This interview took place backstage @ The Loft on Nov.

7th, 2005 after the Sage Francis, Sole, and Sol.iLLaquists

of Sound show. Everyone had left, the merchandise table was being cleared up, and mostly all the performers
were dead tired, but still up for, what turned out to be, a one-of-a-kind interview. Check it out!

R: Rampway
SF: Sage Francis
S: Sole

R: How's life treating you right now?

S: Life's treating me alright, man. It's up and down. (Pause) Up and down. I live in the mountains. (Pause) Got a
fireplace and a dog. I'm on tour with Sage Francis and that's about as good as God could possibly treat me right
now. (Passing the recorder back and forth) Thanks to Sage Francis I got a Jetta, I got a fucking apartment, I got
the IRS off my fucking dick, I got no more debt, and I ain't gotta fucking worry for the next four months at least.
(Giving recorder to Sage)

SF: (Freestyling) Yeah, yeah, yeah when the beat kicks in/I'm gonna catch wreck like a fuckin' chicken/What are
you gonna do with your broken wings?/Spoken word, herb/Spoken thing/Ha ha ha ha/Chips ahoy/Where you at
sailor boy?/Come over here and swab my deck/What's the way I get my respect?/I don't give a F-U-C-K/You see
me inside of the day-light/But it ain't night/When I write with a mic/I hold it up into the daylight/And the
nightlight/Plus I may write/'Daylight rhymes with the EP on the TV'/This ain't no fucking CD/What is it?/A T-A-P-
E/It's old school like a boombox/From the boondocks/You rock, who stops?/Representin'/Always forgettin'/His
lyrics, his rhymes, and his records/I got no merch to sell/Ya girl will bail me outta jail (Pause) That's how I'm
livin'/Like a pilgrim on Thanksgiving/I saw win in the race with the blue ribbon/You skippin' into my rope, into my
loop/Fuck you/True. (Giving recorder to me)

R: I think I feel this. (Passing recorder to Sole)

S: Yo, yo I'm living like fifteen orange peels/Go ahead and ask me/Fuck around like Muammar Al-Khadafi/Ayo,
what's up with the khadafi?/What's up with the taffy?/Peace. (Handing recorder back)

R: Y'all can answer the questions like that if you want.

S: Alright. Put in the words to freestyle everything? Alright.

R: That'll be kind of a different interview. (Pause) What are the advantages/disadvantages of being on
tour?

S: Yo, the advantages of being on tour/It's like 'What the fuck's the van for?'/Of course the van's for/To abandon
a whore/Of course I speak more Spanish than a Aljabor/I mean what the fuck's the name: JaJa Gabor?/Fuck
main, fuck whores, and fuck veins/Ayo, tour's cool/Cause you get to make more money than you did in
school/But school sucks cause teachers had to bring in a test/Fuck a protest/I got pro-lifers on my chest/Ayo,
'You wear a vest?'/Naw, check it/1-2-3 you get naked/You get ya neck chopped off/I'm Wu-Tangin' this shit/Who's
bangin' this shit?/Yo, I got more cats than gats. (Handing recorder over to Sage)

SF: What's the van like?/When I ride at night...(Mumbling random words)...Why we gonna crash?/We gonna go
down the road?/Oh, what's happenin' and I see a big glow/We see it in the sky/Will I cry?/No, it's a UFO/So I use
the word 'I'/Is this a sudden attack?/An Invasion?/On the whole nation?/But I'm Caucasian/Want some cock,
Asian? (Giving recorder back to me while everyone's laughing)

R: Haha. I like that. I've heard that 'Asian' thing before though.

SF: Yeah.

R: On Scribble Jam a while back.

SF: Yeah. Funny.

