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.
Gimme Dat
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need shoes like a motherfucker
Pants like a motherfucker
Gimme dat, gimme dat
I need a shirt like a motherfucker
I need a hat like a motherfucker
Jacket like a motherfucker
I need a mask like a motherfucker
I need a cake like a motherfucker
A shield like a motherfucker
Gimme dat, gimme dat
I need a cloak like a motherfucker
I need a dagger like a motherfucker
Gimme dat (gimme dat)
Gimme dat (gimme dat)
Bulletproof glass from a phone booth? Gimme dat
E-ZPass for the toll booth? Fucking gimme dat
Truth, nothing but the whole truth? Fucking gimme dat
Don't forget the ten-gal-luh-buh-buh-buh
Terminator acts as a DJ? Gimme dat
Hype man named Flava Flav? Gimme dat
First-world security on stage? Gimme dat
Don't forget the ten-gallon tin-foil jimmy hat!
Everybody's got nice stuff but me I need a bed like a motherfucker
I need sheets like a motherfucker
Pillow like a motherfucker
Gimme dat, gimme dat
I need heat like a motherfucker
AC like a motherfucker
Electricitay!
I need a dog like a motherfucker
A magic wand like a motherfucker
A Trans Am like a motherfucker
Gimme dat, gimme dat
I need a house like a motherfucker
Trampoline like a motherfucker
You know the drill
Give it to me!
Original NES Tetris? Gimme dat
A salary higher than my rent is? Gimme dat
...full of exes, a tin-dog necklace
A partner from Compton and some gold-front benches
IPhone, iPod, iTouch, mini-Mac
Milk rights, milk soy, milk cause I'm Similac
Free lifetime subscription to Skinemax
Don't forget the ten-gallon tin-foil jimmy hat!
Everybody's got nice stuff but me
I want cash, I want money
Everybody's got nice stuff but me
It's satellite radio, HD TV
Everybody's got nice stuff but me
A remote-control spaceship, hybrid Humvee
Everybody's got nice stuff but me
Everybody's got nice stuff but... me!
Believe me, young man, anybody ever tells you it's a picnic, being a millionaire, don't you listen. Take it from me, before you make a million, just be sure you can afford it
I'll make a note of that
The lyrics of Sage Francis's song "Gimme Dat" speak to a sense of desire and materialism that is all too pervasive in modern culture. The artist uses hyperbole to take the desire for material possessions to extreme levels, with repeated use of the phrase "like a motherfucker" to emphasize the intensity of his need. The list of items he desires is wide-ranging, encompassing basic needs like socks and shoes as well as more luxurious desires like a Trans Am or remote-control spaceship.
Throughout the song, Francis emphasizes his sense of entitlement, with repeated statements of "gimme dat" serving as a mantra of his need for material possessions. The chorus is particularly striking in its simplicity and repetition, underscoring the obsessive nature of the desire he is expressing. At the same time, the song can be seen as a commentary on the emptiness of materialism, as Francis' unending list of desires never seems to bring him satisfaction or fulfillment.
Line by Line Meaning
I need socks like a motherfucker
I require socks intensely
I need shoes like a motherfucker
I necessitate shoes in the highest degree
Pants like a motherfucker
I'm in dire need of pants
Gimme dat, gimme dat
Give me that, give me that
I need a shirt like a motherfucker
I want a shirt most urgently
I need a hat like a motherfucker
I covet a hat like it's my life
Jacket like a motherfucker
I'm desperately craving a jacket
I need a mask like a motherfucker
I want a mask very badly
I need a cake like a motherfucker
I urgently require a cake
A shield like a motherfucker
I'm in dire need of a shield
I need a cloak like a motherfucker
I'm intensely craving a cloak
I need a dagger like a motherfucker
I require a dagger desperately
Gimme dat (gimme dat)
Give me that (give me that)
Bulletproof glass from a phone booth? Gimme dat
I want bulletproof glass from the phone booth so bad
E-ZPass for the toll booth? Fucking gimme dat
I want an E-ZPass for the toll booth so badly
Truth, nothing but the whole truth? Fucking gimme dat
The truth, and only the truth? I want that badly
Don't forget the ten-gal-luh-buh-buh-buh
Don't overlook the ten-gallon tin-foil jimmy hat
Terminator acts as a DJ? Gimme dat
I want Terminator to be the DJ so bad
Hype man named Flava Flav? Gimme dat
I want a hype man named Flava Flav so badly
First-world security on stage? Gimme dat
I want first-world security on stage very badly
I need a bed like a motherfucker
I urgently require a bed
I need sheets like a motherfucker
I'm in desperate need of sheets
Pillow like a motherfucker
I urgently require a pillow
I need heat like a motherfucker
I need heat very badly
AC like a motherfucker
I'm intensely craving AC
Electricitay!
