Customer Reviews

Healthy Distrust

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The underground has brought us some exceptional MCs in the last few years. One of which, is Sage Francis. Francis has earned himself a cult following over the past few years, winning a couple of freestyle battles, and a few poetry slams. His spoken word performances have been featured on ESPN and ABC X-Games commercials. He's toured with Atmosphere and Anticon, and has booked several shows independently. In the beginning, he started off selling bootleg CD-Rs and cassettes of his material, selling thousands of copies with minimal distribution and self-promotion. Sage's fans love him so much because he raps with such conviction, bringing him a following that cannot be bought. His songs hold a fundamental value of honesty buried within his deep metaphors. To understand his music, you must understand Sage Francis, which is difficult to grasp, if not nearly impossible. It's refreshing to hear an MC spit out rhymes in unique mind-bending metaphors though. It makes you ponder upon his thoughts, forcing you to re-experience the album several times. Not only does Sage rhyme; he rhymes fast, often times with superior speed and clarity. His analogies will make you think twice if not three times. The album is filled with a refreshing production, untouched by many underground MCs. The album pulls out hard crunching guitar riffs, and soft melodic guitar rhythms; Sage is even found singing in several instances. The beats and production have never been highlighted in Sages previous works. Francis gets some of the most renowned producers in the underground hip-hop scene to help him out, including Sixtoo (also producer on Sage's "Personal Journals"), Danger Mouse (DM & Jemini), Alias (Anticon), and Reanimator among others. The base of many of his lyrics are politically based (thanks to the 2004 election), but since they are in the form of metaphors, it's a bit harder to pick up. It's no wonder that the ever-growing and respected Epitaph label picked him up. It's time for hip-hop enthusiasts to drop the Clear Channel playlist and make one of their own, derived of quality material.

"The Buzz Kill" opens up the album with a bang. It sets the stride for the album, spewing out poetic rhymes, and intellectual social commentary. "Gunz Yo" investigates the symbolism of weapons, from the gun to the phallus to the tongue. "Escape Artist", one of my current favorites, contains some of the fastest rapping on the album, along with some sweet send-ups and break-downs. "Sun Vs Moon" is about a DJ battle between the Moon and the Sun. "Agony in Her Body" and "Crumble" explore the dichotomy of sex and violence. Another one of my favorites is "Slow Down Gandhi", produced by Reanimator. The biggest surprise on the album is the last track, "Jah Didn't Kill Johnny". The song contains the most diverse music, as well as Sage's tribute to Johnny Cash.

If you enjoy any underground hip-hop at all, you would be a fool to pass up this album. You owe it to yourself to see how far hip-hop as come. Successful underground artists like Sage Francis, Eyedea & Abilities, Atmosphere, Immortal Technique and Brother Ali are revered as the savior of hip-hop because they realize the the top is the bottom. In the words of Immortal Technique "If you go platinum, it's got nothing to do with luck / It just means that a million people are stupid as fu*k". People need to turn on the radio and hear intelligent and influential rap music like Sage Francis; not your top 40 bling-blingin' crap like Juvenile. If you haven't already, stop swimming in Clear Channel's sea of waste and corporate greed. Do yourself a favor and explore the underground.

On A Healthy Distrust, Sage Francis attacks military recruitment techniques. He challenges God in "Sun vs. Moon" - "The Devil only exists because you believe in him / Same goes for that other guy." He questions political activists, among others, in "Slow Down Gandhi" - "You support the troops by wearing yellow ribbons? Just bring home my motherf---ing brothers and sisters." On "Gunz Yo," he says, "I know that only stupid people increase the birthrates / I'm just about dumb enough to hold up a sperm bank."

Certainly, Sage Francis is not for the faint of heart. In the same way he challenges his audience, he does so without being overly vulger. His rapping is intelligent rather than graphic. This album differs from his 2002 Anticon release, Personal Journals, in that it is more political and has a more sophisticated sound system behind it.

