Sage Francis - buy while you can
Posted by: Mekon on 17 March 2003
OK, perhaps I am the only Sage Francis fan on the forum, but I shouldn't be. He is about to delete his back catalogue of pre-debut compilations. Whilst you may not care now, you might in the future. If you like hip hop at all, buy 'Personal Journals' - see review 1, review 2, and review 3, and decide if his stuff is for you or take a look at his Mullet poem to see if the early stuff is your thing. Sage is going to get much more exposure this year. His collaboration project, Non-prophets, has an album out on Warp/Lex over the summer, and his solo stuff is already being included on the Disflex compilations that Lex puts out. His pre-Personal Journals stuff isn't going to completely blow people away, but this might be your last chance to get it, so buy Personal Journals, and decide if it's worth hunting them down whilst you still can
Here is what Jay from HHI had to day about him when awarding him the Top emcee of 2002 award before Personal Journals was released:
1. Sage Francis (2)
As predicted last year, Sage has established himself as the world's greatest emcee, though his status as such is by no means indisputable. Any doubts that Sage is #1 are primarily due to the fact that his Personal Journals album, originally slated for a summer 2001 release, has yet to drop. Many would argue that a man still without an album has no place among the top of hip hop's wordsmiths, but Sage's ability to achieve such greatness sans an LP is all the more a testament to his immense artistry.
What is it about Sage that makes him so great? For starters, his versatility. No other emcee has 1/4 the range of Mr. Francis, as you'll never know what to expect when checking out a new Sage or Non Prophets song. Social consciousness, emotion, misogynist satire, or straight comedy-- Sage is the jack of all trades, AND the master of them as well. In addition to his flexibility in the studio, Sage is one of the underground's elite live performers, battle emcees, freestylers, and more. He is a poet, a singer in a rock band, and now, an entrepreneur, as he has released each of his previous demo style recordings on his own Strange Famous Records.
Unfortunately, all of this (save for the last bit) was stated last year. Though Sage was not at all absent from the scene, he did not make the titanic splash in 2001 that he could have and should have. Though Sage is almost unquestionably the most talented artist in hip hop, underground or mainstream, his status as the #1 emcee may suffer if by next year, Personal Journals is still being anticipated rather than enjoyed.
Here is what Jay from HHI had to day about him when awarding him the Top emcee of 2002 award before Personal Journals was released:
1. Sage Francis (2)
As predicted last year, Sage has established himself as the world's greatest emcee, though his status as such is by no means indisputable. Any doubts that Sage is #1 are primarily due to the fact that his Personal Journals album, originally slated for a summer 2001 release, has yet to drop. Many would argue that a man still without an album has no place among the top of hip hop's wordsmiths, but Sage's ability to achieve such greatness sans an LP is all the more a testament to his immense artistry.
What is it about Sage that makes him so great? For starters, his versatility. No other emcee has 1/4 the range of Mr. Francis, as you'll never know what to expect when checking out a new Sage or Non Prophets song. Social consciousness, emotion, misogynist satire, or straight comedy-- Sage is the jack of all trades, AND the master of them as well. In addition to his flexibility in the studio, Sage is one of the underground's elite live performers, battle emcees, freestylers, and more. He is a poet, a singer in a rock band, and now, an entrepreneur, as he has released each of his previous demo style recordings on his own Strange Famous Records.
Unfortunately, all of this (save for the last bit) was stated last year. Though Sage was not at all absent from the scene, he did not make the titanic splash in 2001 that he could have and should have. Though Sage is almost unquestionably the most talented artist in hip hop, underground or mainstream, his status as the #1 emcee may suffer if by next year, Personal Journals is still being anticipated rather than enjoyed.