Sage Francis has been one of the most influential figures in independent Hiphop for over a decade. The Providence, Rhode Island native burst onto the scene by winning the emcee battle at Scribble Jam in 2000. Sage has gone on to release a laundry list of ground breaking records from his debut LP ‘Personal Journals’ to last years ‘Li(f)e’ album. A true lyricist, Francis has also helped pave the way for other underground acts to follow; establishing his own successful indie label ‘Strange Famous’.
Rap Ireland caught up with Sage just ahead of his big Dublin and Galway shows this weekend.
Words: Duan Greally
RAP IRELAND: When you were touring towards the end of last year, you said that it would likely be your last ever tour. Here you are back out on the road again…
SAGE FRANCIS: My non-touring stance seems to be a matter of confusion for many people. To me, a “tour” is a long string of shows. A tour keeps me away from my home for weeks/months at a time. I toured steadily from 2000 until 2010. What I’m doing now is selecting spot dates, which is different than touring. I will fly out to certain cities from time to time, do a show, and then return home. This results in less money and less performances for me overall but I much prefer this method and I’m very lucky to be in a position to do it like this. I’ve played Ireland a few times over the past decade. Rowdy, rowdy shows.
RAP IRELAND: I wanted to ask you about your influences. You have given a few hints on different tracks over the years. Who were some of the people that inspired you as an artist and perhaps influenced your style?
SAGE FRANCIS: I have a million influences but there’s no father to my style.
RAP IRELAND: Your latest LP ‘Li(f)e’ came out back in May. Now that you have had a bit of time to reflect on it, has your view of the album changed at all?
SAGE FRANCIS: My newest realization is that LI(F)E should have been released as a collaborative project rather than a Sage Francis album. The strong point is with the lyrics, as is with all of my albums, but most of the other things were put in the hands of others. I’m a control freak so it took a leap of faith for me to let go of the reigns in that regard. I don’t necessarily regret that, but I do think it should have been released under a different project name. In fact, doing that may have even helped the promotion and exposure of the album.
RAP IRELAND: One track I actually wanted to ask you about specifically is ‘Little Houdini’. How did that song come about and why did you decide to start the album with it?
SAGE FRANCIS: Little Houdini is about a guy named Christopher Daniel Gay. I caught wind of his escapades many years ago and I thought it was incredibly inspiring. I saved whatever details I could get of his prison breaks from the few news stories that were published and I waited for an opportunity to tell his tale. Once I received the music from Jason Lytle it all came together perfectly. I started the album with “Little Houdini” mainly because it’s such an epic song. A song like that should either start an album or end it. I decided that “The Best of Times” should be the album closer.
RAP IRELAND: When you were preparing for the release of ‘Li(f)e’ you said “maybe I will lose some fans, but maybe I’ll also gain some”. Now that you can look back at that in hindsight, how do you feel the album was received?
SAGE FRANCIS: Well, with the album being so rock-driven I had the idea that it would be covered by the kind of press that I don’t normally get. That’s what I considered to be the ‘best case scenario’ as far as media is concerned. However, almost nothing happened on the publicity and promotion-front outside of the typical hiphop channels which means that the people who heard the album were mainly the people who already know about my music. And, thankfully, the majority of these people embraced the project. A few people grumbled, saying that they would rather hear me over boombap production, but I’m actually surprised by how positive most people were. If you’re a hiphop head, your brain does need to switch gears a bit in order to appreciate an album like this.
RAP IRELAND: I wanted to switch gears for a moment and ask you about the label. Over the last few years, Strange Famous has become one of the most important labels in independent Hiphop. You have put out releases for the likes B.Dolan, Buck 65, Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip and a host of other artists. What made you decide to expand the label?
SAGE FRANCIS: As my operation and outreach grew, I felt like it only made sense to include others in on the SFR ride. The main goal is to stay active and helpful while working with artists I enjoy. Of course, I could have just focused on myself and my own career all these years but it’s tough to focus on yourself when there’s so much talent around.
RAP IRELAND:At a time when a lot of labels are finding it very tough out there, Strange Famous have maintained a really loyal fanbase. What do you attribute that to?
SAGE FRANCIS: We’ve earned the respect and trust of our fans through many years of being reliable and consistent. Other things are at play, but what I just said is the short and tall of it.
RAP IRELAND: What’s lined up next for Strange Famous? What should people be keeping an eye out for in the coming months?
SAGE FRANCIS: There are four albums in particular that all look like they’re about to be birthed this year. I’m just hoping they don’t pop out at the same exact time because that means some people will have to wait for their album to be heard and no one likes that. A new group we’ve been working with is the Metermaids from Brooklyn, NY. Their album, Rooftop Shake, has production by 9th Wonder and guest vocals by Buck 65 and myself. Cecil Otter has been working on his “Porcelain Revolver” album for the past 3 years and it looks like it will be finished soon. Prolyphic is currently working on an album called “Working Man” with an incredible DJ/producer from London named Buddy Peace. Other than that, I know that B. Dolan is cooking up something magnificent but it’s possible he’ll release a mixtape before the official album. Same with me actually.
Sage Francis plays The Roisin Dubh in Galway this Saturday April 16th and then Whelans, Dublin the following night. Tickets are available from Ticketmaster.
For more on Sage check out:
Strange Famous Records / Twitter / Facebook
