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Sage Francis

American rapper (b. )

Paul William "Sage" Francis (born November 18, ) is an American independent undergroundrapper from Providence, Rhode Island.[1][2] He is the founder and CEO of Strange Famous Records.[3]

Early life and education

Francis was born in Miami, Florida, but grew up in Providence, Rhode Island.

He is an only child and grew up for most of his childhood with his mother and stepfather after his parents divorced when he was young. He lived in different parts of Rhode Island including North Smithfield and Woonsocket. His mom worked as a bartender and his stepfather worked as a locksmith.[1]

Francis began writing and recording original lyrics at age 8, being inspired by acts such as Run DMC and Public Enemy.[4][5] According to Artistdirect, Francis began sneaking out of his parents' house at age 12 to participate in rap battles.[6]

Francis received a degree in communications from Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts and a degree in journalism from the University of Rhode Island.[7]

Career

In , he recorded his first official demo tape, and by he had a radio show on WRIU called True School Session.

Francis won the Superbowl MC Battle in Boston in , beating Esoteric.[8][9] Francis won the Scribble Jam emcee battle in , beating Blueprint.[4][7][10][11]

In , the song "Makeshift Patriot," recorded on October 11, , became an Internet hit for its critique of American media during and immediately following the September 11 attacks.[12] Francis considers "Makeshift Patriot" to be the song that really made things come together for him.

It was on the mix tape, The Known Unsoldier – Sick Of Waging War and was widely circulated for free.[13]

He released the critically acclaimed first solo album Personal Journals in The record Hope, his only album with Joe Beats released under the name Non-Prophets, was named after the state of Rhode Island's motto of hope, and was meant to be very Rhode Island-centric.[13]

Francis broke music genre barriers by getting signed to Epitaph Records, making himself the first hip hop artist to sign with the punk rock label.

He released three albums with Epitaph: A Healthy Distrust, Human the Death Dance and Life.[14][15]

Francis has described A Healthy Distrust as being a political record, which reflected his mistrust of government and big business with a focus on socio-political matters.[13]

In May , a music video of the song "Got Up This Morning" from Human the Death Dance was released.

The song featured vocals by Jolie Holland and beats produced by Buck The video featured cameos from B. Dolan, Brother Ali, Buck 65, Divinci from Solillaquists of Sound, Holland, Slug, and Tom Inhaler from Francis' band and Strange Famous Records[16]

Life was a shift into a different style for Francis, focusing on spoken word and indie rock.[17] The record featured contributions and collaborations with Califone, Chris Walla, Jason Lytle, and Mark Linkous.[4]

Francis made a guest appearance on Bad Religion's The Empire Strikes First, on the track "Let Them Eat War".

In , Francis released Copper Gone after a four-year break from touring.[18][19] The album was named after the phenomenon Francis saw in his neighborhood where abandoned buildings would have their copper pipes stripped to be sold, and then tagged as "Copper Gone" to let others know that there was no copper left to steal.[13]

Francis says that he has been releasing mix tapes consistently since , and will continue to release the Sick of mix tape series on an ongoing basis.[13]

Francis has toured extensively,[20] and has performed shows with Atmosphere, Brother Ali, and Eyedea & Abilities.

Epic Beard Men

Francis collaborated with B. Dolan under the name Epic Beard Men. The duo's official debut single, "War on Christmas", was released in [21] In , the duo released the Season 1 EP,[22] as well as "Five Hearts", a single from the EP.[23] In , the duo released the first studio album, This Was Supposed to Be Fun.[24] It includes "You Can't Tell Me Shit", which became The Stranger's "Inbox Jukebox Track of the Day".[25] The album was placed at number 20 on PopMatters' "20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of " list.[26]

Strange Famous Records

Further information: Strange Famous Records

Francis is the founder and CEO of the independent hip hop record label Strange Famous Records.

The label first began in as a way for him to release his previously unreleased songs in the late s. It has since evolved into an official enterprise with an expanding roster of like-minded artists. He released several Sick Of mixtapes available on his website.[12]

Social activism

Francis worked with fellow rapper B.

Dolan who had the idea to start an organization and website named aka KnowMore: The People's Corporation Watch Project which focused on connecting consumers with social responsibility information about corporations and responsible consumerism.[4]

Francis went to South Africa to work on solutions to AIDS in South Africa, especially in regards to children.