R: How would you describe your music to a total stranger in one sentence? I guess one line in this
case. (Giving recorder to Sole)

S: You want me to explain my rhyme in one llllliiiiiiinnnnneeee?(Pause) It's divine. (Handing recorder to Sage)
SF: My music is divine/The sun and the stars couldn't climb up my spine/When I rewind the tape/Find an ape/He
won't evolve to problem-solve/I got the rhymes that make you wanna jog/Is you power-walking Oprah?/That's
dope/Once you loose all that weight before you eat the soap from a fat woman/I start smackin' woman/And plus
you know that when I do it with a gat or somethin'/That didn't rhyme well/But that's what the rhyme is/It's
timeless/Plus my spine is climbing up like the sun and the stars and the moon/And everything that makes you
assume/You know what happens when you assume/It makes an asshole out of you/Aaaannndd what else is
gonna happen to this rappin' stuff?/I was too busy to packing gats and stuff. (Handing recorder to me while
people are giggling)

R: I'll give it onto you, man. Keep going. (Giving recorder back immediately) How do you go about
making a song?

SF: (Laughing hard) I write songs that make the whole world sing/I write words on the crazy things/I write the
words that are fuckin' awesome/I bust the flows that are fuckin' awesome/Cause when I rock a show? (Pointing
recorder to Sole)

S: Fuckin' awesome!

SF: Yeah, when I rock ya ho'? (Pointing recorder at us)

R: Awesome. Same thing, yo. (Giving recorder to Sole)

S: This is the way a brother rhymes/Is like the way of rummer times/The way a drummer lines/Is like the way
Christ hit a cross/Of course Christ had a good thing goin' on/That's why I write my lines like Cheech and Chong/I
don't smoke the weed/But I smoke indeed/True indeed/Hypocrite?/I'm on some hippie shit/No, I don't smoke a
cigarette/But give me one/I like to smoke/But I like to be dope, too/Ayo, what's up with Tupac?/Where the fuck
he at?/How many jewels you got?/Ayo, check it out/I got the lines that'll hit the spot/I keep the rhymes hot like
'psshhh'/Aight?/Check it out/No i'm not white/I'm light/Skinned/Cause I'm kinda right, end/Like a chicken/But
I'm not wippin' rhymes that I'm flippin'/Like Steven Spielberg (Makes big airplane landing sound. Everyone starts
cracking up) Flatline/With a dope rhyme/That's the way I write my rhymes all the time/You like the bible?/I like
survival/Don't make me tribal like a truffle/Peace! (Giving recorder back to me)

R: What are your thoughts on the music industry right now? (Handing recorder back to Sole)

S: The music industry it sucks/The music industry it sucks...

SF: (Sage cutting in) My turn/They do it for the bucks.

S: My turn/They do it for the Klu Klux. (Everyone laughing in background)

SF: I don't give a fuck/They all suck a duck.

S: No, they don't suck ducks/They suck fags.

SF: No, no, no/They suck cigarette drags.

S: They don't suck cigarette drags/They suck stack.

SF: No, no, no/They suck the cock of my dad.

S: Your dad is dead/That is not cool.

SF: No, no he's not dead/He's just goin' to heaven school. (Everyone laughing)

S: But what's he gonna learn/Is he learning from Satan?

SF: Naw, that'd be if he went to hell with a playpen.

S: Fuck Satan/But then again/Record labels they like rapin'.

SF: Ain't that the truth/Now my fuckin' sides are shavin'.

S: Oh, that's cool/I know a guy named Janise Chapin.

SF: Oh, he ain't as wack as my guitarist Nathan.

S: Peace/What's up with Tarmen Haler/Is he inhalin'?

SF: Hehehe. Ehhhhh. (Sole interrupting)

S: Yeah, yeah, yeah. (Long pause) Fuck the industry.

(Sage snatching the recorder from Sole and yelling some gibberish. Everyone is laughing uncontrollably)

R: What's a regular day like for you?

