This review is part of a series looking back at significant albums on their anniversaries. Through the benefit of hindsight we will be viewing the album not just as it was released, but how it stands the test of time, as well as its place in the band’s discography and the genre in general.
Epitaph Records – 8 February 2005
By analyzing the past, Sage continues to project into the future
There will always be records that stick with us, that transport us back to when we first heard them, who we were with and what we were doing. We all love records like that, that can transport us back. There are other records though. Records that stick with you differently, that we can put on 20 years later and it feels like it was written today, for the here and now. Sage Francis created one of those records in A Healthy Distrust.
Epitaph Records was just beginning to dip its toes into the hip-hop game with this one, but Sage presented quite the first impression. Rap in the punk genre should have seemed strange bedfellows but from that iconic opening narration to “The Buzzkill,” it was clear this was hip-hop perfect for punks. While he may have claimed to be “The Bill O’Reilly of this hip-hop shit,” it may be more fitting to say he’s the Greg Gaffin of this hip-hop shit, but it’s probably most accurate to say he’s the Sage Francis of all of this shit. In a 2005 where even the best hip hop was steeped in misogyny, hate speech and the glorification of gun violence.
That is of course, except Sage, who didn’t need all of that low-hanging fruit to thread rhymes that hit deep beneath the surface. By carefully and skillfully threading the needle with self-awareness, a masters in rap history, progressive politics and the most impressive balancing act between self-absorption and self-loathing to create an glorious tapestry of heart-on-the-sleeve hip-hop worthy of the Hip-Hop Hall Of Fame.
With tracks like “Gunz Yo” calling out the rap infatuation with firearms as compensation for insecurities or the institutional biases of “Slow Down Gandhi,” Francis isn’t afraid of letting his true feelings shine through.
In 2005, the tracks were timely and felt aimed at exactly what we were seeing at the time… the same can be said of A Healthy Distrust in 2025. The album hasn’t aged, this isn’t a record of its time… it’s a record for every time and for every day since as we stare at the collapse of late stage capitalism.
Against all of Sage’s work before and after this record, it’s A Healthy Distrust that set the table and earned Sage the respect of the community. Sage is one of the small subset in hip hop of rappers who are white rather than a white rapper. The respectability and sincerity of A Healthy Distrust put Sage on the map and opened the door to Epitaph Records to release a swath of great hip-hop in the mid-aughts (Atmosphere, POS, Eyedea & Abilities). I have not heard his name mentioned by today’s current slate of influential artists, but even if it’s not a direct influence, A Healthy Distrust certainly helped open the doors into the hearts of the influencers of the influencers of everyone from Kendrick Lamar to Doechii to Shad. This window into the soul of Sage showed you can be vulnerable without losing your edge or bravado. This a record for forever and one that will stay relevant for just as long.
Bad Dad (occasionally called Ed) has been on the periphery of the punk and punk-adjacent scene for over twenty years. While many contributors to this site have musical experience and talent, Ed’s musical claim to fame comes from his time in arguably the most punk rock Blockbuster Video district in NJ where he worked alongside members of Blanks 77, Best Hit TV and Brian Fallon. He is more than just an awful father to his 2 daughters, he is also a dreadful husband, a subpar writer, a terrible dresser and has a severe deficiency in all things talent… but hey, at least he’s self-aware, amirite?
Check out the pathetic attempts at photography on his insta at https://www.instagram.com/bad_dad_photography/