As part of that effort he was part of a documentary on HIV in South Africa.[27]

Other work

Francis is also part of the contemporary spoken word movement.

Sage francis cd Home » Interview: Sage Francis. Sage Francis is one of the most influential indie hip-hop artists and is a successful slam poet thanks to his hard hitting lyrics. Not only was he the first rapper to sign to punk label Epitaph but he has since launched his own record company, Strange Famous Records. He spoke to Danielle Barge about his feelings on these matters before his gig in Leeds. How do you feel about your career so far?

His relationship with the Providence poetry slam community (he was on their , and national poetry slam teams)[28] led to it being called "The House that Sage Francis Built."[29] From to , he also DJ-ed for the NYC-Urbana poetry slam, a weekly slam series held at the legendary punk rock venue CBGB.[29]

Discography

Main article: Sage Francis discography

Studio albums
  • Voice Mail Bomb Threat () (with Art Official Intelligence)[13]
  • Personal Journals (Anticon, )
  • Hope (Lex, ) (with Joe Beats, as Non-Prophets)
  • A Healthy Distrust (Epitaph, )
  • Human the Death Dance (Epitaph, )
  • Li(f)e (Anti-, )
  • Copper Gone (Strange Famous, )
  • This Was Supposed to Be Fun (Strange Famous, ) (with B.

    Dolan, as Epic Beard Men)

References

  1. ^ abThomas-Glass, Dan (). "Dusted Features: Sage Francis is to Dusted Magazine as ________ is to _________". Dusted Magazine. Archived from the original on Retrieved
  2. ^Ma, David (December ).

    "Sage Francis". SLAP Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 September

  3. ^Khanna, Vish (7 June ). "Sage Francis". Exclaim!.

    Sage francis sucks: Francis is the founder and CEO of the independent hip hop record label Strange Famous Records. The label first began in as a way for him to release his previously unreleased songs in the late s.

    Archived from the original on 3 April Retrieved 18 February

  4. ^ abcdClendening, Cory (10 September ). "An Exclusive Interview With Sage Francis". . Archived from the original on 13 September
  5. ^Francis, Sage (31 July ).

    "Sage Francis Interview"(Video interview). TheBeeShine.

  6. ^"Sage Francis Biography". Artistdirect. Archived from the original on 19 February Retrieved 18 February
  7. ^ abNaughty Mickie (). "Sage Francis works harder than most".

    DaBelly. Archived from the original on Retrieved

  8. ^Akrobatik; Francis, Sage (). "Sage Francis vs. Akrobatik"(Video). Superbowl MC Battle.
  9. ^Esoteric; Francis, Sage (). "Esoteric vs. Sage Francis"(Video). Superbowl MC Battle. Archived from the original on Retrieved
  10. ^Brother Ali; Francis, Sage ().

    "Sage Francis vs. Brother Ali"(Video). Scribble Jam.

  11. ^Francis, Sage; Blueprint (). "Sage Francis vs.

    Sage francis biography Darkness and light, anger and serenity, tragedy and comedy - these extremes are contained in Sage Francis, and they provide the foundation for Human the Death Dance, his best album to date. From the moment its curtains open to their drawing closed, Sage's fourth solo album and his second for Epitaph evokes the arc of its maker's lifespan - literally spanning the decades from his first recordings as an eight year-old rapper captured on opener "Growing Pains" to the stark contemplation of his darkest days on the subtly affecting closer, "Going Back to Rehab". Between those two poles, Sage proves he's not just a rapper, nor just a spoken-word artist - he's the best lyricist of his generation. Providence, Rhode Island's Sage Francis first captured the underground consciousness with a furious tape-only release, Homegrown Demo , and then achieved renown as the country's best freestyle rapper by winning 's Superbowl Battle and 's Scribble Jam title. Sage won the second of those crowns wearing a Metallica T-shirt, hinting at his utter refusal to abide by hip-hop's orthodoxies, underground or otherwise.

    Brother Ali"(Video). Scribble Jam. Archived from the original on Retrieved

  12. ^ abMartin, Abby; Francis, Sage (11 July ). "Sage Francis Breaks the Stage on 9/11 Fear Mongering, Corporate Hip Hop & Performs 'Vonnegut Busy'"(Video interview). Breaking the Set.

