While Public Enemy battled poverty and prison to establish their street-status, emcee Sage Francis battled bachelor degrees and coffee house slam-poets (sooo damn scary…) on the mean streets of Providence, R.I.
Don’t think this made Sage a softie. The New England emcee’s hollow-tipped battle raps have laid waste to the most prestigious of freestyle adversaries and earned accolades from all who have witnessed his venomous tongue-lashings.
2002’s Personal Journals witnessed Sage tear himself apart to introduce the world to his inner demons over a soundtrack of minimalist, Anticon beats. Not to rest on his laurels, Sage took up arms with long-time accomplice Joe Beats and dropped The Non-Prophets’ debut Hope in 2004-an old-school throwback that shirked Journal’s indie-trappings.
Once again, Sage wasn’t ready to tread stagnant water. After being snatched up by punk-patriarchs Epitaph Records, the ever-changing emcee laid his crosshairs on the most ominous of adversaries: the good old ringmasters of America’s political circus. As A Healthy Distrust began to take shape it was clear that no one was safe-not God, not gun control, not sex, drugs or good old G.W. Sage Francis pulled no lyrical punches.
This very three-ring beat-em-up-circus will set up its tents at the Lo-Fi tonight with sideshow acts Soliloquists of Sound and Jared Paul, doors at 7 p.m., tickets cost $15 at the door.