Considering how much of his career depends on the success of his albums, Williams has an unusual amount of confidence in music fans, especially given rampant levels of music piracy and swiftly falling CD sales. Williams sees the novel release of NiggyTardust less as a leap of faith, and more as a necessary evolution. “Kids are not crooks at heart,” says Williams. “Allowing an album to be leaked or downloaded for free is the modern day equivalent of releasing a single.”

photo by Una-Kariim A. Cross 

To read the article in its entirety, pick up the Summer 2008 issue of Beyond Race Magazine.