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.
Emperor's New Clothes
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And catch them tickling my whiskers...colliding with wind chimes/
The kind that send shivers...up and down tingling spines/
Thinking time could stretch if...
we'd spin a design inside our web that would catch drifts/
The type that blow out birthday candles before we make our death wish/
I'm waiting for a message in my calling so I'm checking my voice mail,
and I'm answering machines with man-made dreams.
Man made bandaids to cover up the seams.
The cover-up seems to only work if the wound never opens up or bleeds.
Beads of sweat form above the eyes of a heathen Emperor/
Who won't get on his feet and step outside into the freezing temperature/
He wants to adjust the global thermostat/
But he's so remote...and you can't control the world like that/
Come to find these eggs ain't even golden.
I see depreciation in the family jewels the Queen is holding.
That broken marraige was fixed. It happened when her feet were frozen.
She still remains to be the only one who's seen the Emperor's new clothing...
Sage Francis's song Emperor's New Clothes is a poetic commentary on the hidden secrets and illusions that cloak our reality. The first few lines describe the artist's search for meaning within the whispers and secrets of the world. The winter time and wind chimes symbolize the fleeting moments of life that can be easily missed if we aren't attentive to the sounds around us.
The next section of the song describes the artist's desire to slow down time and hold onto moments that slip away too quickly. He imagines spinning a web to catch the drifts of time, or the moments that slip away. These moments can be significant, like making a death wish right before blowing out birthday candles.
The following verse describes the artificial constructs we create to cover up and hide our wounds. The man-made dreams and bandaids are metaphors for the false realities we create to distract ourselves from the pain. However, the cover-up only works if the wound never opens up or bleeds, which is unlikely.
The last verse of the song describes an egotistical emperor who wants to control the world but is unable to. The eggs that aren't even golden represent the illusions of wealth and grandeur that are empty and meaningless. The Queen's family jewels symbolize the diminishing power of traditional sources of authority, and the Emperor's new clothing represents the delusions and false realities that can be perpetuated by those in power.
Line by Line Meaning
I listen for secrets hidden in whispers...in the winter time/
I tune in to subtle whispers that are best heard in the stillness of winter.
And catch them tickling my whiskers...colliding with wind chimes/
I feel the whispers brush against my face, creating a symphony with nearby wind chimes.
The kind that send shivers...up and down tingling spines/
The whispers and chimes produce a spine-tingling sensation.
Thinking time could stretch if...
I wonder if time would feel slower if we could control our experiences.
we'd spin a design inside our web that would catch drifts/
If we create an environment that captures random moments, we can savor them later.
The type that blow out birthday candles before we make our death wish/
These moments can offer joy and fulfillment before our inevitable demise.
I'm waiting for a message in my calling so I'm checking my voice mail,
I am anxious for news, so I repeatedly check my voicemail.
and I'm answering machines with man-made dreams.
The voicemails are empty promises or inventions of the sender's imagination.
Man made bandaids to cover up the seams.
We try to patch up our problems with superficial solutions.
The cover-up seems to only work if the wound never opens up or bleeds.
These solutions only last if we don't let our wounds reopen.
Beads of sweat form above the eyes of a heathen Emperor/
The unrighteous leader feels anxious.
Who won't get on his feet and step outside into the freezing temperature/
The leader is too cowardly to face the harsh reality.
He wants to adjust the global thermostat/
The leader seeks ultimate control over the world.
But he's so remote...and you can't control the world like that/
He is too far removed from reality to affect true change.
Come to find these eggs ain't even golden.
Upon closer inspection, these eggs are not as valuable as they seemed.
I see depreciation in the family jewels the Queen is holding.
Even the Queen's belongings lose value over time.
That broken marraige was fixed. It happened when her feet were frozen.
The Queen's marriage was fixed when she was forced to confront the cold truths of life.
She still remains to be the only one who's seen the Emperor's new clothing...
The Queen is the only one who knows the truth about the Emperor's supposed power and control.
Contributed by Lincoln Y. 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