Rapper/Poet Sage Francis Inspires Exhibition From Rising Artist Inkymole
"If A Girl Writes Off The World"
Takes Manhattan After Successful London Run


Sage Francis - poet, activist, humorist and cultural provocateur - has aligned with British illustrator and lettering artist Inkymole for an exhibition of images inspired by the world-renowned rapper. Titled "If A Girl Writes Off The World," the exhibition is slated for May 1st - 7th at Chelsea Market's Old Portico Space in New York, and just precedes the release of Francis' hotly anticipated Epitaph/Anti- release, Human The Death Dance on May 8th.

Born Sarah Coleman, Inkymole's project is the result of two years hard work in between the pressures of a busy freelance career. 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 remembers 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 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 this exciting new creative relationship.

In related news, Sage Francis has already pre-sold 3000 copies of Human The Death Dance through his official website (www.strangefamous.com) some four weeks in advance of its street date. In an early, 4-star review of the disc, URB Magazine writes, "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,"adding, "its tracks work together to form a cohesive, incredibly personal whole."

In addition, the latest video blog entry from Francis
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5V29BMH9xrM) 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 the master when it comes to fusing the two forms.