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.
Prior to embarking on a full-time career as an MC, Francis displayed his skills in slam poetry. During the late 1990s, he recorded his first demo tape (1996), fronted the now defunct Providence hip-hop band Art Official Intelligence, and hosted a weekly slot on independent radio station WRIU (the "True School Session"). He also formed the Non-Prophets and released a 12” (Drop Bass/Bounce/I Keep Calling, Emerge Records, 1999), following up in 2003 with their first full-length offering, Hope. Francis is a contemporary of underground hip-hop artists such as Slug, Eyedea, Sole and the anticon. collective. He is also loosely affiliated with the vague underground hip-hop super-group The Orphanage.
As a solo performer, Francis won the MC battle at the 2000 Scribble Jam, and in 2001 he came close to repeating as champion (semi-finalist) while performing as his "metal" alter ego, "Xaul Zan". Francis released his first proper solo album, Personal Journals, on Anticon. in 2002. He toured with a live band on the Live Band Dead Poet Tour to support it. Francis subsequently became the first hip-hop artist to sign with Punk label Epitaph, agreeing to a three-album deal. His first album for Epitaph, A Healthy Distrust, was released in early 2005 and was followed up with Human the Death Dance in 2007.
One of Francis' best-known tracks is "Makeshift Patriot", a commentary on the American media recorded one month after the September 11, 2001 attacks which he released on the internet as an MP3 as well as a limited edition 7" single.
In February 2005 Sage dropped his second full length album on the originally punk label Epitaph, it was widely regarded as the best underground hip hop album of the year by critics and fans alike and featured heavily political tracks such as "The Buzz Kill" and "Slow Down Gandhi" and more personal material like that more similar to that of his debut 'Personal Journals' such as 'Bridle' and a few heavily satirical comments on the modern day rap and urban scene such as the satirical comment on youth gun culture 'Gunz Yo'.
Sage has helped to set up the Wiki KnowMore.org which is described as a 'way to keep tabs on the some of the biggest and most dangerous businesses in the world'. He is a vegetarian and also chooses to abstain from drugs and drinking, though doesn't label himself as "straight-edge" because he believes "you shouldn't define yourself by what you don't do."
Sage has set up his own label and signed some of who he claims to be his favorite artists of the moment such as Buck 65 and Proplyphic and Reanimator named Strange Famous (which shares his initials) with which he released his most recent work 'Human the Death Dance'
This album was released in May 2007 and takes a step away from the heavily political 'Healthy Distrust' and heads back to the more personal lyrics of 'Personal Journals' and comments on modern culture. The album features cameos from many Strange Famous artists such as Buddy Wakefield, Buck 65 and Reanimator.
In 2010 Sage released his fourth full length album Li(f)e (the title coming from the famous quote from 'The Cure' on the Non-Prophets album Hope "Life is just a lie with an f in it and death is definite"). The album was extremely well received and one particular single off of the album 'The Best Of Times' received extensive air play on the popular British radio station Radio 1. After Sages Li(f)e tour Sage has stated that he will no longer be doing tours but will still be releasing albums and other materials, instead he will be doing select gigs throughout each year.
On 3 June 2014, Sage released his fifth studio album 'Copper Gone'. It is the first official studio album after Sage Francis announced his hiatus, which lasted for four years.
Andy Kaufman
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Now I know it ain't right, but I decided I hadta' /
Us poets paint life, but don't get recognized till afta' /
So I faked my own death just to see what would happen /
As I taje shallow breaths and wait for people's reaction /
It was funny at first, but I had to hold my laughter... wait /
Before long I was on display at an open casket wake /
And I'm the main attraction who draws a crowd. A freak show of sorts /
Frozen in my thoughts, laying stiff... playing with
/ People's emotions and awaiting a kiss from praying
lips that I hate but miss.
She didn't show... although she sent a card with flowers /
How considerate. That little bitch would make me sit in my car for hours /
Heartless powers start to devour my patience... it gets me violent /
I'm ready to fly shit and end everything like "I QUIT!"
