The Inevitable Rise And Liberation Of NiggyTardust!

Title page of the included PDF document

The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is an album by Saul Williams, produced and co-written by Trent Reznor. Some of the songs on the album are outtakes from The Fragile and Tapeworm sessions.

Leaks

Due to distribution method chosen for the album, there were no leaks of the entire album prior to release. However, Trent Reznor and Saul Williams leaked a few songs before releasing it. Reznor leaked the songs "Break" and "Tr(n)igger" via Echoing the Sound, later, a Sendspace link appeared on nin.com making the two tracks plus "Sunday Bloody Sunday" available as a downloadable zip file with lyrics to the songs. A few hours before the release, Saul Williams put "Scared Money" on his MySpace music player.

Release

The album was released at 1am Eastern Time on November 1st 2007, with the abilty to preorder. People are given the option to either "directly support the artists involved in the creation of this music" by making a $5 donation or to download the album for free. If you choose to pay for the record, you are able to download in 192kbps MP3, 320kbps MP3 or FLAC lossless audio. If you download for free you recieve the album in 192Kbps MP3 format. All versions include a PDF with artwork and lyrics, and "all files are 100% DRM free, and can be played on any device. MP3s are encoded with LAME v3.97 and love". The choice of distribution method garnered much attention and praise from the online community and was reported on by many websites. The number of downloads have not been released so it is unknown how many people downloaded or paid money for it, though Reznor said the following in an interivew: "We do know the presale numbers, but we are keeping them a secret."

Trent Reznor on Niggy Tardust

Reznor wrote the following regarding the album on nin.com:

As many of you know, I've been working closely with Saul Williams on
his new record. We've spent many hours together in hotel rooms,
busses, backstages and studios around the world working on something
we knew was great. This is the most involved I've been with any
project outside NIN since Antichrist Superstar, and I've been
impatiently waiting for the chance for you to hear it.

Well... guess what?

The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! has arrived!
After my own recent dealings with record labels we decided to release
it directly to you. Head over to www.niggytardust.com for all the
details. Register now and you can download the record November 1st.
Working on this project was a real pleasure. Saul was interested in
breaking boundaries / crossing genres / defying expectations and we
learned a great deal from one another in the process. When asked about
the sound of the record, I've had to resort to "... I really don't
know HOW to describe it." That's a good thing more than ever these
days.

A word on the way we've chosen to release this.
There are obvious similarities in how Radiohead just released their
new record and the way we've chosen to. After thinking about this way
too much, I feel we've improved upon their idea in a few profound ways
that benefit you, the consumer. You obviously will be the judge of
this in the end. One thing that IS very different in our situation is
that Saul's not the household name (yet!) that Radiohead is, and that
means we need your support on this more than ever. If you like what
you hear, spread the word.

I hope you enjoy the music,

-Trent Reznor

Saul Williams on Niggy Tardust

The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of NiggyTardust! is the lovechild
of me and Trent Reznor. I met Trent when he asked me to fill the
opening slot of his European With Teeth tour. After only the 2nd show
he asked if I might be down to collaborate on a song or album,
whatever I saw fit. At the time we were both listening to the
Kanye/Jon Brion collaborations and feeling like a cocktail of our two
worlds would fare even more interesting?and harder. Since then, Trent
Reznor has become the big brother I never had, offering his insight,
expertise, and shared desire to fuck up the system while believing
fully in the power of music and the intelligence of the masses. What
we both first realized we had in common was a deep love of Public
Enemy and their Bomb Squad production, which personally served as the
backdrop of my adolescence and fueled the fire that matured my vision
of the sort of artist I wanted to be. A lot of people get caught up on
my lyrics and poetry, but my writing is always founded on beats and
polyrhythmic backdrops. My background as a dancer (I used to dance for
a rap group in ATL in the early 90s) has always made me crave hard
rhythms. Through Public Enemy I discovered that my ability to dance
somehow improved when I truly felt the power of the words. This album
captures everything I have aimed for in a song. Of course, as a
performer, what truly inspires me is the opportunity to perform them
live. The Niggytardust concept sets me free to do more on stage with
costume, etc. than one might expect from a regular Saul Williams show.
It allows me to put my theatre training to use. I've also thought long
and hard about all the discussion surrounding racial epithets etc. and
chose this title as a means of furthering the dialogue while also
showing how creativity will outlive and outshine hatred of any kind.
 
The album would not have been possible without the collaborative
spirit Trent and the other artists involved: CX Kidtronik and Thavius
Beck brought beats and fire to the vision, energizing the process with
blown amps and head-nodding cramps. Atticus Ross engineered and
programmed. Alan Moulder is sonic testimony from headphone to full
blown that the very rocks will cry out if you work with the right
engineer.

I'm also collaborating with visual artists and designers as part of
the whole NiggyTardust concept and presentation. Melody Ehsani
designed Tardust jewelry, bracelets, rings. necklaces, etc. and also
did the cover layout. Angelbert Metoyer has contributed greatly to the
visual aesthetic with paintings and soon to be finished set design for
the shows.

As far as the way we've decided to release the album, we're aware that
it's pretty risky, but are even more aware that we cant turn to the
so-called powers that be of the industry for answers. Someone has got
to be willing to take chances. I was very inspired by the recent
Radiohead release and felt compelled, almost instantly, to follow my
gut and expand on their concept. Obviously, independent artists have
been around for years. My indie film, Slam was in fact what opened so
many doors for me. yet, the stigma of being an indie artist in the
music world hasn't always been rewarding. This time I feel different.
I feel like the times have conspired to make this album an important
part of history.

- Saul Williams

Track listing

Black History Month – 3:15
Convict Colony – 3:24
Tr(n)igger – 3:54
Sunday Bloody Sunday – 4:05
Break – 3:18
NiggyTardust – 3:40
DNA – 4:03
WTF! – 5:29
Scared Money – 3:49
Raw – 2:50
Skin Of A Drum – 3:56
No One Ever Does – 3:15
Banged And Blown Through – 3:43
Raised To Be Lowered – 5:23
The Ritual – 5:20

Album Credits

Artwork by Angelbert Metoyer
Cover Art & Jewelry Design by Melody Ehsani
Graphics and Layout by Rob Sheridan
Sonic Torment: Saul Williams, Trent Reznor, CX Kidtronic, Thavius Beck, Atticus Ross, Alan Moulder