For those of you who don’t know him, Sage Francis is one of the most respected names in the indie hip hop scene. As an accomplished slam poet and the owner of Strange Famous records, he has plenty of experience under his belt (seven albums actually) and it clearly shows with his most recent mixtape “Sick of Wasting.... .“While his last album (released roughly three years ago), “Human the Death Dance”, was a bit of a departure into the more poetic style of rap he has become known for pioneering, Sage returns to form in his most recent offering. Tracks like Conspiracy to Riot, SFR Pays Dues, and Sea Legs herald this point with very hip hop friendly beats full of scratches, intense lyrics, guest rappers, and good production values in pretty much every category. Beyond those more contemporary tracks, however; lie a few equally priceless gems Sage had yet to release until now. These tracks, which are appropriately titled with the year of their make, sport a sound that is in high contrast to Sage’s newer work and really showcase how far up the hip hop ladder he has come since doing them. The only real complaint that I can muster against this work of infinite dopeness is that the lyrics come across as a tad too political sometimes and tend to overwhelm the cause of intensely casual listening (oxymoron?). Regardless of this one flaw, this album is worth downloading because 1.) this whole package is available for free (gnarly right?) 2.) it’s a welcome repatriation to the core of Indie Hip Hop by one of its chief proponents. To grip your copy of Sick of Wasting... just head on over to Strange Famous Records.