Saul Williams and Kimberly Nichole at NYC's Summerstage

Summerstage rolled through Harlem’s Marcus Garvey Park for a hard hitting double header of Kimberly Nichole and Saul Williams. Kimberly has been fixture in the NYC music scene for a minute until her appearance in The Voice last year gave her national attention. In that time since then she’s honed her stage show to a samurai sword edge; there wasn’t a spot on the stage untouched by her bouncing, shimmying and yes even crawling (with her pipes working overtime each second). Her formidable vocal talents that got her onto The Voice were bolstered by a punk rock ethos that just slayed the stage.
Saul Williams came out in pitch blackness with just a huge ominous screen illuminating the screen with slogans like ‘Negritude’. Early technical difficulties didn’t stop the show with Saul finishing songs with acapella if needed, along with performing a large amount of the set from the middle of the crowd. With newer bands like clipping. and Death Grips getting accolades for their industrial/punk/hybrid its fascinating to see how Saul, one of the first artists to dabble in that particular soundscape, manages to outdo his disciples. There’s a regal anger to his rage about societies injustices and the music hits as hard as the loudest metal bands. In a time where social justice is at the forefront of minds worldwide, Saul is able to distil the rage and yes, even the hope, into electronic drums and synthesizers that make you think and make you move.