Capturing magic with Saul Williams

Lead photography by Sam Lee Sitting outdoors somewhere in London, framed by a lattice fence, Saul Williams is donning oversized circular glasses with red lenses, a septum ring, and a smile when he asks, “Can you hear me?” Only four words in, and Williams’ voice and his ethereal presence has already transcended my computer screen. If my interview with him hadn’t happened on Zoom, and if Zoom hadn’t reminded me our meeting would end abruptly after 40 minutes, I’d have thought we’d met on some other plane altogether. When we get settled into the moment, Williams and I start chatting about his new album, Leap Life, out 28 August. The title comes in part from the poet’s leap-year birthday, 29 February, and from questions about where that time disappears to each year, though the album itself is a journey through steeper terrain. The single, “Conspiracy”, was pre-released along with a video by director Cleon Arrey, who recently directed Snoop Dogg and Akeem Ali’s “You Want My All” vid, released last summer. The track itself is an accessible and exceptional portal into the rest of the album. The heavily sustained organ chords also seem to rise out of something larger, especially given the ...