On View
Cultural Expressions Gallery
Exhibition
Cultural Expressions
Written by
Williams, Saul, American, born 1972
Date
2004
Medium
ink on paper, plastic laminate
Dimensions
H x W (flat): 147 × 12 1/4 in. (373.4 × 31.1 cm)
H x W x D (rolled): 2 × 12 1/4 × 2 3/4 in. (5.1 × 31.1 × 7 cm)
Description
A long piece of scrolled white paper containing a handwritten copy of Saul Williams' poem "Coded Language." The top half of the poem is written in both black and brown ink; the lower half just uses black ink. The handwriting is in all capital letters and features a distinctive 'E' made with just three parallel horizontal lines and no vertical line joining them. The poem begins, [Whereas, breakbeats have been the missing link connecting the diasporic / Community to its drum woven past / Whereas the quantized drum has allowed teh whirling musicians to / Calculate the ever changing distance between rock and stardom / Whereas the velocity of the spinning vinyl, cross-faded, spun back-wards, and / Re-released at the same given moment of recorded history, yet at a / Different moment in time's continuum has allowed history to catch up with / The present].
Classification
Memorabilia and Ephemera
Type
scrolls (information artifacts)
Topic
Activism
Hip-hop (Music)
Language
Spoken word (Poetry)
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Saul Williams
Object number
2014.188.1
Restrictions & Rights
© Saul Williams
Permission required for use. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd5192c9386-d9c9-4ec6-b164-ffd35dc167f5

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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