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Personal Journals

Personal Journals
Studio album by
Sage Francis
ReleasedApril 16, 2002 (2002-04-16)
GenreHip hop
Length59:01
LabelAnticon
ProducerSixtoo, DJ Mayonnaise, Jel, Scott Matelic, Reanimator, Alias, Odd Nosdam, Controller 7, Mr. Dibbs, Joe Beats
Sage Francis chronology
Personal Journals
(2002) 		A Healthy Distrust
(2005)
Singles from Personal Journals
  1. "Climb Trees"
    Released: 2002

Personal Journals is the first solo studio album by American rapper Sage Francis. It was released on Anticon in 2002. It peaked at number 8 on CMJ's Hip-Hop chart.[1] As of 2005, it has sold 36,000 units.[2]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Christgau's Consumer Guide(1-star Honorable Mention)[4]
Dusted Magazinefavorable[5]
Pitchfork8.7/10[6]
RapReviews.com9.5/10[7]
Spin7/10[8]
Stylus MagazineA−[9]
Vibe[10]

Chris Dahlen of Pitchfork gave the album an 8.7 out of 10, saying, "Personal Journals is a success because it turns the self-examination into poetry and then, harder still, turns the poems into great rap."[6] Stanton Swihart of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "The soundscapes that his team of producers came up with are every bit as unorthodox and superlative."[3] Clay Jarvis of Stylus Magazine gave the album a grade of "A−," calling it "the finest hip hop album of this year."[9]

Daniel Thomas-Glass of Dusted Magazine said, "The combination of Sage Francis's boldly self-searching poetry with the beats of some of underground hip hop's most talented producers is out-and-out breathtaking, from the opener 'Crack Pipes,' that brilliantly flips Sixtoo's impossible-to-rhyme-over beat from his instrumental opus The Secrets That Houses Keep, to the closing bars of 'Runaways,' the Joey Beats-produced outro that is quite haunting in its beauty."[5]

Track listing

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No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."Crack Pipes"Sixtoo2:25
2."Different"Sixtoo3:20
3."Personal Journalist"DJ Mayonnaise2:53
4."Inherited Scars"DJ Mayonnaise4:35
5."Climb Trees"Jel3:57
6."Broken Wings"Scott Matelic3:59
7."The Strange Famous Mullet Remover"Reanimator2:39
8."Smoke and Mirrors"Jel3:13
9."Message Sent"Alias4:24
10."Eviction Notice"Odd Nosdam3:31
11."Pitchers of Silence"Sixtoo2:46
12."Specialist"Controller 74:13
13."Hopeless" 1:12
14."Kill Ya' Momz"Mr. Dibbs1:59
15."Black Sweatshirt"Sixtoo2:08
16."Cup of Tea"Sixtoo2:14
17."My Name Is Strange" 3:21
18."Runaways"Joe Beats6:07

Personnel

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Credits adapted from liner notes.

  • Sage Francis – vocals, recording, mixing, cover art design
  • Sixtoo – production (1, 2, 11, 15, 16), recording, mixing
  • DJ Mayonnaise – production (3, 4)
  • Jel – production (5, 8)
  • Scott Matelic – production (6)
  • Reanimator – production (7)
  • Alias – production (9)
  • Odd Nosdam – production (10), layout
  • Controller 7 – production (12)
  • Mr. Dibbs – production (14), recording, mixing
  • Joe Beats – production (18)
  • DJ Mek – turntables (3)
  • DJ Signify – turntables (7, 8)
  • Mike 2600 – turntables (7)
  • Grey Matter – turntables (15)
  • Jay Peters – guitar (17)
  • Matt Zimmerman – upright bass (17)
  • Tara – keyboards (17)
  • Matt Coolige – flute (17)
  • Scott Begin – drums (17)
  • Shalem B – turntables (17)
  • Chris Warren – recording, mixing
  • Jonathan Wyman – mastering
  • Kara Healy – photography

References

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  1. ^ "Hip-Hop (Period Ending 5/28/2002)". CMJ New Music Report: 21. June 10, 2002.
  2. ^ Martens, Todd (February 5, 2005). "Epitaph Enters Rap Game With Francis". Billboard. p. 20.
  3. ^ a b Swihart, Stanton. "Personal Journals - Sage Francis". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  4. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Sage Francis". Christgau's Consumer Guide. Archived from the original on December 28, 2014. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Thomas-Glass, Daniel (April 22, 2002). "Dusted Reviews: Sage Francis - Personal Journals". Dusted Magazine. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Dahlen, Chris (April 30, 2002). "Sage Francis: Personal Journals". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 28, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  7. ^ Knoxx, A. (November 26, 2002). "Sage Francis :: Personal Journals :: Anticon". RapReviews.com. Archived from the original on January 29, 2018. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  8. ^ Ryan, Chris (July 2002). "Under Dawgs". Spin: 111.
  9. ^ a b Jarvis, Clay (September 1, 2003). "Sage Francis - Personal Journals". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on May 9, 2012. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  10. ^ Caramanica, Jon (July 2002). "Revolutions". Vibe: 138.
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