Electricity! Gimme that!
I need a dog like a motherfucker
I want a dog very bad
A magic wand like a motherfucker
I want a magic wand so badly
A Trans Am like a motherfucker
I'm craving a Trans Am like there's no tomorrow
I need a house like a motherfucker
I need a house so badly
Trampoline like a motherfucker
I am intensely craving a trampoline
You know the drill
You know what to do
Give it to me!
Hand it over to me!
Original NES Tetris? Gimme dat
I want Original NES Tetris badly
A salary higher than my rent is? Gimme dat
I want a salary higher than my rent so badly
...full of exes, a tin-dog necklace
Full of ex-lovers, a tin-dog necklace
A partner from Compton and some gold-front benches
A partner from Compton and some gold-fronted benches
IPhone, iPod, iTouch, mini-Mac
iPhone, iPod, iTouch, and mini-Mac
Milk rights, milk soy, milk cause I'm Similac
Milk rights, soy milk, milk that causes you to be like Similac formula
Free lifetime subscription to Skinemax
Free lifetime subscription to Skinemax movies and shows
Everybody's got nice stuff but me
Everyone has nice things except for me
I want cash, I want money
I desire cash, I require money
It's satellite radio, HD TV
It's satellite radio and HD TV
A remote-control spaceship, hybrid Humvee
A hybrid Humvee and a remote-control spaceship
Everybody's got nice stuff but me
Everyone has nice things except for me
Everybody's got nice stuff but... me!
Everyone else has something nice, but not me!
Believe me, young man, anybody ever tells you it's a picnic, being a millionaire, don't you listen. Take it from me, before you make a million, just be sure you can afford it
Being rich is not as easy as people think, and one should make sure they can handle the responsibility before becoming a millionaire
I'll make a note of that
I will take that into consideration
Contributed by Caden A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
YoutubeSucks
Probably one of the best performances in hiphop history. And based on the YouTube views it was only seen by 16 000 people....
Dicky
Oh man, this set in its entirety is nowhere to be found and it was shifting into Personal Journalist. Hardest thing about seeing Sage live is that you just want to keep seeing Sage live. Cheers from Reading, UK.
Unko P
Sage absolutely killed this. When he pulled the gun on the crowd was the best part . Too bad it didn’t have blanks and he shot in the air two times. That would have been litty
SBmedo20
This is amazing. As hard as Sage's live performance would be to capture, this video did a pretty good job of it. Awesome little ad-libs to "Jah Didn't Kill Johnny" :'D
MykroBeatz
1:56 - You are listening to the heartbeat of the sage
Taddy Bear
Uncle Sage is just casually hanging out in the top tier of hip-hop with Aes', Slug, Eyedea, Sadistik, and many others in the slithering underground that have pierced into the upper echelon of music.
ottomoi
Sage is best.
Santi
This is gold!
нighlyoрi{nion}aтed
Sage quit playing with our emotions we need this full footage , the crowd didn't know what the fuck was going on at first..love it
SehZ Merkulation
I Cant Stop Re Living This Amazing Moment .