S: A regular day. (Freestyling) I wake up in the mornin'/Sometimes I start yawnin'/Pick up a coffee/Then I start
bonin'/Not talkin' bout anything but myself/I talk, walk my dog, pick a book off the shelf/What will I read?/Some
Howard Sinn or some BBC?/But BBC ain't shit to me/So next thing I do/I get a little glass a water/Go outside/It's
time to slaughter/My neighbor, his daughter/Kill every motherfucker/On my single street/Then what do I do?/I go
back inside/Call my mother/She gives me bad advice/But then I talk to my wife/I talk to my wife/I argue with my
wife/Then I hug my wife/And then I hug my life (Sage yelling for him to get crazy) Yo, fuck that/Yo, it's time for
me to get pissed/And do some shit that's crazy/Don't make me beat my baby/Of course I got a kid/I got two of
'em/That's why I beat one's ass/And then I take the other one/Take 'em for a walk/'What's wrong with you, hun?'
(Pause) The bitch is lazy/I put her back to school/My son?/He's dumb as fuck (Everyone laughing) So I tell
'em/'Fix ya teeth/Ya got buck teeth/Ya uglier than me'/Then I tell my baby/My little girl/'What the fuck's with ya
head?/Is it red or is it brown?/You look like a dumb squirrel'/Then I get back/I fixed their self-esteem/I told 'em
about how to make the cream/Then I told 'em how to beat it like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/But they can't even play
like basketball/So I say, 'Fuck all y'all!'/How I could just kill a man/Fuck Edward Scissorhands/I'm still the
man/I'm still a fan.

SF: What was the question?

R: Just describe a natural day for you.

SF: A natural day/The faggots and gays/Comin' over here/And I'm smackin' 'em/Hey!/What's happenin'?/Why am
I rappenin'?/Inside of an interview/I wanna go home and take a shower/Clean off the sour parts/And then get a
broccoli stalk/Stalking and I'm rocking/Never stopping/I'm topping myself/Charting the charts/I am a Pop-
Tart/And you're in the middle/You're gonna get burned, fiddle/Fiddle this, fiddle that/Riddle me nothin'/I'm comin'
over/End of discussion/What are ya?/That, yo/Was happy or somethin'?/What's happenin'?/Oh, 'mass
destruction!'/Where is it at?/And I'm lookin', I'm lookin'/I don't see nothin'/I see a fuckin' wack rapper from
Brooklyn/'What is gonna do to me?/He cannot even step/Cause what Imma do to him/Is just take all his
respect'/I put it inside a bowl/And then I throw it at the people in the batter/He's gonna hit outta the fuckin' park
like a shattered/Window. (Pointing recorder at Sole)

S: Indoor!

SF: Don't wanna step to me/Cause I'll be riding you over with my pinto. (Pointing recorder at Sole again)

S: Bean.

SF: Never disrespect a motherfuckin' bitch by callin' her a/bimbo. (Everyone laughing hard)

S: Bambi!

R: (Laughing) If you could be any Simpsons' character, who would you be? Describe why.

SF: Check it, check it, check it, check it, check it, check it. (Freestyling) Who would I be?/Who would I be?/Would
I be/Li/Sa Simpson?/I don't know, son/I don't watch TV, none/But if I had to think about it... (Long Pause.
Everyone laughing because Sage's stalling) ...Ned Flanders/He's got the ripped chest/Ain't that the shit?/Naw,
ain't that the best?/Really, really/But I'll marry 'em/And I like Lisa cause she's vegetarian/And a Buddhist,
sorta/Not on Christmas/They get gifts/This bitch is ridiculous/But Bart Simpson/Holy cow!/You know my style/You
don't wanna get off of my cloud/You crowdin' my pathway/I want...Fuck this thing! (Everyone's laughing) I don't
wanna be a Simpsons' character, man. (Giving recorder back to Sole)

