Paul "Sage" Francis (born November 18, 1976 in Miami, Florida) is a hip-hop… Read Full Bio ↴Paul "Sage" Francis (born November 18, 1976 in Miami, Florida) is a hip-hop artist based in Providence, Rhode Island.
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.
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.
Majority Rule
Sage Francis Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
(hook)
I'ma take you back, take take you back
I'ma take you back, take take you back
I'ma take you back, take take you back
I'ma take you back, take take you back (W-W-W-Way Back!)
I'ma take you back, take take you back
I'ma take you back, take take you back
See, 'cause it's twisted..
In the future, scientists will prove that we never even existed
[Verse One]
I got lectured once while eating breakfast for lunch
Said dad to me "Reality is nothing but a collective hunch
Whatever you want the truth to be, simply fool the masses
Attack them mentally with tools of power like the Masters
Get em in elementary school and college classes
Eventually you'll overrule their cowardly asses
Don't worry about society, they're all horrible bastards"
With this knowledge I blast kids. stay dark like Howard's glasses
I'm "Stern!" plus I rule with an iron fist
With no concern, it's so cruel, where did I learn this?
It's in my gene pool. For permanent bliss
It seems cool, only if you suffer from eternal ignorance
Internal innocence rejects external filth. Hurdle the guilt
My ancestors left. Dress with a traditional kilt
Curdled milk that's under suspicion will get spilt
Ain't no use crying. Who's lying about the empire I built?
Another self proclaimed historian
With Einstein as his passenger, and a flux capacitor in his Delorean
Rewrote my past, taught me sin
When we spoke at last he caught me in the chin
There was no need to ask, I know he fought me to win
My broken task is born again, let a new war begin
I think he saw me grin. Played my ass like a sucka
Turned that brunch between me and my father into our last supper
[Chorus]
He'll take us back, take take us back
He'll take us back, take take us back (Take us back back!)
He'll take us back, take take us back
He'll take us back, take take us back (W-W-W-Way Back!)
See, 'cause it's twisted..
In the future, scientists will prove that we never even existed
[Verse Two]
So now I'm orphaned into this world of a rewritten past
Where they force my girl to clean and force me to sit in class
The teacher laughs as he preaches math, beats me with a staff
Because the text we read expects us to bleed each paragraph
I speed through the chapter fast. My prospectful wife
Hangs her pride at half mast, force fed domestic life
Is giving her a fat ass...she can't eat no more
"We'll see who laughs last" is what she speaks so sure
As she sweeps the floor
Her bare feet are sore. I'd massage her toes
But she's way too busy doing dirty laundry and washing my clothes
This bastard ass took us back to the dark ages
My heart races. He's got 1 out of 3 blacks locked in cages
Sage is heading for the mic, but they blocked the stages
Dopes took his notebook, said "Don't look!" as they blotched the page
Ignoramuses must have "idio-dildos" stuck up in their anuses
Dominatrixes explain how pleasurable of a pain this is
I ain't with this game of his.I'm looking for a loophole
Just because you look the part, don't mean you can play, ask Manute Bol
My absolute role is to save whatever is left of me
The last of my true soul, so I dress up like the referee
To get the coach on every bench pissed
They approach me with a clenched fist
So I throw up their past lives and say, "Catch this!"
They get the drift, but fans rush the court
Propaganda programs they hold in their hands
Brain washed and flushed their thought
Now it's a blood sport. My girl ain't with this strange land
She was fronting like a cheerleader as she figured out the game plan
Made peeks at play sheets, memorized them like the Rain Man
Conducted her own brain scan, then reversed the chain of command
"She learned the formulas?" The story is unraveling
She seduced Einstein by dressing up like Marilyn..
Monroe. now she's got a Manson look in her eyes
And a grin that's stretching so wide.damn, son, I'm petrified!
[Chorus]
She'll take us back, take take us back
She'll take us back, take take us back (Take us back back!)
She'll take us back, take take us back
She'll take us back, take take us back(W-W-W-Way Back!)
See, 'cause it's twisted..
In the future scientists will prove that we never even exsssss....
I'ma take you back, take take you back
I'ma take you back, take take you back
I'ma take you back, take take you back
I'ma take you back, take take you back (W-W-W-Way Back!)
I'ma take you back, take take you back
I'ma take you back, take take you back
See, 'cause it's twisted..
