An Atmospheric Journey, Pt. 5 - Seven's Travels

Despite a lengthy gap between the first and second proper studio albums in the Atmosphere catalogue (filled, mind you, with a few EPs and a large cassette mixtape), the gap between God Loves Ugly and it's follow up Seven's Travels was rather short, at around one year. And it's easy to see why. The success of the God Loves Ugly album was unlike anything the duo could have expected - this project was incredibly well received by the entire hip-hop scene, and sold in numbers they wouldn't have dreamed of years before - this thing even entered the Billboard 200 for God's sake. It even had certain major labels asking to sign the duo, including names such as Interscope and Warner Bros that certainly aren't to be sniffed at. And while Atmos decided to stay independent and build their budding Rhymesayers label, it was still imperative to capitalise of off their newfound hype. Enter Seven's Travels. 

This next album is even longer than God Loves Ugly, spanning 19 tracks, plus a hidden joint as well. This thing seems pretty goddamn ambitious then, especially with it once again having just the one guest appearance, this time in their label's newest star Brother Ali. Atmosphere were clearly very confident in their abilities - the question is, was this confidence justified? Well, a lot of Atmosphere fans tend to argue that this project is one of the weaker ones released during the group's prime, but then again it does contain arguably their most beloved song ever, "Trying To Find a Balance", a song I'm incredibly excited to check out. 

So, will this be a worthy follow up to the brilliant God Loves Ugly, or a bloated mess that doesn't warrant the name Atmosphere on its cover? Let's find out. 

Again, all songs are of course produced by Ant. 

1. History 

A quick little introduction where Slug sings about making history over some pleasant piano and drums, perfectly setting a nice tone for the album. This isn't as impactful as "Onemosphere", but I don't think it was really trying to be - it's merely here to establish a mood, and it does it excellently. 

2. Trying To Find a Balance 

Starting things off with a bang, "Trying To Find a Balance" is one of the best fucking Atmosphere songs I've heard yet. I mean where to begin? The instrumental on this is fucking fantastic, with the female vocal samples permeating between Slug's vocals on the chorus in a way that almost reminds me of Aesop Rock's "None Shall Pass", only darker this time, and more anthemic. Every other aspect of this beat is incredible as well, mind - the string sounds that play on their own at the start before the drum beat bursts in with aggression, and the drum beat itself, which is one of Ant's best. This whole concoction is mesmerising, and Slug's vocals compliment it perfectly - I don't think I've yet heard this man sound quite so aggressive as he spits his revolution bars about the whackness of the rap game and the dilapidated state of his country. Even the chorus is sensational, especially during the repeats of the title. This might just be the best song in their discography yet. Jesus!

3. Bird Sings Why the Caged I Know 

On this slightly strange one-verse wonder, Slug spends a worrying amount of time fantasising about taking down, torturing and murdering some poor bird that he's seen flying around above him. Huh. Now of course Slug isn't actually some crazed killer of avian life - instead, he hates the bird because it can fly, free of all the troubles that lie in front of Sean down on the ground. Nonetheless, this one is pretty wild, and not for the parties - but that said, it is interesting, and Ant's instrumental helps the medicine go down smoothly. But let's hope Slug can find a slightly lighter place for his words to come from on the next few tracks....

4. Reflections 

On this joint, things are indeed in a more lighthearted place, as "Reflections" is a song about meeting a girl on tour who kind of reminds Slug of himself - almost like Eminem's "Remind Me" from Revival, only not horrible in every conceivable way. This track feels like it should have been one of the singles - the hook is catchy, the guitar laced instrumental is pretty funky, and Slug's bars are far more palatable to a wide audience than the song about murdering a bird merely for existing. "Reflections" is a legitimately fun and catchy track, and while that isn't necessarily what one comes to Atmosphere for, it is nice to have in small doses on an album like this. This is a good track. 

5. Gotta Lotta Walls 

And... we're straight into the deep end again, this time with a song all about Slug's deteriorating mental state. In the chorus here, he refers to himself as a house with lots of walls, AKA someone who it's very difficult to get through to - and most people don't care about most of his issues anyway, only wanting a couple of things out of him. It's a pretty dark concept, and during the verses Slug's lyrics become more and more depressing, as he discusses self harm and isolation - he also shouts out Murs at the start of this one, which is dope. Ant's work behind the boards here is similarly dark, the perfect backdrop to Sluggo's problems - my favourite moment being when the drums switch into something a little faster paced towards the end. This dark shit is somewhat difficult to listen to, but it is intriguing, and feels like a moment where we're starting to really delve into Slug's mind on the record. It's a very powerful moment. 

