Sage Francis

Sage Francis (CEO of Strange Famous Records) is widely considered one of our generation's greatest lyricists. His gifted wordplay creates vivid narratives to instigate as well as inspire, but it often derives from an accumulation of public disdain and personal turmoil. Dubbed the "forefather of indie-hop,” a sub-genre which gained great traction in the late 90s, Francis originally earned acclaim in the early 2000's by winning the most highly coveted titles of the emcee battle circuit (Scribble Jam and The Super Bowl Battle.) This was coupled with the waves he was causing in the newly burgeoning spoken word scene.

Despite having no official distribution or label support, Francis' unique brand of music spread like wildfire via the advent of file-sharing networks which caught the attention of labels worldwide. With his first studio album, Personal Journals, Francis daringly set aside the more boastful side of rap by catering to his poetic leanings and scathing socio-political commentary. By 2005 Sage Francis was the first hip-hop artist signed to Epitaph Records and soon became one of the highest-selling artists of his genre. Rather than abandon his day-to-day grind at the helm of SFR, he channeled all of his newfound resources into it, allowing the label to expand in staff as well as the roster. Several studio albums (including his Epic Beard Men group) and numerous “Sick of...” mixtapes later, Uncle Sage has settled into his “old man shaking his fist at a soundcloud” status while continuing to push buttons from his New England home with his wife and children.

2022 saw the 20-year anniversary of “Personal Journals” and 2023 will see Sage Francis returned to the stage, albeit in a very limited capacity. Baby steps back into the old li(f)e. New projects are in the works.

Presented by Form.