Sage Francis

Sage Francis isn’t your usual streets to stereo story. He’s a dude who got his start rhyming in the slam poetry scene – similar to Saul Williams – and then moved on to rap in the 90’s. It’s obvious in his tunes; the lyrics are the centerpiece here, not the beats, not the hook, not the chorus. Francis has one of the most distinctive flows around, stuttering, aggressive, and eloquent. It’s easy to get obsessed with Sage Francis.

Unfortunately, it’s also easy to overlook Sage Francis. His raps require full attention – since they rely so heavily on the words without leaning on the beats, paying attention with half an ear won’t do the trick. I’ve been a fan of Francis since first hearing Personal Journalist a few years back, but I still overlooked his Sick of Wasting… mixtape earlier this year. I didn’t have the time to sit with the album from beginning to end, and I didn’t have the patience to really explore the tunes it contained. I decided to revisit it on a plane flight, and I’m glad I did.

Like most Sage Francis releases, it’s not full of hits – a lot of the songs fall flat or miss the mark completely. But when they hit, the explode. “Conspiracy to Riot,” a track that makes a reappearance on the tape, is complete fire. “Needle” is bare and bonkers. “Flashback 96” gives awesome insight into early Sage material. Like the best of his earlier albums, Francis is at his best when speaking from personal experience. He’s a rap game voice speaking from outside the rap game, and he’s worth paying attention to. Looking forward to a legitimate release from the dude – he’s taken his time with it, so hopefully it’ll be high quality.

Sage Francis – Conspiracy to Riot (YSI) (filesavr)

Sage Francis – Needle (YSI) (filesavr)

Sage Francis – Personal Journalist (YSI) (filesavr)