You're in for a treat with Sage Francis. His music is at a level of intelligence unknown to most rappers, and at the same time it reaches people on an individual level.

I was lucky enough to check out Sage with Bernard Dolan, Jared Paul, Prolyphic, and Buck 65 w/ Scratch Bastid last week at the Middle East. Honestly, next to Tool, probably the best show I've ever been to. Do yourself a favor and check out Sage live if your a fan.
Right when me and my friend walked in, we recognized Sage behind the Strange Famous counter, he was there most of the night before and after he went on. We talked to him a bit, gave him daps when we saw him in the crowd, asked how the label was going, very humble guy who wants to meet his fans. He said his favorite album was Sick of Waging War for a variety of reasons.
I also met Prolyphic as well who is an extremly deep MC, very smart with his words and metaphors, he played a few songs from his upcoming album off of Strange Famous.
Case in point, I bought this album and Prolyphic's "An Alarm Clock Set for 9:01" off of Sage himself and I definitley wasnt disappointed.
"Escape Artist" has gotta be the best song on here and sounded even better live with a full band and DJ Alias. He definitley shows Twista and Bone Thugs up on that song with his speed. I didnt really like "Dance with a Monkey" that much. "Slow Down Gandhi" is another great one where he discusses the state of this country.
Just support everybody on Strange Famous Records.

With all the dumbed-down hip hop on MTV, one who doesn't listen to music to gain respect from hip-hop kids at school might turn down rap and call it dumb and un-intelligent. Well, they haven't listened to this. Sage Francis raps with intelligence, clarity and flow. Instead of rapping about the "bitchez n hoz" and rapping to beats that a 2 year old child could drum out on pots and pans in the kitchen, he talks about things that are tangible and relatable with beats from some of the greatest (*cough*dangermouse*cough*). The stand out tracks on this album to me are "The Buzz Kill", the opener track that supplies the ear with a truly orgasmic flurry of beats and instrumental mastery. Also there's "Guns Yo" with a slightly generic, yet extremely catchy beat under Francis' countless metaphors about gun violence. Then "Sun vs. Moon", which is just a genious track, the beats and lyrics being great. Then "Agony In Her Body" a total metaphorical song with orgasmic calming type rythmic goodness. But the best (and most well-known) track in my opinion is "Slow Down Gandhi". With it's in-your-face lyrical combat with the issues of the war in iraq, and violence in general, combined with the instrumentals of "Reanimator". This is definetly worth the $13.95 I paid for it. Buy this now.

Sage Francis... what else can i say. i owe him for my newly found love for underground hip-hop. he's a true poet and a political icon to me. but the issue here is his 2nd major label release "A Healthy Distrust." When hearing about sage, all that ever comes up are "Personal Journals" and now, this album. Don't get me wrong, I liked personal journals a lot, especially the first half, and this album has a lot of good songs. but you never hear about his "Do It Yourself" efforts. In my opinion, his 4 "sick of..." compilation releases are the highlight of his career. they may not have as much production into them, but its the heart and soul of Sage's lyrics that makes him so amazing, and i persoanlly like the beats for many of his other songs more than those on this record. also, on his "sick of..." comps, you're more able to get in touch with the real sage francis. he releases free-styles, songs with other great names in underground hip-hop, and a few spoken word tracks, some of these which compete for the best tracks on the albums. So i guess what i'm getting at is, if you really want to know sage, you should look into the rest of his career. i recommend "The Known Unsoldier - Sick of Waging War" but you wont find that on Amazon. you should try checking your local independent record store. Support the bands you love and don't download their music.

