Sage Francis/Johnny La Rock & Fur Face/p. stoops

Acrobatic and capable of flipping metaphor with deft lyrical stylings, rapper Sage Francis has spent his career painting a massive verbal mural. Last year’s Copper Game pushed his aggressive, reflective songwriting forward and continued his knack for high-speed autobiographical raps. Songs like “Pressure Cooker” further expound on his deeply etched perspectives on life -- “The bookie collects, don’t play the victim when it happens / Lower the stakes before you try to burn the witches at ‘em” -- the sort of poetic preaching that Sage first developed years ago. By the time 2005’s A Healthy Distrust came out, his talents were cemented in modern hip-hop lore. That album holds up really well (dig “Sea Lion”), as does the whole of this guy’s dynamic musical arc. (Sandy)