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Sage the Gemini works hard for his money. Cleaning garages and mowing lawns as a tween provided the rapper, who hails from Fairfield, Calif., with the funds to support a very necessary habit: creating music. This was a kid with an agenda. After crafting self-described “trash” songs about MySpace during the years that followed, the 21-year-old finally struck gold with his platinum-selling song ‘Gas Pedal.’
It’s hard to believe the ode to women’s derrieres was mastered in such an unlikely place, which he reveals in The Boombox’s new artist spotlight ‘#NextUp.’ Sage released the song a year ago with the assist of fellow HBK Gang member IamSu! to keep the hyphy movement spreading and give J12 dance enthusiasts another song to rock with. The haunting beat paired with rhythmic snaps and Sage’s knack for delivering undeniably infectious hooks (“Slow down, grab the wall / Wiggle like you tryna make yo’ ass fall off”) is a likely reason why the track’s accompanying video has more than 46 million views on YouTube. Not bad for one of his first entries into the hip-hop world.
With his debut album, ‘Remember Me,’ out on Republic Records, Sage isn’t letting off the gas pedal anytime soon. The video for his Auto-Tune-tinged song ‘Red Nose’ boasts more than 38 million YouTube views and the recently released ‘Don’t You’ features more of the slick raps he’s recognized for.
There was a time when he longed to stay on the independent route, but the son of a certified chef admits that there was only so much he could do on his own. Major label support has afforded Sage the opportunity to showcase his creative talents on a higher level. It’s not every day that the chance to perform on the ‘Late Show with David Letterman’ arises. For Sage, he graced the late night show stage last month.
Watch the ‘Flappy Bird’ addict open up about his rap beginnings, working with the legendary Bay Area rapper E-40, his respect for IamSu! and how he wants to be remembered.
