“I’m Not A Genius, I Just Think A Lot”

Sage Francis is one of the best rappers around. His lyrics, flow, delivery and everything in between are all equally notable. He is a true underground rapper. His music only gets around by word of mouth. In an industry dominated by the contrast colour, Blacks for the most part; Sage Francis definitely holds his own. He’s a voice for those to weak to speak and he touches on uncountable numbers of issues. He keeps his lyrics down-to-earth and mindful for the most part.

He is a masterful wordsmith. Whether battling, freestyling or delivering one of his fantastic prewritten verses; his skill is far from wavered. He comes up with incredible punchlines as well as deep, poetic verses. He is far from superficial as he delivers material, which is rarely touched on in the rap industry. This album, is a gem, in modern day rap.

 

Crack Pipes 

Probably the best track, if not one of the best tracks on the album. The track starts off with a 10 year old Sage Francis proclaiming his presence in hip-hop. Sage Francis delivers some of his most spectacular lyrics. His lyricism is tremendous. Sage Francis proposes the truth, nothing short of it. He expresses deep thoughts and emotions. An amazing track.

Different 

This track is great. It is different from the other tracks on the album. His style on this track is extremely unique. He keeps flipping common phrases, which adds to his stunning lyrics. This track is upfront and far from sugarcoated. He raps the truth about all the misconceptions about himself.

Personal Journalist 

This starts with an eerie instrumental. Then Sage Francis comes on, slowing slowly but with distinguished lyrics. His lyricism is consistent as he states the facts about himself. He is extremely down-to-earth when he raps about himself and other various things.

Inherited Scars 

A great track with a nice jazz background. Francis once again raps the truth about the inherited scars, which everyone receives. The whole song is completely different because of his different instrumental layout. His lyrics are stunning and profound.

Climb Trees 

A great track all about life in general. Sage Francis drops some knowledge on this track. His lyricism is unwavering as he drops the truth which very few have ever rapped about in the past. One of the better tracks on the album.

Broken Wings

An almost sad track. This track really evokes thoughts. He talks in plain English, about an angel with broken wings. This track has the ability to make the listener reflect and enhance their mind. A great song.

The Strange Famous Mullet Remover 

Not really a track. Sage Francis is just talking about the things he dislikes.

Smoke & Mirrors

An extremely different track. This track differs from the rest of the album. The beat and flow are the most noticeable differences. It is extremely random at times but it all comes together for a great finish. Definitely among Sage’s better tracks.

Message Sent 

Among the best tracks on the album. This is about all the unsent messages that one wants to send but never gets around to doing. It’s a great track. He expresses deep emotions and the many misunderstood things about him. Francis’s lyrics are tremendous. Without a doubt, one of the better tracks on the album.

Eviction Notice 

A great track. Immediately Sage shows his lyricism. It’s an extremely simple fact in the sense Sage Francis is basically talking over an extremely unusual beat. Sage Francis manages to top on plenty of issues. It may seem odd but once the listener focuses on the track, and nothing else, they get a deeper message.

Pitchers Of Silence 

Sage Francis comes with his usual style which suits the track very well. The listener has to pay close attention to catch all that is being said because of the loud instrumental which incorporates many percussion instruments. His lyrics, as usual, are up to par.

Specialist

Sage Francis admits to his many vices on this track. He drops some knowledge on this track, in the subtle sense. It’s basically a rap about everyday things but the way he expresses it is perfection. His lyrics manage to reach out to the listener as he goes into furies throughout this track.

Hopeless 

Sage Francis just talks over this short track. Even his words seem to be perfect poetry.

Kill Ya Momz 

An odd track. It’s is random and the monotonous “kill your mother” line is accompanied by a commentary of some type. Around the last quarter of it, there is a childish voice boasting about his mother in rhymes.

Black Sweatshirt 

Sage Francis expresses his ruptured emotions in emotional words which come together to form poetry. It’s a short track which contains a gruff delivery. One of the weaker tracks of the album but it’s still a great one.

Cup Of Tea 

A phenomenal track which contains some amazing, carefully played lyricism. His amazing one-liners pour in throughout the track, flooding it with the perfection of ultimate rhyme skill and beauty. One of the best tracks on the album. Simply incredible.

My Name Is Strange 

This track isn’t as much of a rap as the other ones. It’s about as strange as his name. He tells many stories in an extremely bizarre style. It’s a bit like a country song but at the same time it sticks to his roots of rap originality. An extremely different track.

Runaways

The competitor against “Crack Pipes” for the position of best track on the album. This track is simply amazing. Sage Francis comes up with some of his best lyrics on the album. His one liners are simply stunning. Not only do they stand-out but they are original as well. Possibly the best track on the album.

 

So ends one of the greatest albums of this era of rap. This is proof that underground rap is going strong. A breath of fresh air, this album is what mainstream hip-hop is missing. Rap on a higher level. This is the definition of rhyme skill. No murder raps, no faking it. Sage Francis is straightforward and doesn’t hide his views. His peculiar flow which releases his spectacular lyrics may make his music hard to get into but once the listener understands it, his music suddenly is a burst of enjoyment.

This album is for those who want something different. Who want to think when they listen to rap. Who want to venture into the unknown because Sage Francis has the ability to transport the listener. Whether it’s in “Inherited Scars” “Broken Wings “ or many of the other amazing tracks which pepper this beautiful album.

I do not falter when giving this album the classic rating. It is not for all listeners, and has some unnecessary tracks; but all in all, it is a masterpiece.

Rating:
4.5/5