Sage Francis "Personal Journals" FACEMASK

Featuring a hand-drawn design by Sage Francis himself, inspired by the cover art of his 2002 debut LP, Personal Journals!

Check out the whole line of SFR Facemasks here.

Countless emcees and media types like to throw around buzzwords like "game changer," but rarely is that term as applicable as it is with an album like these. With his first official release, Sage took the opportunity to set aside the more boastful side of rap while catering more toward his poetic leanings all while turning the vocal booth into a confessional.

This LP shifted the underground and helped usher in a new understanding of how hip-hop records could be made. Nearly 20 years later it has not only stood the test of time, but parts of it seem to become stronger. We can confidently look back on it and say, "Hey... most of the music world wasn't ready for this when it first dropped, and they probably still aren't comfortable acknowledging it, but this is a bonafide classic."

 

 

REVIEWS

8.7 rating on Pitchfork Media
"Clearly, nothing embarrasses this guy."

"Bluntly put, the album is a masterpiece" - Dusted Magazine

"Instead of leaving you devastated, Personal Journals is strangely comforting. Sage Francis is our exorcist. Lyrically, nothing short of brilliant." - Stylus Magazine

"Personal Journals, is regarded as a benchmark in the growing indie rap field and effectively relates Sage's misgivings about himself and the world around him over non-traditional beats." - Synthesis

"There is something that makes this record sound simple and perfect at the same time. Personal Journals might be the best rap-record in my book for 2002." - Monochrom

"In the end, the album's journey has been circular, but we have learned why it must be. Ferociously demanding much of his listeners, Sage Francis rewards us with the revelations of despair, and they are impossible to ignore. Above all else, Personal Journals is foreground music, rightfully asserting its own necessity." -Brown Daily Herald