About Sage Francis
Paul William "Sage" Francis is an American independent underground rapper from Providence, Rhode Island. He is the founder and CEO of Strange Famous Records.
Francis was born in Miami, Florida, but grew up in Providence, Rhode Island. He is an only child and grew up for most of his childhood with his mother and stepfather after his parents divorced when he was young. He lived in different parts of Rhode Island including North Smithfield and Woonsocket. His mom worked as a bartender and his stepfather worked as a locksmith.
Francis began writing and recording original lyrics at age 8, being inspired by acts such as Run DMC and Public Enemy. According to Artistdirect, Francis began sneaking out of his parents' house at age 12 to participate in rap battles.
Francis received a degree in communications from Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts and a degree in journalism from the University of Rhode Island.
In 1996, he recorded his first official demo tape, and by 1998 he had a radio show on WRIU called True School Session.
Francis won the Superbowl MC Battle in Boston in 1999, beating Esoteric. Francis won the Scribble Jam emcee battle in 2000, beating Blueprint.
In 2001, the song "Makeshift Patriot," recorded on October 11, 2001, became an Internet hit for its critique of American media during and immediately following the September 11 attacks. Francis considers "Makeshift Patriot" to be the song that really made things come together for him. It was on the 2002 mix tape, The Known Unsoldier – Sick Of Waging War... and was widely circulated for free.
Map & Directions To Venue
