Soundset 2011 is right around the corner, so I thought I’d gather the best remixes & mashups of the lineup. Well, I quickly found out that people don’t really mashup underground hip-hop, so I turned to the top three headliners – Atmosphere, Big Boi & De La Soul.
De La Soul had a decent amount, but the good ones weren’t easy to find (e.g. Emancipator’s mash). Big Boi, as expected, had well over any of the others and wasn’t easy to narrow down to seven (yes, it was hard to narrow it to 7!). Lastly, Atmosphere was by far the most difficult to find. I don’t know how in hell [...]
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The Family Sign brings an intimate look into the members of Atmosphere. In their recent video therapy sessions, the group sits down with Dr. Ralph Borka and hashes out some of the issues they’ve had as a group over the years. However, the real sentiment lies is in their seventh studio album, where Slug dives into his life as an aging emcee and the group, more than ever, shows where their roots truly lie.
The most noticeable change in The Family Sign is Slug’s style. Many have criticized it, claiming he’s lost his edge over the past few years. As true as this may be, when you’re almost hitting on 40, edgy may not be what you’re going for. But with the loss of a youthful arrogance, a more humble emcee emerged, expressing the sentimental side of Sean and pushing the group in a different direction. But as fresh as their new style is, it still relies on the place that made them so great.
We all know Slug is know for his Minnesota love, but The Family Sign, more than ever, is a true ode to MN. The album shows clear Minnesota ties through its themes and choice of instrumentals, but more importantly is a representation of the Twin Cities’ growing scene. Atmosphere may be the most influential group in the area right now, but they’re only at the tip of the Minnesota music culture.
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I decided to compile a list of 25 artists that I discovered (or rediscovered) in college and was the driving force to get this music blog up and running. The list is broken into five categories – Midwest/East Coast hip-hop, West Coast hip-hop, International/non hip-hop music, Bay Area hip-hop and finally my top five. I plan on posting one per week for the next five weeks (each Sunday), but you know how that goes. Make sure to stay tuned in.
For the first part I decided to go with the Midwest because that’s where I’m from. Unfortunately, my Midwest & East Coast influences are lacking on this list, probably because I went to college in Arizona, heavily influenced by the West Coast. Anyways, I think you’ll enjoy these six musicians from the heart of America – some you may know and some you’ll get to know (you better!) [...]
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Here’s the second single off Atmo’s upcoming album, The Family Sign. Slug’s down to earth rhymes seem to be consistent in “She’s Enough” and all of his latest work – I guess that’s what comes with age, more stories to tell and less ideologies to preach. Whichever Slug you’ve grown to love, it’s good to see the MC come to age.
Verdicts still out till the album drops April 12, see you then.
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In an interview last night on The Current, Slug of Atmosphere introduced the first single off his upcoming album, The Family Sign. In the interview, Slug talks about the emergence of ‘rap bands’, highlighting The Roots, explaining they’re more than just the everyday jam bands we see popping up today.
He also goes into how Atmosphere is becoming a jam band with two instrumentalists, a guitarist & keyboardist, who were added around six years ago. It’s quiter coincidental calling Atmosphere a jam bad when their newest single, “Just For Show”, sounds a hell of a lot like one – with Slugs rhymes over top.
Can’t wait to hear what’s to come in The Family Sign, which’ll be out April 12!
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Saw this on TV and instantly knew I’d heard this before. About one or two seconds later I knew it was Atmosphere. Googled “Be The Match Shaq commercial” and found out this was “Puppets” – never been good with names.
Enjoy and make sure to join the bone marrow registry.
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Here’s a nice new track to kick off Atmo’s Welcome to Minnesota tour.
“Minnesota Nice” features a few fresh MC’s, including Prof (Stophouse), Mr. Gene Poole & Felipe Cuauhtli, but somewhat lacks anything new from Slug and Ant. It does go well with their recent work, which has a been a nice step along the years, but I’m eagerly awaiting what’s next. It’s still nice to hear the love for MN and is a good start to a healthy Rhymesayers year.
Make sure to hit up the mini tour if you’re around the area – plus, you may just see me out there (and wouldn’t that be sweet)
When Atmosphere’s latest EP(‘s) dropped a few months back, I planned on posting two of my favorites (that weren’t pre-released), but decided to sit on ‘em until the pre-releases’, To All My Friends & Freefallin’, hype died down.
A couple days ago Atmosphere’s team posted a video featuring “The Best Day” on Facebook, which was one of the songs I planned on posting, so I thought this would be a better time than any. The video comprises mostly of live shots from Atmosphere tours and other [...]
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