Band

With his literary aura and often-political choice of topic, Sage Francis is far from the hip hop mainstream.

The indie rapper from Rhode Island has, if anybody, been one of the pioneers when it comes to weaken the distinction between alternative rock, poetry slam and hip hop.

On the latest album Li(f)e, the protest hip hopper raps on top of an instrumental backing that has more in common with swampy, white roots rock than chocolate-brown soul or R&B. Particularly organised religion gets a clout on the head, but Francis’ well-told stories don’t spare himself.

Sage Francis rarely plays live nowadays. Don’t miss a rapper who knows his Bob Dylan and Tom Waits as well as his Public Enemy.

^{Label: Strange Famous / import}