[Verse One]
I got lectured once while eating breakfast for lunch
Said dad to me "Reality is nothing but a collective hunch
Whatever you want the truth to be, simply fool the masses
Attack them mentally with tools of power like the Masters
Get em in elementary school and college classes
Eventually you'll overrule their cowardly asses
Don't worry about society, they're all horrible bastards"
With this knowledge I blast kids. stay dark like Howard's glasses
I'm "Stern!" plus I rule with an iron fist
With no concern, it's so cruel, where did I learn this?
It's in my gene pool. For permanent bliss
It seems cool, only if you suffer from eternal ignorance
Internal innocence rejects external filth. Hurdle the guilt
My ancestors left. Dress with a traditional kilt
Curdled milk that's under suspicion will get spilt
Ain't no use crying. Who's lying about the empire I built?
Another self proclaimed historian
With Einstein as his passenger, and a flux capacitor in his Delorean
Rewrote my past, taught me sin
When we spoke at last he caught me in the chin
There was no need to ask, I know he fought me to win
My broken task is born again, let a new war begin
I think he saw me grin. Played my ass like a sucka
Turned that brunch between me and my father into our last supper
[Chorus]
He'll take us back, take take us back
He'll take us back, take take us back (Take us back back!)
He'll take us back, take take us back
He'll take us back, take take us back (W-W-W-Way Back!)
See, 'cause it's twisted..
In the future, scientists will prove that we never even existed
[Verse Two]
So now I'm orphaned into this world of a rewritten past
Where they force my girl to clean and force me to sit in class
The teacher laughs as he preaches math, beats me with a staff
Because the text we read expects us to bleed each paragraph
I speed through the chapter fast. My prospectful wife
Hangs her pride at half mast, force fed domestic life
Is giving her a fat ass...she can't eat no more
"We'll see who laughs last" is what she speaks so sure
As she sweeps the floor
Her bare feet are sore. I'd massage her toes
But she's way too busy doing dirty laundry and washing my clothes
This bastard ass took us back to the dark ages
My heart races. He's got 1 out of 3 blacks locked in cages
Sage is heading for the mic, but they blocked the stages
Dopes took his notebook, said "Don't look!" as they blotched the page
Ignoramuses must have "idio-dildos" stuck up in their anuses
Dominatrixes explain how pleasurable of a pain this is
I ain't with this game of his.I'm looking for a loophole
Just because you look the part, don't mean you can play, ask Manute Bol
My absolute role is to save whatever is left of me
The last of my true soul, so I dress up like the referee
To get the coach on every bench pissed
They approach me with a clenched fist
So I throw up their past lives and say, "Catch this!"
They get the drift, but fans rush the court
Propaganda programs they hold in their hands
Brain washed and flushed their thought
Now it's a blood sport. My girl ain't with this strange land
She was fronting like a cheerleader as she figured out the game plan
Made peeks at play sheets, memorized them like the Rain Man
Conducted her own brain scan, then reversed the chain of command
"She learned the formulas?" The story is unraveling
She seduced Einstein by dressing up like Marilyn..
Monroe. now she's got a Manson look in her eyes
And a grin that's stretching so wide.damn, son, I'm petrified!
[Chorus]
She'll take us back, take take us back
She'll take us back, take take us back (Take us back back!)
She'll take us back, take take us back
She'll take us back, take take us back(W-W-W-Way Back!)
See, 'cause it's twisted..
In the future scientists will prove that we never even exsssss....
Sage Francis's "Majority Rule" is a stark commentary on the power dynamics in society and the extent to which individuals can be manipulated and controlled. In the first verse, Francis's father lectures him on the unreality of reality, telling him that the truth can be manipulated to manipulate people. Francis takes this knowledge and applies it to his own life, ruling with an iron fist and rejecting external filth. However, he eventually realizes that this rejection has left him cut off from the world around him, and he longs to bridge the gap between himself and his fellow humans. In the second verse, Francis imagines a future where his own existence may not even be proven, highlighting the fleeting and ephemeral nature of human life.
The lyrics of "Majority Rule" are dense and packed with meaning, reflecting Sage Francis's reputation as one of the most insightful and thought-provoking rappers of his generation. The use of the chorus to create a sense of repetition and rhythm gives the song a hypnotic quality, drawing the listener in and immersing them in Francis's unique worldview. The song's use of language is also notable, with complex and evocative metaphors that help to create a vivid picture of the world Francis is describing. Overall, "Majority Rule" is a powerful and challenging song that demands careful attention from anyone who wants to fully appreciate its many layers of meaning.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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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