With those haunting words on 'Sea Lion' Sage Francis embarks on a journey we've seen on some tracks from past works, but a Healthy Distrust explores these themes further. It's hard to compare this album to Personal Journals and Hope, both of which had their own motifs. This album explores different political and social issues in a medium that only Sage can manage. On point, Sage delves into gun control, relationships, the state of hiphop, and of course the current Administration. There are some tracks I'm still racking my brain over trying to decipher. The quality of production is awesome, giving each track an explosive feel. While the majority of the beats are different than previous albums, they can't be denied blasting out of your car with all the windows rolled down. From the opening track onward, each track is unique from the previous. As a whole, the material is so diverse you feel like you're hearing a new album each listen. 'The Buzz Kill' kickstarts everything with a beat that hits hard and lyrics that dispatch immdediately: "I used to think that rappers had it figured out..." 'Escape Artist' is a more familiar type of Sage cut. While the lyrics are pure Sage, and the beats more 'one-of-a-kind', Sage's delivery is at top form. He slows it down and speeds it up, and even displays some vocal chops on 'Jah Didn't Kill Johnny'. The cornerstone of this album is 'Slow Down Ghandi'. Every line Francis delivers poses something for the listener to think about. "Now it's whistleblower versus the pistol holder..." And though I want to write a review on each track that wouldn't be doing them justice. Healthy Distrust definitely has a different feel than Personal Journals and Hope, but it looks like Francis is ready to break out and hit everyone with an open mind over the head. This is the Sage Francis album you can't help but blast at full volume.
My favorite tracks: The Buzz Kill, Sea Lion, Escape Artist, Dance Monkey, Agony in Her Body, Crumble.

What do you get when Sage Francis goes political? The biggest threat to the Bush Administration since John Kerry. I have this on pre-order and it hasn't arrived yet, but I listened to it digitally. The whole cd is amazing. I think it might be even better than Personal Journals, but the two albums are very different so it is hard to say. Bottom line: It's only twelve bucks, man. Drop it in your shopping cart and get it now.

I now have every bit of matierial ever release by Sage Francis. I just find this Man to be an amazing rapper/poet. Now, this album is not his best album. As wierd as it is, the best collection of songs i've heard from him is probly "Sick of Waging War", witch is not an album, and is more of a mixtape. But, this album, being on a bigger label than his two past efforts, and of coarse, he, and the people have more expirience. This album has a more "professional" sound. And I i'm not really sure how to explain it, but that's the best way to explain it. I think every body should check out any thing by him. I'm not guarenteeing you'll like him, but you should a little try him out... weather it's through this album, or or any thing else by him, you will be equally impressed by him in any form...

Thank you, Sage Francis, for expanding on the hip-hop genre, and confusing narrow-minded fools who possess an even smaller scope of what hip-hop is 'supposed' to be. People always fail to realize that hip-hop is an art-form, and as such, it will consistently evolve, and move into the future. When hip-hop was created, it was merely about partying; the Sugarhill Gang and Kurtis Blow weren't exactly reaching new levels of profound lyricism, people, no matter how close "Rapper's Delight" and "The Breaks" are to a hip-hop head's heart. Moving into the future, artists like Public Enemy and LL Cool J showed different elements in their music, with a political and macho approach respectively; they also showed far more intellectual, and complex lyrics, and rhyme schemes. Gang culture wasn't truly exposed in hip-hop before the N.W.A., and sadly, a lot of closed-minded individuals think N.W.A. was the be-all and end-all of hip-hop, and that every hip-hop record from 1990 and on had to involve elements of drugs, guns, and *****es.

Come on, guys; are we really that dense of a species that we think everything must sound alike, or otherwise it's not appropriate hip-hop? I'd really like to know; what's wrong with Sage's approach? Is it because he exposes his vulnerability, while other rappers adopt a Superman, apathetic persona? Is it because he raps about struggles that happen in his life, instead of talking about popping shotties and shorties? Honestly, come on. There's more struggles in life than the ones that take place in the ghetto, and hip-hop, as an artform, is to be used by anyone who wants to express themselves, even if they weren't born in the gutter.