  13. Sage francis net worth
  14. Sage francis tour
  15. Sage francis - copper gone
  16. Sage francis li(f)e

    17. Archived from the original on 8 September Retrieved 18 February

  17. ^ abcdefFrancis, Sage; Scroobius Pip (14 March ). "Sage Francis and Scroobius Pip Copper Gone Interview"(Video interview).

    HHKMusic.

  18. ^Braidwood, Stefan (16 February ). "Sage Francis: A Healthy Distrust". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 10 July Retrieved 18 February
  19. ^Schiller, Mike (9 May ).

  20. Sage francis sucks
  21. Sage francis biography husband
  22. Sage francis gandhi

    23. "Sage Francis: Human the Death Dance". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 29 January Retrieved 18 February

  23. ^"Sage Francis - Making of "Got Up This Morning""(Video). Epitaph Records. 23 May
  24. ^Fiander, Matthew (27 May ). "Sage Francis: Li(f)e". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 5 February Retrieved 18 February
  25. ^Finley, Adam (6 June ).

    "Sage Francis: Copper Gone". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 6 February Retrieved 18 February

  26. ^Van Siclen, Bill (12 March ). "Providence Rapper Sage Francis brings his show to The Met". The Providence Journal. Archived from the original on 18 February Retrieved 18 February
  27. ^Francis, Sage (13 June ).

    "Sage Francis - Artist Interview"(Video interview). TheFilmGuys Productions.

  28. ^Eustice, Kyle (December 21, ). "Sage Francis & B. Dolan Unveil Epic Beard Men Project With "War On Christmas"". HipHopDX.

    Sage francis biography wikipedia You can follow him on Twitter here. Skip to content. Noted for his intense flow and sharp wit, Francis has won acclaim both as a freestyle battler and as an unapologetic, intellectual lyricist. Francis uses a broad emotional palette to address a wide range of personal, cultural, and political issues. His unconventional style and persona have given him crossover appeal, but at the same time alienated some hip-hop listeners.

    Retrieved May 20,

  29. ^Kelly, Kim (March 2, ). "Indie Rappers Sage Francis and B. Dolan's New EP Is a Funky, Whacked-Out Acid Trip". Vice. Retrieved May 20,
  30. ^Eustice, Kyle (February 26, ). "Sage Francis & B. Dolan Announce New EP With SoundCloud Rapper-Fighting Video Game". HipHopDX.

    Retrieved May 20,

  31. ^Gemmaehlich, Tammy (April 23, ). "Music Scene: Epic Beard Men and other area shows for April 26–May 2". Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Retrieved May 20,
  32. ^Segal, Dave (April 10, ). "Inbox Jukebox Track of the Day: The Witty Snarkfest "You Can't Tell Me Shit" by Acerbic Indie Rappers Epic Beard Men".

    Sage francis biography death

    He is an only child and grew up for most of his childhood with his mother and stepfather after his parents divorced when he was young. His mom worked as a bartender and his stepfather worked as a locksmith. Francis began writing and recording original lyrics at age 8, being inspired by acts such as Run DMC and Public Enemy. Francis received a degree in communications from Dean College in Franklin , Massachusetts and a degree in journalism from the University of Rhode Island. In , the song " Makeshift Patriot ," recorded on October 11, , became an Internet hit for its critique of American media during and immediately following the September 11 attacks.

    The Stranger. Retrieved May 20,

  33. ^Huff, Quentin B. (December 6, ). "The 20 Best Hip-Hop Albums of Epic Beard Men - This Was Supposed to Be Fun [Strange Famous]". PopMatters. Retrieved December 30,
  34. ^Hakes, Tyler (). "Sage Francis Travels to South Africa for HIV Documentary".

    aboveGround Magazine. Archived from the original on Retrieved

  35. ^": Providence Poetry Slam". . Archived from the original on 4 August
  36. ^ abAptowicz, Cristin O'Keefe (). Words in Your Face: A Guided Tour Through Twenty Years of the New York City Poetry Slam.

    New York: Soft Skull. pp.&#;–, ISBN&#;. OCLC&#;

External links