Then again I sit deathly quiet... biting my tongue /
Just excited that some kids... who were invited to come did /
I'm the center of attention... the talk of the town /
It ain; t all that profound,
but on this special day of mine I'm the one the universe revolves around /
It's like a birthday... kind of.
I also found that it's the worst way to find love.
White doves battle black crows in one of the back rows /
And everybody my ass knows back home is sporting black clothes /
Looking glum as usual... it's all too familliar /
I put the fun back into funeral. My morbid humor'll kill ya' /
For all that it's worth... the people who I thought were jerks /
Were putting on the water works and it sorta hurts /
My momma stroked my hair with so much care but hardly spoke /
Now my heart is broke, and yeah... I should've let her in on the joke /
But I'm honestly choked up, and I'm stuck holding back my tears /
As I absorb the atmosphere, "I wanna turn back I'm scared!"
Then a hand touches my shoulder to calm my nerves /
And something odd occurs because I heard my father's words /
So I got disturbed... as he expressed what he's never said /
What bothered me the most is that I remembered... he's dead /
I manifested destiny. The best and worst of worlds has come true /
As I'm buried alive, in the back of my mind echoes his words:
"I love you."
In Sage Francis's song "Andy Kaufman," the artist uses his own death as a metaphor to comment on fame and the art of poetry. He acknowledges that poets may not receive recognition until after they have passed away and the impact of their work is fully realized by society. Therefore, he decides to fake his own death to see how people would react. At first, he finds it amusing, but then realizes the gravity of the situation as he lies in a casket at his own wake, becoming the main attraction and drawing a crowd. His pale skin helps pass him off as a decomposing corpse, adding to the surreal atmosphere of the scene.
As he observes his loved ones and acquaintances mourn his death, he realizes the power of emotions and how they can be manipulated. The people he deemed jerks come forward with waterworks, and his mother strokes his hair with care, showing how death can bring out deeper feelings in people. However, the singer experiences a regret for not informing his mother of the joke, as he witnesses her pain. He becomes emotional and wishes to turn back, but then hears his father's voice in his head telling him, "I love you." This realization is significant because his father is no longer alive. Through these lyrics, Sage Francis is commenting on the way society puts fame and status above emotional connections, and how, in the end, love and human connection are what truly matter.
Line by Line Meaning
Now I know it ain't right, but I decided I hadta'
I know it's wrong, but I still did it anyway.
Us poets paint life, but don't get recognized till afta'
Poets can bring to life the world around us, but it's only appreciated after they're gone.
So I faked my own death just to see what would happen
Sage Francis pretended to die to observe the reactions of those around him.
As I take shallow breaths and wait for people's reaction
Sage Francis, pretending to be dead, takes faint breaths while waiting to see people's reactions.
It was funny at first, but I had to hold my laughter... wait
The situation was initially humorous, but Sage Francis couldn't laugh out loud right away.
Before long I was on display at an open casket wake
Sage Francis's mock wake turned into an exhibition where he was the center of attention in an open casket.
And I'm the main attraction who draws a crowd. A freak show of sorts
Sage Francis becomes the main attraction of his own wake, becoming like a side-show exhibit.
Good thing my skin is pale enough to pass as a decomposing corpse
Sage Francis's fair complexion made him look convincingly lifeless.
Frozen in my thoughts, laying stiff... playing with
As Sage Francis lies motionless, he is caught up in his own thoughts and emotions.
People's emotions and awaiting a kiss from praying lips that I hate but miss.
Sage Francis is emotionally manipulating those who mourned him, hoping for affection from one that he both loves and resents.
She didn't show... although she sent a card with flowers
Someone who Sage Francis expected to attend was a no-show, but still sent a card and flowers.
How considerate. That little bitch would make me sit in my car for hours
Sage Francis thinks it's ironic and hypocritical that the same person who stood him up would send flowers and a card.
