Rapology.org

There is nothing I could possibly say that would pay enough tribute to Sage Francis.  The bio on his website does some justice to his story, but you really need to hear this lyricist in action to glimpse the depth of his talent.

I’m still relatively new to Sage Francis. I’ve been listening to “A Healthy Distrust” repeatedly since downloading it a month ago. With each listen, layers peel away to expose undercurrents that were not obvious to me before. Since then I’ve acquired his first full-length release “Personal Journals”, along with a few EPs and an album by the Non-Prophets, a collaborative effort with Joe Beats.

He is a master of his craft, with clever lyrics like “I’m leaving naysayers stumped like rain forests” and “She wants to dance to my pulse but I got heart murmurs.”  Strip the lyrics away and you have elements of folk, and downtempo beats worthy to stand alone that are somewhat remeniscent of the likes of DJ Shadow and Unkle.

Here are a few of my favorites so far.

Makeshift Patriot
Escape Artist - my top choice
Sea Lion
Bridle

There will surely be more to follow. I’ve only scratched the surface.