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.

Voice Mail Bomb Threat
Sage Francis Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

[Female Automated Voice]
From phone number
5-1-7 4-4-9 Number Number Number
Received at 2 AM

[Record Voice]
Hey just checking in man
How is 15 minutes of fame was going?

You know how you released that fucking *Personal Journals* and it was hot?
Yea, it's not anymore
You're fucking bull shit
Fucking emcee with a fucking CD player
Yea come to my town...
Yea give me all your [?} how your going to skull fuck me
We're fucking scared dude
Come to fucking Detroit
The next time you're routed..
Straight up I'm going to meet you with 100 boys ready to fucking kill you, you fuck
Seriously you threaten me and my family, I fucking kill you
Straight up
You fucking piece of shit dude
Rhyme fucking
[?]
Oh the most generic fucking dirt literally with [?]
It's nothing now, it used to be hot
Enjoy your fucking 15 minutes of three fame
You piece of shit, I'll fucking kill you
Seriously, you call me again I'll fucking kill you
Rock Detroit, Rock Flint, Rock Kalamazoo, Rock Lancing
You find you way shit
Seriously dude you're fucking nothing

I'll fucking roof your shit apart, bitch
Out. [fading echo]

Overall Meaning

The beginning of Sage Francis's "Voice Mail Bomb Threat" features an auto-generated female voice announcing the details of the voicemail received from a caller with the number "5-1-7-4-4-9 Number Number Number." The caller's message is aggressive and threatening towards the rapper, as they accuse him of being a "fucking emcee with a fucking CD player" and having lost his popular status since his album "Personal Journals" was released. The caller then proceeds to threaten physical harm towards the rapper, claiming to have 100 men ready to "kill" him the next time he comes to Detroit, and ending the message by stating that they will "roof your [expletive] apart."

In the song, Sage Francis exposes the harsh realities of being a public figure and the dark side of fame, where anonymous callers can threaten violence with no apparent consequence. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of the dangers and fears that can come with success, as well as the struggle to remain true to one's art and reputation amidst criticism and hate.

Line by Line Meaning

[Female Automated Voice]
Automated voice recording providing information about the threatening phone call received at 2 AM from a phone number ending with 517-449.

[Record Voice]
Threatening message from an anonymous individual, addressing Sage Francis about his career and expressing disappointment.

Hey just checking in man
The caller introduces himself and his purpose for calling.

How is 15 minutes of fame was going?
The caller refers to Sage's career as a fleeting moment of fame that will be over soon.

You know how you released that fuckin' *Personal Journals* and it was hot?
The caller acknowledges Sage's earlier success with his Personal Journals album.

Yea, it's not anymore
The caller follows up on the above statement and claims that Sage's success is no longer relevant.

You're fucking bull shit
The caller claims that Sage is lying or insincere.

Fucking emcee with a fucking CD player
The caller accuses Sage of not being a 'real' rapper since he uses a CD for his performance.

Yea come to my town...
The caller issues a challenge to Sage to come and perform in his town.

Yea give me all your [?} how your going to skull fuck me
A threat of physical violence towards Sage during his performance.

We're fucking scared dude
The caller expresses that they are afraid of Sage and his potential impact.

Come to fucking Detroit
The caller instructs Sage to come and perform in Detroit.

The next time you're routed..
The caller suggests that Sage will be performing in Detroit in the future.

Straight up I'm going to meet you with 100 boys ready to fucking kill you, you fuck
The caller threatens that Sage will be met with a group of people who intend to cause him harm.

Seriously you threaten me and my family, I fucking kill you
The caller makes a counter-threat towards Sage, accusing him of threatening the caller and their family.

Straight up
An interjection used to emphasize the caller's sincerity and resolve in their threats.

You fucking piece of shit dude
The caller insults Sage, using profanity to express their disdain.

Rhyme fucking
An unclear statement that may refer to Sage's lyrics or his performance.

[?]
An unclear statement that may contain a profanity or a threat against Sage.

Oh the most generic fucking dirt literally with [?]
The caller further insults Sage's career, suggesting that his music is of poor quality.

It's nothing now, it used to be hot
The caller repeats their opinion about Sage's career, stating that it is declining.

Enjoy your fucking 15 minutes of three fame
The caller mocks Sage's current level of success, and suggests it will end soon.

You piece of shit, I'll fucking kill you
The caller repeats their threats towards Sage, using profanity to express anger.

Seriously, you call me again I'll fucking kill you
The caller warns Sage not to contact them again, and repeats their threats.

Rock Detroit, Rock Flint, Rock Kalamazoo, Rock Lancing
The caller insults the cities that Sage may perform in, using profanity to express their disdain.

You find you way shit
An unclear statement that may suggest that Sage needs to be careful and not cause any trouble.

Seriously dude you're fucking nothing
The caller repeats their insults towards Sage, suggesting that he has no real talent or value.

I'll fucking roof your shit apart, bitch
The caller repeats their threats towards Sage and uses profanity to emphasize their anger.

Out. [fading echo]
End of the message with an audio effect.

Contributed by Anna D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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