Cutting his teeth on the floors of underground hip-hop clubs and emcee battlegrounds, Sage Francis’ latest effort examines the journey behind his growing notoriety. Serving as a mixtape of sorts, Sage Francis’ Human the Death Dance revisits his youth, with several recordings scattered throughout that feature the child Sage throwin’ down his best stuff. And while “Underground Dummies” serves as a fascinating summary of his career thus far, it’s in the dual attack of groove and brilliant lyrical exposé on “Clickety Clack” where Francis hits his full stride. He shows a remarkably heightened sense of self-awareness, especially regarding his culture and career. The result is a hip-hop album that seeps of intelligent rhymes and exudes a foreboding sense of impending doom. Sage Francis has emerged as a hip-hop artist who’s as smart as he is skilled. As the boys at Guiness would say; “brilliant!”