I have a confession to make: although Atmosphere, a Minneapolis-based act comprised of Sean “Slug” Daily and Anthony “Ant” Davis, has been around for more than a decade, I hadn’t listened to the group’s music until just a few days ago. If you, too, are unfamiliar with this act, it’s time to listen up – these guys are turning hip-hop on its head with unconventional beats and introspective, dynamic lyrics.
Slug and Ant have been creating music together in various music projects since 1993; Atmosphere’s first album, Overcast!, debuted in 1997. Since then, the duo has released seven albums and 13 EPs, and played shows across the country and even in Europe and Japan. Slug paints a humbling, heart-wrenching picture when he raps about real-life experiences with women, drugs/alcohol and life on the streets; Ant sets the appropriate mood in each song, with rhythms and sampled loops to complement Slug’s lyrics. The two are joined on tour with guitarist Nate Collins and keyboardist Erick Anderson.
Slug and Ant have been creating music together in various music projects since 1993; Atmosphere’s first album, Overcast!, debuted in 1997. Since then, the duo has released seven albums and 13 EPs, and played shows across the country and even in Europe and Japan. Slug paints a humbling, heart-wrenching picture when he raps about real-life experiences with women, drugs/alcohol and life on the streets; Ant sets the appropriate mood in each song, with rhythms and sampled loops to complement Slug’s lyrics. The two are joined on tour with guitarist Nate Collins and keyboardist Erick Anderson.
To educate myself on all things Atmosphere, I headed to the band’s Myspace page. Here are a few of my favorite tracks:
The Waitress: In this song, Slug raps about a homeless man who patrons a particular waitress’s cafe every day because, unbeknownst to her, he is her father. Despite their everyday quarrels, the two share an unspoken bond (“In front of everyone she calls me bum / but she notices my absence on them afternoons I don’t come”). I love this track because of how vivid each scene in the story sounds – one can almost feel the man’s pain after being treated like “the bad dog that got into the garbage,” when all he wanted was to “get out of this Minnesota cold” and see the daughter who doesn’t realize who he really is.
Modern Man’s Hustle: Despite his tough-guy appearance, Slug is quite the rhyming Romeo. In this song, he comforts a woman who, in his opinion, doesn’t realize how beautiful she is. “Feed me your troubles, need me to cuddle / bundle up in my mitten and coat / as cold as it gets, I’ll keep your winter afloat” could make any gal, single or otherwise, swoon.
Don’t Ever Fucking Question That: This is another song in which Slug’s sensitive side is displayed. Here, the question “how much do you love me?” is answered with lines like “enough to look into my mirror with detest / for every tear you shed regardless of why you wept.” Surprisingly sweet lyrics and melodies like these are just a small taste of what Atmosphere has to offer.
Atmosphere is currently headlining the To All My Friends Tour, which also features Blueprint, Grives & Budo and DJ Rare Groove. They will play to sold-out crowds in Chico, CA tonight and Reno, NV tomorrow; the tour will also stop in Utah and South Dakota before ending in Chicago, IL on October 7.
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