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 After a successful run in London, poet, activist and cultural provocateur Sage Francis is taking an exhibition of images inspired by the rapper to Manhattan in May.
Titled "If A Girl Writes Off The World," the exhibition was created by British illustrator and lettering artist Inkymole (real name: Sarah Coleman), which took two years of sweat to make, due to the busy freelance artist's schedule.
In celebration of her work, which was originally shown at London's famous Truman Brewery, Francis -- who was largely unaware of the show until a few weeks prior -- flew overseas to open the event last October with a spoken-word performance.
"People were buzzing," Sage recalls of the exhibition's opening. "We were buzzing. Everything was abuzz. When Sarah introduced me to the crowd, I stood on the chair as the frantic cheers fell to complete silence. Pin drop material. At first I was worried how 300 people were going to be able to hear me without a microphone, but then I understood. These people were here to listen. When my set finished, I stepped off the chair and off of the platform and into the arms of the people who I'm glad I came to visit again. It was a beautiful night."
With their mutual respect and appreciation in place, Sage wound up asking Inkymole to create artwork for his forthcoming album, Human The Death Dance. "I couldn't wait," Coleman says, "but I was suddenly terrified of this new client I was also a mad fan of."
The resulting album art will be in tow when the U.S. exhibition champions the exciting new creative relationship. The exhibition is slated for May 1st – 7th at Chelsea Market's Old Portico Space in New York.
In related news, Sage Francis has already pre-sold 3000 copies of Human The Death Dance through his official website (StrangeFamous.com) four weeks in advance of its street date.
The album is already getting rave reviews. In an early review, URB magazine gave his album 4 stars. "Teeming with the kind of personality a live show begs for, Human The Death Dance comprises of 16 tracks that prove Sage can still spit that wry wit," writes URB, "its tracks work together to form a cohesive, incredibly personal whole."
Additionally, the latest video blog entry from Francis (YouTube.com) exhibits how adaptable his unique brand of hip-hop is to performance poetry. The Acapella version of the HTDD-extract "Keep Moving," lensed at his recent Abbey Pub performance, affirms that Sage is indeed one of the best when it comes to fusing the two forms.
Human The Death Dance is slated for release on May 8.
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