Heartless powers start to devour my patience... it gets me violent
Sage Francis's patience is worn down by people's indifference and he becomes increasingly agitated.
I'm ready to fly shit and end everything like 'I QUIT!'
Sage Francis is so angry that he's ready to cause chaos and destroy everything around him.
Then again I sit deathly quiet... biting my tongue
Sage Francis restrains himself from saying anything violent and instead remains silent.
Just excited that some kids... who were invited to come did
Sage Francis finds solace in the fact that some children whom he invited actually came to his wake.
I'm the center of attention... the talk of the town
Sage Francis's mock death makes him the focus of everyone's attention and conversation.
It ain't all that profound, but on this special day of mine I'm the one the universe revolves around
Sage Francis recognizes the shallow nature of his mock wake, but nevertheless revels in being the center of attention even if for a brief moment.
It's like a birthday... kind of
Sage Francis sees his mock wake as a twisted, macabre version of his own birthday.
I also found that it's the worst way to find love
Sage Francis realizes that feigning his own death is the most terrible and manipulative way to search for someone's love.
White doves battle black crows in one of the back rows
Even in the back of the funeral gathering, there is tension between supposed peace and ill-will.
And everybody my ass knows back home is sporting black clothes
Everyone that Sage Francis knows back home wears black as they mourn his death.
Looking glum as usual... it's all too familiar
The people mourning Sage Francis's death look as unhappy as they usually do and no different from other wakes.
I put the fun back into funeral. My morbid humor'll kill ya'
Sage Francis sees his mock wake as an opportunity to add a twisted sense of humor and entertainment to a typically somber event and can be deadly to his audience.
For all that it's worth... the people who I thought were jerks
Sage Francis misunderstood or deemed some to be jerks in the past, yet sees them show authentic grief and remorse.
Were putting on the water works and it sorta hurts
Sage Francis is surprised to see the people whom he deemed jerks or heartless show real, painful sadness, and inside he sort of hurts for them.
My momma stroked my hair with so much care, but hardly spoke
Sage Francis's mother gives him affectionate attention but doesn't say much.
Now my heart is broke, and yeah... I should've let her in on the joke
Sage Francis's heart is broken because he sees that his mother is suffering real grief, and he regrets that he didn't tell her the truth about feigning his own death.
But I'm honestly choked up, and I'm stuck holding back my tears
Sage Francis is holding back real emotion and tears despite feigning his own death.
As I absorb the atmosphere, 'I wanna turn back I'm scared!'
Sage Francis is as frightened as he is emotional and wants to escape the situation he created.
Then a hand touches my shoulder to calm my nerves
Sage Francis is touched by someone trying to comfort him in his distress.
And something odd occurs because I heard my father's words
Sage Francis hears his father's comforting voice in his head, even though he knows he has passed away.
So I got disturbed... as he expressed what he's never said
Hearing his father's comforting voice panics Sage Francis.
What bothered me the most is that I remembered... he's dead
Sage Francis is distressed because he knows his father has passed away and is no longer able to comfort him.
I manifested destiny. The best and worst of worlds has come true
Sage Francis realizes that he has manifested his own destiny, and the worst and best parts of his life are coming true all at once.
As I'm buried alive, in the back of my mind echoes his words: 'I love you.'
Sage Francis is trapped and afraid but finds solace in his father's loving and comforting voice.
Contributed by Sarah A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cheche Garcia
on Buckets Of Silence
I never held a funeral for that big part of me that died.
I need to put these thoughts to rest. i need to find a peace of mind.
I need to piece my mind, find a piece of mind to rest in.
need to find someone to confide in, and with the rest i need to start restin'.
needless to say, i couldn't hide.
fifteen grown men shouldn't cry.
Cheche Garcia
on Message Sent
I've got some letters inside of my drawer
that should have been stamped and delivered
One is addressed to my ex
it says I'm the type of kid who can't be lived with
One is addressed to my friends
it says I'm a mess so y'all can't visit
One is addressed to myself
but I don't know what personality or hand to give it