You all know the deal by now, November 1 brought the five-dollar or free digital birth of Niggy Tardust to the inboxes of music lovers and cheapskates alike. The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust is Saul Williams' third full-length album and first independently released. Drawing acclaim as a wordsmith from his Nuyorican Poets Café days and the award-winning indie hit, "Slam," one might mistake Williams, as I did, for a poet first, all else second. But the multi-hyphenate artist makes it clear he was always an actor as shown by his return to the stage in Sanford Biggers' performance art cum minstrel show deconstruction "The Somethin' Suite," performed with other underground icons such as Martin Luther and Imani Uzuri. For more on that, the new album and why ‘nigger' can't go, heeeeere's Niggy!

When O.J. Simpson was hauled out of his infamous white Bronco in 1994, people automatically jumped to conclusions. Guilty Simpson—unrelated, in case you were wondering—could be subject to those same early assumptions as well. The Detroit lyricist and member of the Dreadnaughts crew has been igniting the underground scene with his unorthodox flow and ghetto wit since his breakout performance on Jaylib’s Champion Sound, plus a healthy amount of work with legendary producer J Dilla. Considering his track record, one might assume that Guilty can only rap about guns, or that he’ll struggle without Dilla behind the boards. The truth is not only is Guilty working busily with producer Black Milk and others prepping his long awaited solo debut Ode to the Ghetto on Stones Throw Records, but his creative ambitions go beyond simply cocking nines on wax. On the eve of the beginning of a European tour co-starring Black Milk and Sean Price, Guilty Simpson talked with Okayplayer about his latest works, Dilla’s legacy and why you’ll never catch him in a K-Mart parking lot.