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 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’ return to the stage, albeit in a very limited capacity. Baby
steps back into the old li(f)e. New projects are in the works