people; the narrator (who relates the dialogue to us), his friend/nigga, and a man they meet on the street (the 'new nigga on the block,' whom they think is a 'crazy muthafucka').
The song/poem juxtaposes two things: The first two men's raplyric lifestyles ('acid-wash Guess' and 'Gucci,' and at the end, the narcissistic refrain: 'we rock the party' etc.), and the third man's mad ('crazy') ramblings about an imagined Atlantis (some kind of utopia).
MLalisse 1 year ago
Williams is implying that this madman's ramblings offer us some kind of truth. That is, if we can hear them beyond the violent chatter of commercial rap (which he is satirizing, while showing us an alternative, altogether more poetic lyrical mode).
MLalisse 1 year ago
incredible,his music,his acting and most of all his word
happy420ify 2 years ago
i love saul williams' poems but i never undderstand them can someone explain this to me
bigmon44 3 years ago
As far as I'm concerned, whatever you get out of this poem is what you're meant to understand. Sure Saul has a message within it and the more you listen the more pieces you'll begin to understand, but for the most part Saul writes these for himself so the message you hear is bound to be different from what Saul probably intended.
Orile277 2 years ago
thats peace.
k7777essence 3 years ago