Atmosphere is a Minnesota rap group, formed around 1994. At its creation, the group was called Urban Atmosphere. Atmosphere originally consisted of Spawn (emcee) ANT (producer) and Slug (DJ at the time). After the Spawn left the group (now rapping under the name Rek The Heavyweight) the line up was set, with Slug, ANT and a rotating DJ. Currently the group consists of rapper Slug (Sean Daley), producer Ant (Anthony Davis), and Touring DJ Mr. Dibbs (Brad Forste). They are widely considered to be one of the most successful underground rap groups. Slug is also one of the co-founders of a Minneapolis hip hop label called Rhymesayers Entertainment.
Members
===Slug (Sean Daley) Seven
Before Atmosphere was formed, Slug was a member of a loose collective known as The Rhymesayers Collective. Its other members were Stress (Siddiq Ali) and Spawn (Derek Turner.) Slug DJed behind the scenes and let Stress and Spawn handle lyrics. Later calling themselves Urban Atmosphere and garnering some underground noteriety, the group eventually formed a strong relationship with Ant and began collaborating on music. Slug then appeared on the rare underground tape series HeadShots, see discography below. Every HeadShots volume allowed a member of the clique to showcase their talent, and HeadShots Vol. Seven was Slug's tour de force.
Ant (Anthony Davis)
Ant produced his first CD, an album titled Comparison, for Musab (formerly known as Beyond.) He has contributed to every Atmosphere album and has also produced albums for several members of the Rhymesayers Entertainment label. The only Atmosphere album featuring guest producers was The Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP'. They include Jel and Moodswing 9.
Spawn (Derek Turner) =
Spawn, now known as Rek The Heavyweight, left the group following the release of Overcast!.
Touring ==
Pour Me Another Tour (2005)
As of 2005, the Pour Me Another Tour, Atmosphere now tours with a full live band: Nate Collis - Guitar, Brett Johnson - Bass, Erick Anderson - Keyboards, and Patrick Armitage - drums. Mr. Dibbs is still listed as Touring DJ, but Ant is also touring for the first time in Atmosphere's History. The band brings a new, jazzy element and depth to Atmosphere's sound.
Lyrical Content
Slug's rhymes focus on his personal truths regarding politics, women, and other physical and emotional experiences. Many of his raps tell elaborate stories, often doing away with the chorus to better facilitate storytelling. Many of Atmosphere's recordings are considered to be "conscience rap" and "emo rap," the latter a term Slug despises and says is a shortcut record editors use to describe his music. Slug's popular songs deal with a difficult and self-deprecating relationships with women, whom he generally labels Lucy. Slug also raps about "slice of life moments," where he documents a police man's struggles with power (The Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's Lines, a worker in a convenience store tired of the 9-5, and sexual deviance and intrigue turned awry (The Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's Hands,. Atmosphere also has a large female following.
Collaborations
Slug has also released two albums with Murs from the westcoast Living Legends group. The idea for Felt: A Tribute to Christina Ricci, their first album as a duo came about while on tour. The two decided to see if they could garner some extra media attention for Ricci by dedicating their album for her, whom both had an infatuation for. (Slug says Ricci hasn't said anything about it.) This studio set was produced by The Grouch from Living Legends. Their second collaboration Felt Vol. 2: A Tribute to Lisa Bonet, produced by Ant was released 2005. Slug has also been featured on several Living Legends album.Album History
Overcast!
Overcast!
Overcast! was Atmosphere's first LP. Before Overcast!, Atmosphere recorded on several of the rare HeadShot cassette tapes. At Overcast!'s release, Atmosphere's members were Slug, Spawn and Ant. It featured guest shots from Beyond. The Overcast! EP contained several tracks not featured on the CD. Most popular, "God's Bathroom Floor," available only on the EP and cassette release of Overcast!, was not included on the CD. A live version of the track can be found on Sad Clown Bad Dub and a studio version can be found on Sad Clown Bad Dub 7.
Sad Clown Bad Dub II
Sad Clown Bad Dub II
Atmosphere's third CD. This is an actual release, recorded on 4 track. It was sold while the band was on tour.
Seven's Travels
Seven's TravelsAtmosphere's second most recent album, ''Seven's Travels'' was released on Epitaph Records, a major punk label. It features a much more experimental, mainstream sound, especially in the beats and background music, but also in the vocal style. Seven's Travels seems to play like a high quality version of a Sad Clown Bad Dub. Most of the songs have been done before, and is more a loose collection, or best of, of concert songs. In My Continental, Los Angeles, Reflections, Say shhh... are songs that appeared on various Sad Clown Bad Dub releases.A hidden track on the disc, "Say Shhh...," is a tribute to Minnesota and the Midwest. Originally featured on the mixtape ''Midwest Broadcast'', it was used as the track that launched Minnesota Public Radio's contemporary music service "The Current" on KCMP 89.3 FM in the Twin Cities in 2005Their track 'Trying to find a Balance' from the Seven's Travels album was featured on 2004's Tony Hawk's Underground 2 video game.