Sage Francis warns fans about the meat industry's lies in new PETA2 Ad

Hip-Hop Phenom Urges ‘New Thinkers’ to Go Vegetarian

Providence, R.I. — Referred to by an admiring music writer as the loudest voice ever to come out of little Rhode Island, hip-hop artist Sage Francis stands up tall for what he believes in. After all, not every musician would be so bold as to come up with a song called "Makeshift Patriot" exactly one month after the September 11, 2001, attacks. Sage makes no exception when it comes to sticking up for abused animals, which is why he jumped at the chance to sit down for an exclusive interview and shoot a pro-vegetarian ad for peta2—PETA’s Youth Division. Holding a plate filled with a mouthwatering vegan sandwich and fries, the ad features Sage next to the tagline "See Through the Lies the Meat Industry Feeds You—Go Vegetarian."

"Just watch an animal get killed and how the meat is handled and how it finally gets to you," says Sage, who began rapping as an 8-year-old while hiding in a bedroom closet and went on to become the first hip-hop artist to sign with punk music label Epitaph Records. "If you go through all that and you can still feel good about what you’re eating, I’d be surprised."
Sage makes no secret of his general skepticism, as is readily apparent with the title of his 2005 hit album, A Healthy Distrust. But despite that skepticism, the University of Rhode Island graduate is optimistic about the trend among young people to be more discriminating than previous generations about where they spend their money. He sees them as "an army of new thinkers, a new breed of consumers who buy differently and support differently."

Sage Francis joins an ever-growing list of musicians—including Peaches, Le Tigre, The Roots, Masta Killa, Common, and Death Cab For Cutie—who have teamed up with peta2 to inspire kids to challenge outdated, cruel attitudes about animals. Also featured on peta2.com are celebrity interviews, message boards, merchandise, downloadable voice-mail recordings, and chances to win great prizes like free concert tickets, iPods, and more.

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