S: That's cause you're afraid, goddamn!/I'm like Bart Simpson! (Doing a Bart Simpson impersonation) 'Hey,
dude. I'm gnarly'/Fuck around and get Chris Farleyd! (People laughing) He's dead/Let's have a moment of
silence/Peace (Pause) Let's get violent/Like Bart Simpson on a skateboard/'Who do I wanna be?/Do I wanna be
like Marge?/Or do I wanna get on the baaarrrssss?'/No!/Let's be more like Bart/Cut a fart/Get on a
skateboard/Cut a motherfucker apart/'Do you have a heart?/Like Lisa?'/Fuck around and get pizza! (People
laughing) Like Bart/But Homer, Homer, Homer, Homer, Homer, Homer/No, he's a homo!/I got the fat flow,
yo/Check it/Let me get ill/Let me calm down a little bit/BITCH!/Fuck Marge!/Let me get back to the Bart/Let's talk
about some shit at the old people's home/Old people's home, home, homo, homo!/No, flow/Gutter-found flow,
yo/I cut to make the dough, Bart! (Handing recorder back to me while everyone's laughing)

R: Okay. You can be serious about this if you want or just funny. Describe what your view of the
world is right now?

S: The world, the world is not that cool/There's a lotta things I don't like/Like what happened out in France the
other day/Some guys got mad/They said, 'Okay/Let's start a fire/Let's the old folks to retire'/The French, the
French/Hey, no offense/Mr. Shirak/Think you're kinda wack/You had some balls what you said about Iraq/But
what you really meant/Was you don't like the way/We takin' away the oil, okay/Well, that's kinda gay/Not to hate
fags/But I gotta say man/Take another drag/Of your French cigarette/You know what, man?/I don't like the
way/You treated you're Moroccans/But back to the A-mer-i-cans/The I-raq-ans/And the rest of us/We don't like
green eggs and ham/Damn!/Let me just say thank you man, George Bush/Man, you need a little douche/Your
pussie's gettin' wet/Your pussie's gettin' red/Your pussie's gettin' brown from that oil that you drowned/But that's
okay/You didn't get no oil/That's cause Cheney was fuckin' you with tinfoil/But back to the story/Let's talk about
Amilia Airheart/Let's talk about Cheney and Mozart/Let's talk about what's really goin' on/Let's talk about...

SF: (Sage finishing Sole's line) ...This shit is fuckin' wrong!/So much in the world that I can't get down with/But
you know/You know the way that it's soundin'/It's kinda ill/The world will spin like a record player/I'm a loud
rhymesayer/when I spray another crowd/With what is fuckin' well-endowed/Like my cock hangin' down real
loud/I mean low like a counterfeit dee-low/What's that?/A cee-low/Huh?/What's my B, yo?/Ugh, we backstage
after the motherfuckin' show/I wanna go home and go to the ho-tel/Don't tell/I bite, have your dome swell/Oh,
well/Happy?/No, well/Could I go to hell?/Probably cause I don't pray well. (Sole cutting in)

S: Back to the story.

SF: It's a allegory.

S: Fuck around and get Toryed.

SF: Amos.

S: Aimless.

SF: Fameless.

S: Like Amos and Andy.

SF: Call Andy/Tell 'em the tour is... (Pointing recorder at Sole)

S: ...Dddddaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnn-dy! (Everyone cracking up)

R: Two more questions man and that's it.

SF: Two more questions/You were stressin'/Wonderin' about how I could get down with the progression/The
progressive... (Sole interrupting)

S: Sound on Lexon/Would you give me ten thousand?

SF: Hold up, hold up/Don't wanna talk about that/I wanna walk about, walk about hittin' my raps/Kickin' my
cat/Flicker it back/Give it back/I turn white-skin to black/With a lighter/Come here, I might fight a/Freedom
fighter/A terrorist when I bite an arm off/You could call me Christopher Christophenson... (Sole cutting in)

S: Or Norman Schwarzkopf!

SF: Plus what?

S: Plus five/What does that equal?/Hmm, well four Talibans escaped from Afghanistan/So I guess that must mean
that Al-Quea-da means/It's okay.

SF: Oh! Alright, what's the question?

R: Where do you see yourself ten years from now?

