Halfway through our conversation with Sage Francis he casually remarked that he had not written any new material since finishing Li(f)e, his fourth full-length album. The rapper, poet, philosopher seems exhausted from the life and at least in the near future, wants out. It’s a strange feeling to be met Sage’s imposing figure and and talk about wanting to be at home gardening other than on the road touring to packed houses of ‘conscious’ hip hop fans. But such is the duality of the man, who was one of the most intriguing conversations carried out during this interview series. The performer who night after night spills his ugly guts out on stage for everyone to see was unhesitant to do the same for our camera, first high up a fire-escape and then later in a parking garage for the performance in a setting which seemed so apropos to the bleak subject matter, it just might have been staged.

Sage Francis – Performance