Minneapolis hip hop duo Atmosphere has been around the block. Slug and DJ/producer Ant have risen to the top of the underground hip hop scene over the years and today remain immensely successful. Hardcore fans will remember discovering 1997's Overcast! among stacks of other CDs at their local hip hop music shop and trying to get their friends to listen to it instead of Master P. MC Spawn (aka Rek The Heavyweight) lent his lyrical swordsmanship to the album, giving it a notably different feel. The result was a collection of infectiously dark and sleepy beats fused with introspective lyrics and an old school rhyming style that helped Atmosphere garner respect among the hip hop community.
Fast forward a decade or so. Master P is long gone, but Atmosphere is still trucking along and is known by anyone who calls him or herself a fan of hip hop music. This year's When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold may sport a higher production value and crisper sound than Atmosphere's debut, but fans still can't get enough. In fact, the album peaked at #5 on The Billboard 200 chart.
Check out Atmosphere tonight at The Vic Theatre, playing with Abstract Rude, Blueprint, and DJ Rare Groove. 3145 N. Sheffield Ave. Tickets are $20 and show starts at 7:30 pm.
EX: [Video]: Atmosphere - "Guarantees"