6. The Keys to Life vs. 15 Minutes Of Fame 

Wow. This one was unlike anything I've heard from the duo yet! The high energy and jumpiness here completely contrasts the previous track, with this sounding more like something to open a concert with than play whilst alone in your bedroom weeping. This shit was hype! And even then, lyrically it's still very strong, as Slug strings multiple metaphors about his not-quite-yet fame and his negative experiences trying to find success in the rap game. "The line between MC and comedian gets a little thinner, now it's nothing but roughage for lunch and punchlines for dinner". This whole song was 2 and a half minutes of pure energy, and I loved it. One of the best tracks yet. 

7. Apple

More of an interlude than anything, Slug takes 2 minutes to sing/rap in a rather gimmicky manner about rival MCs who he believes to be terrible at their art form - the title being in reference to how he'll place an apple on their heads to try to shoot off. It's a pretty funny song overall, but not really an emotional high or anything, so let's quickly move on to the next one - this one is just pure shit talk. 

8. Suicidegirls 

It's kind of unfortunate that over half of this track is taken up by some angry voicemails from some of Slug's previous lovers, as I would have loved to hear more of Sean over this experimental beat - like with quite a few tracks here this feels like nothing I've heard before from Atmosphere, and it's really awesome. When he does come in it sounds great, despite the mix on his voice being very quiet - "I used to pretend that I gave a fuck / now I do give a fuck, a little too much" is one of my favourite lines. Like the previous song this feels more like an interlude, but I'd put it far ahead of that one. This beat is nice!

9. Jason 

Just a skit, although I will say that drum beat in the background was nice. Otherwise, it's merely a prelude for...

10. Cats Van Bags (feat. Brother Ali)

I'm actually already familiar with this absolute fucking banger, and I almost wish I wasn't, as it would be absolute bliss to hear this for the first time again in the midst of this album. It just sounds completely unlike everything else, and in a great way. The incredibly rough synths teamed with some of the hardest drums Ant has ever cooked up make for one of the sickest beats I've ever heard, especially at the start when it drops in out of the weird scraping sound effects that begin the track. And although the hook is a little polarising (I still find it catchy, mind), Brother Ali and Slug absolutely do this fantastic instrumental justice with some of the best performances I've yet heard from them, as they go back and forth about the titular subject (touring, basically). The flow switch ups here make for some incredibly interesting verses, and I love the song's layout. "Flesh" was good, but as collaborations on Atmosphere albums go, this one pretty much wipes the floor with everything else. It's fucking insane, and might well be the best track here - maybe their best song yet. 

11. Los Angeles 

Kind of a random ode to the city of Los Angeles thrown in amongst these much more personal/artist specific tracks, but I still liked this, mostly because of how weird the beat is - it's made up of vocals where someone is doing their best impression of a drowning yet surprisingly melodic animal, simply placed over drums for one of the more standout backdrops of the evening. Lyrically it's a bit off, but overall this was a fun interlude. 

12. Lifter Puller 

Hey, I recognise that sample! Fans of modern mainstream hip-hop might join me in immediately noting that the sample here was later used (slightly more effectively, please don't shoot me Atmosphere fans) on Tyler, the Creator's song "Sir. Baudelaire", an instrumental actually taken from an earlier Westside Gunn track of which the name escapes me right now. And yes, the beat here isn't quite as strong as that one, but this song is still pretty impactful, if perhaps a little too long for its own good - at 6 minutes, "Lifter Puller" is a bit of a behemoth. Even so, Slug's lyrics about a failing relationship do tend to stick more often than not, and the vocal sample is very haunting and atmospheric (no pun). The storytelling lyrics here are exactly what I wanted to see from this act, and the story in question is told in a very engaging way. This is a good one. 

13. Shoes 

One interesting thing about this album is how it keeps going back and forth between impactful, full song length cuts, and shorter interlude-type tracks with much less serious subject matter. I can't really think of another album that does it this frequently, but I know I've got one somewhere. Anyway, "Shoes" is the latter, a song where Slug attempts to convince a girl he met to have sex with him whilst he's incredibly drunk - he fails, so props to him for admitting that in a world of incredibly insecure rappers who wouldn't dream of admitting such a thing. Still, this is probably the worst song yet - the instrumental is way too skeletal, the fake drunk voice way too annoying, and the chorus is simply unenjoyable. There are some fun moments on this one, but you wouldn't catch me bumping it. The metaphor here, allegedly about Slug slowly losing his mind whilst drunk, is also not that clever. Sorry.

