Saul Williams speaks out about his Nike Contract

03/27/08
From his spoken word session at Gilber Community College in Phoenix, Arizona

Please excuse the quality of the video and pay attention only to its audio qualities. My intention was to be there and witness the even, not to be recording it.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Saul
• Williams
• Nike

[unifiedpeace]

Who cares if Nike is only starting to improve worker conditions so that they don't ruin their image so that they can still sell shoes and make money, the point is that they're starting to improve working conditions.

McDonalds will only sell veggie burgers to make money, but the point is that they're selling veggie burgers.

Make it profitable for corporations to be morally accountable, and they will do so. Who cares if it's for the money as long as the change happens, the good is done.

[Broyale26]

Man he sure sounds like a corporate rep for Nike.

Just fucking say Nike paid you for your art. No harm, no foul. Take the money and run, I say.

[doctorcropcircles]

Thanks a lot for posting this.

[colliderscopic]

@mungbotmedia

he's a politician inside a performer...

they chose him for two reasons: he's underground and he's black.

nike have always exploited black slaves and marketed to black 'slaves'.

they are a racist white company making billions of dollars expoiting black people at both ends.

pure evil

[colliderscopic]

nike claiming to be ethical is like obama shutting down guantanimo or troops out of iraq. beautiful lies.

[Broyale26]

I LOL @ the irony of a black artist pandering excuses to a mostly white, young, liberal arts degreed, Starbucks drinking, Macbook owning neo hippies as to why he chose to take a paycheck as if HE owes them something. This is what happens when black expression becomes accepted and whitewashed by the elite class. "Sawry, massa, but i'ssa needs this money, whut wuz i'ssa pose to do?"

[bjahava]

@Broyale26

Thats what im saying.

All of his "fans" that dont want him to get paid arnt really fans.

[feralflowers]

much love for saul, but his logic is flawed. nike used him to appear radical, the existence of greenwashing negates a lot of what he's saying about those companies choices to change certain aspects of an otherwise unfair & ecocidal enterprise and that choice not being the result of an evil scheme. it's a scheme to get us to regain trust in them while they continue destructive practices.

nike still contracts in the prison system, profiting off of unpaid slave labor. how can anyone defend that?

[biennialist]

what has he dine since?

[biennialist]

@Yorranne1 I would thumbs up this, except you used the b word. But i feel your sentiment.... what did he say, Nas what?

[mungbotmedia]

Dear Saul: stop. The question IS why did Nike choose you? You are the best thing they could hope for, not just a well known artist to help them move shoes but a CONVERTED revolutionary, an attempt to convince the small remaining resistance. Two things are sure: 1. No revolution will start with the support of a system of which nike is the archetype. 2. Your word spinning is better left for the revolution, you have a much harder time preaching dishonesty and it shows. Your heart was missing.

[Yorranne1]

this whole video could be six seconds:

"as to why i took the nike contract... bitch i wanted to get paid."