There’s a thin line between self-absorption and self-awareness. Eminem is self-absorbed. Sage Francis is self-aware. He’s also literate, erudite, contemplative and brutally honest, so at least that’s one thing he shares with Eminem.
Although his appearance might be better suited for a Metal guitarist or a band of Southern Rock crazies, Sage Francis is a Hip Hop poet, a rhyme-spitting existentialist with a finely tuned sense of irony and self-deprecation. Take the track “Vonnegut Busy” from his latest album, last year’s excellent Copper Gone, for instance; Sage references Of Mice and Men, The Sixth Sense, paraphrases Field of Dreams, describes his career as a “non-stop graveyard shift” and calls out Dante as a scrub. In fact, Sage lifted a line from “Vonnegut Busy” to dub his current Going Through Hell Tour — “When it feels like you’re going through hell, keep going.” Read more in this week's Sound Advice.
See Sage Francis with Trademark Aaron and B-Shields Thursday at Madison Live. More info/tickets: madisontheateronline.com .
