From an interview at Alternet.org:
Saul Williams has been acclaimed as the ‘Hip Hop Poet Laureate’ and for good reason. On stage and on paper he captures a true MC spirit and establishes a furious, hypnotic hip-hop flow, as he tackles serious subjects from god to love to music to power to poverty. […]
AMB: What books, music, or films changed your life?
SW: Autobiography of Malcolm X, autobiography of Assata Shakur, and of Miles Davis. Temple of my Familiar by Alice Walker, The Famished Road by Ben Okri, and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. For films, Slam, Mary Poppins, Naked, and Farewell My Concubine.
See the full interview for more information about Saul Williams.
As it happens, he’s not the first hip-hop icon to cite Ayn Rand’s writings as a major influence. I think hip-hop morning host Star (of Star & Bucwild) holds that title.