Rapper Talks America's Race Issues - 'I Don't See Things Getting Better'

“There’s definitely a huge mistrust for the system – and I think there are good reasons for that. The thing is I don’t see things getting better – at this point I have no idea what the endgame will be. I’ve got to say I’ve had to step away from politics a bit because it was driving me crazy to invest too much of my spirit and soul into it.”

As a white kid growing up in a semi-rural area in Rhode Island, Sage Francis wasn’t your average candidate for a career in hip hop. But as he tells it – once the bug hit, it hit. “I discovered hip hop when I was eight years old; it was something completely different that took me away from my surroundings. Back then it was hard to even get hip hop – there was no hip hop section in the shops I went to so I bought things that looked liked hip hop and just hoped [laughs]. Pre-internet you just had to try so much harder – to get information – everything. Since then hip hop has really changed because anyone could access it.

"The thing is I don’t see things getting better – at this point I have no idea what the endgame will be."

“As for having a career in hip hop – again before the internet it was just a dream. I was a kid who started rapping and writing at age eight and battled at age 12. Even in college I still didn’t think I’d ever had a career – but I pushed myself as an artist. When the internet came along I was able to really connect directly with people beyond my small world. That’s when everything blew up.”

Throughout his career Sage has maintained a fiercely independent approach – whether it be working with indie labels like Epitaph or staying away from glitzy product endorsements. He puts this down to a pretty surprising influence. “When I was in college in Boston I had a lot of friends who loved punk and hardcore so I’d go to shows with them,” he explains. “To be honest I didn’t really get the music at first – although later I really came to love it. What I really admired was the DIY attitude of the scene and I’ve really tried to keep that attitude in my own life. When you control your own destiny you control your own integrity and I’m proud of what I’ve been able to achieve.”