I've heard people call Sage an 'emo-rapper,' or a, creating a word here, emocee; and is there something wrong with a rapper having emotions? Are all of these people supposed to be cold-blooded killers, and misogonystic ****ards? Hip-hop is for people of all backgrounds, all ethnics, all creeds, and Sage offers us a look into his life; a life full of pain, anguish, confusion, and angst. So what if he's upset at the world, and wants to share his distaste with his audience; he's an artist, people, isn't that the point?

This album is definitely not your typical hip-hop album, but make no mistake about it; this IS most definitely a hip-hop album. What isn't hip-hop about it? His delivery? No, he's definitely got that covered. Beats? Check, that's covered. Subject matter? Again, as I said, hip-hop is about anything; you could write a song about visiting Dunkin' Donuts for a dozen of glazed pastries, and as long as you stick to the basic structure of a hip-hop song, it'd STILL be hip-hop. Would it be a good hip-hop song? Well, if it was interesting, and cleverly done, then yes, it would be. What people need to understand is that hip-hop is music; it may have closer ties to real life than any other form of music, and it may feel more personal, but in the end, it's still effing music.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with this album; in fact, it's amazingly dope, and one of the most original collections of music you'll find from any genre. Each cut on this album is as great at the next, whether it's the sung "Jah Didn't Kill Johnny," the parodying "Gunz Yo," the passionate "Sea Lion," or the concept track of "Sun Vs. Moon." Any hip-hop head with an open mind can appreciate this release; maybe if you think 2Pac's the greatest emcee of all time, this isn't for you, but if you can accept that people from all walks of life can make great hip-hop music, then you'll love this release.

definitely my favorite album since Rise Against's Siren Song of the Counterculture

Though we can't call him underground anymore (he signed onto a decently big label, punk or not epitaph is a pretty big name), it's safe to say that Sage Francis is an ousider in his genre. Unlike most rap albums nowadays, Sage doesn't feel the need to trick you by putting 24 tracks on this album and have half of them be stupid skits. there is only 1 such skit, voice mail bomb threat, and it's pretty damn funny. anyway. .. there are some really really really strong tracks on here. Buzzkill opens the album and lets the listener know that he is in for something different, a white guy singing black music that criticizes the music and the establishment that rap has become. Let's see if he has a chance of getting radio play w/ lyrics like this:
Radio suckers never play this/they're scared shi*less of dismissing clear channel playlists/poorly developed yet highly advanced/black music intertwined with a white man's line dance

he pisses off half the radio stations in the country right there, and it's great.

being a liberal myself i can't help but appreciate the track GUNZ YO. his commentary on violence in the music we listen to and the movies we watch. "straight to the grill like a homophobic rapper/unaware of the graphic nature of phallic symbols/tragically ironic, sucking off each other's gats and pistols". he sorta points out the hatred that popular rappers preach (emenem anyone) and later on in the song he pokes fun at average joe's that listen to violent music and sing it's lyrics and think they understand it meanwhile they work in a cubicle 40 hours a week and wear a suite and tie.

probably my favorite song on this album is SUN VS MOON. in this song he sings proudly about his athiesm some people will do stupid things in the name of religion. again this is way out of the mainstream of rap, where you'll have rappers singing about shooting each other and screwing ho's while professing their love for jesus christ.

the track that has the best shot of being popular is the 2nd best one on here, SLOW DOWN GANDHI. this one is a political ditty. he sings about various things from the bogus "two-party system" to our pill popping culture. from stupid wars to the ever increasing gap between wealthy and the middle class. it's pretty much an attack on how big corporations are selling us for profit.

the last really strong track is JAH DIDN'T KILL JOHNNY, at first i did really care for it, but it really gets to me. this is a beautiful song. it's sage's tribute to the late great Johnny Cash. it's just guitar and harmonica with Sage venting out his frustration about the loss of one of his heroes.

you really need to pick up this album. for fans of hip hop you should like this, it's got good beats and very smart lyrics. for people that aren't fans of hip hop, listen to the samples, this isn't typical songs about bling bling and ho's, and again, the lryics are smart.