SF: I see myself chillin'/Loungin', scroungin'/Lookin' for the people who like the way I'm soundin'/I'm Audi/Like a
car in a race track/Face that/I never play the race black/I mean the race car/What how I get ya face scarred/I
like to take guard/Take over/The fake sober/Man/I could understand/How you overstand/Me when I undersit/Fuck
that kid!/I could come over here with a legitimate statement/I don't fake shit/I'm underground like a
motherfuckin' basement. (Handing recorder to Sole)

S: Yo, yo, yo. Let me just break you off somethin'. Boppa/Ten years from now/I'm a modern day big poppa/But I
won't be dead/Maybe I will be/But if did, it'll be cool/Call me the big red!/Cause I chew this shit/'What the fuck
you mean?'/I'm Lululululu-dacris/'What the fuck you mean?'/It's toototototoo legit/To quit like Hammer when I'm
oooonnnnn the scene/But yo/In the ten years from now/I get ten beers in my brown/I got a lotta gear/You ask
me how?/Of course/You wanted to know/You're curious/Of course I'm dangerous/I'm fuckin' furious. (Giving
recorder back to Sage)

SF: Don't laugh/Don't graff write/B-boys in ten years don't act right/We talkin' bout the extinction of gender.
(Pointing recorder at Sole)

S: We talkin' bout the fifth element of being (Pause) graffiti writers/Beanies and white kids/I'm beatiin' white kids
out their fuckin' eyelids.

SF: Wait, wait, wait/That's a little bit too violent/Ten years from now/I SMASH IN YOUR EYELIDS!

S: Don't hurt me I'm sensitive/Fuck those bitches!

SF: No need to be negative/Hold on/Oh, I hear a giggle/Riddle me this/Riddle me that/Riddle me when you
wiggle/Sit down, sit down, sit down!/I got spittle/You wanna pick it up with ya lip?/Just a little/Fuck it, peace!
(Handing recorder back to me)

R: Last question. What's your all-time favorite song? (Giving recorder back to Sole)

S: Wu is comin' back/Outcome is critical/Fuckin' with my style is sorta like a miracle/On forty-fourth street/On the
corner of Ella-Agan Berra/The bitch caught a fist like.... (Pausing because of loss of words) Hammer, Hammer
go!/Hammer, Hammer go! (Giving recorder to Sage)

SF: Well, well, well/Listen to the story that I tell, tell, tell/I could rock a, rock a, rock a bell, bell, bell/But you
don't wanna think about how I...

S: Dwell!

SF: Dwell underground with a thunder pound/What's gonna happen when you motherfuckin' come around?/I fit a
circle peg into a square space/You scared of my face/You scared of the queer race/Yeah, we're
representin'/What's happenin' now?/Oh, I was forgettin'/My favorite song/I'm takin' a long time to answer
it/Cause I got cancerous with rhymes/Imma spread throughout the body sometimes/Enter you from the
motherfuckin' be-hind/Get busy like a beehive/See me thrive/Inside of it while I'm on the incline/I'm goin' up, up,
up and away/Fuck what you say/I'm runnin' the day/Sike!/The nightlight/I might write/About the sun and the
moon/And how we con-sume the air/Who is scared of me?/Why?/Cause you ain't prepared!/I came prepared/I
got a bullet/Ain't got no gun/But don't make me pull it/Out of the thin air/Give a care/Disappear/You think I'm
weird?/Look at the beard. (Giving recorder to Sole)
S: 'Tambourine Man'. (Handing recorder back)

R: Awww, man! This thing is covered with spit.

After the interview was done, Sage went right for the hotel for his birthday and show-after party, while Sole and
I got a chance to talk a bit more off the record. I found out that Sole's wife is a direct descendent of the Islamic
prophet, Mohammad, himself. On her other side, she is a descendent of people who were part of the Boston Tea
Party which took place in 1773. I found this really astonishing. We exchanged a few more words about my
background and heritage, the war, and what will come of us in the future. All together, I found that Sole has a
very gentle and humane 'soul.' Peace to Sage Francis and Sole for giving me this opportunity of interviewing
some very admirable and talented artists and have some fun doing it. Peace.

"Don't shoot the messenger." - W.K.

For more information on these artists go to:

http://www.sagefrancis.net/

http://www.anticon.com/