14. National Disgrace

Slug's ode to those who became famous and made a hash of it, much like he perhaps intended to at the time, given the unstable personality he exhibits across some of these early records. This track, while not my favourite on the record by any means, is certainly an improvement over the previous cut - Slug's lyrics are much more focused, and Ant's instrumental manages to have a bit of a country twang to it and still not suck. In fact, the only part of this one I wasn't the biggest fan of was Slug's goofy singing towards the end, but of course it was perhaps the point to make himself look a bit of a "jerk-off" there. This is a pretty funny song, and it's good to see that Slug matured with age and didn't end up becoming the subject of this song, even if I do enjoy these more volatile early recordings a lot of the time. 

15. Denvemolorado 

Another shorter cut, this one almost entirely sung, which isn't great, although I did really enjoy the beat here. In fact, Slug's singing towards the very end of the song was actually pretty good - it's just a shame he had to initially overdo it in the verse. I certainly wouldn't skip this, but I'd be shocked if anyone named it a standout. 

16. Liquor Lyles Cool July 

Even if the instrumental here from Ant indicates this track as another more lighthearted moment in the tracklist, the one verse wonder from Slug is actually quite moving. Sluggo tells a detailed experience of sitting at a bar drinking, observing the place, and noticing a woman who he finds particularly attractive waiting there. He wonders in his head what she would think of him, what a relationship would be like - but never goes over, and they both leave having never interacted. The skit at the end places an interesting touch onto the story as well. I feel like this is one shorter song where it could have benefited from some elongation, but as it stands this shit was really well written. It's another highlight for me!

17. Good Times (Sick Pimpin')

One of the more relaxing moments on the record is this late game cut that appears to be one of the more popular on this record, and it makes sense, as this makes for very listenable music, even if it isn't really on the level of "Cats Van Bags" or "Trying To Find a Balance". Man this album has had some high points. The instrumental here is very much based on some airy guitar loops teamed with typical Ant drums, and it's pretty damned pleasant, and Slug's vocals here are strong as well for the most part, even in the more mellow chorus of the track. I won't lie and say this is a standout, but it's a solid effort nonetheless. 

18. In My Continental 

This track, as you might expect from the title, maintains a similar vibe to the last track - this one is all about Slug's thoughts and hopes that are going through his mind as he drives around in his car "splintered off the mental", which probably shouldn't be condoned. I really liked this one overall - the Slick Rick "Teacher, Teacher" interpolation paves way well for Slug's long and thought provoking verses, which are simultaneously meaningful and catchy, whilst Ant's groovy instrumental keeps your head nodding all the way through. I'd argue that this one might be an even better joint to relax to than the previous song. Awesome stuff. 

19. Always Coming Back Home To You

Like with the previous two songs, this closing track also has a relaxing feel, but unlike them, this guitar laced instrumental has something of a creepy vibe to it as well, and it's certainly a beat that stands out within the Atmosphere catalogue. The track consists of one long verse followed by a sung hook to finish, as Slug talks about various different people and scenarios he comes across whilst out on a walk that happen to remind him of his growing up - culminating in him revealing that this song might actually be an analogy for dying... maybe. If so, then his final line of "to find that she wasn't here, I was still all alone" is pretty powerful - this man isn't ready to die yet! This is a very powerful storytelling cut, and it's no wonder that it's one of Atmosphere's bigger tracks - I couldn't think of a better note to end things on.

But wait - after some silence, Atmos have one more song left in store for us. A hidden track, titled...

20. Say Shh

Slug's dedication to Minneapolis, Minnesota, the city that of course Atmosphere comes from - they were probably the first major hip-hop act coming out of there in fact. This track is a little more than a basic "I love my city" song, though - it's got a more significant meaning of taking what you're given and building something out of it. While Slug recognises that this city isn't the best in the world, it has a lot of positives that he sees that clearly outweigh the negatives for him - sure, the city doesn't have great night life and there aren't too many people to connect with, but that means there's places to park, and he can maintain a healthy lifestyle without wanting to go out all the time. The lyrics on this track are some of the most memorable on the whole record, and Ant kills the instrumental. This was a great way to close things out. 

In conclusion, I'm incredibly happy with Seven's Travels - in fact, it might be my favourite Atmosphere record yet, which I am aware is kind of a hot take amongst the Atmos community, especially given that Slug himself stated that he found this to be his worst work. For me, I don't really understand why - sure, some of the sequencing here was a little odd, especially when you had three interlude type tracks in a row from songs 7-9, and sure, "Shoes" is a bit of a whack moment that should have been left off. But man, this album is not only incredibly entertaining from front to back, but it also contains quite a few of the best songs the group have ever made. "Trying To Find a Balance" is the perfect opener, as Slug's passionate aggression mixed with Ant's dramatic and absolutely banging instrumental make for a brilliantly intriguing and catchy start to the record - whilst "Cats Van Bags" is a slapper with a sound that I really hope the group attempt more often in the future, as it's absolutely mesmerising. And there's plenty of other great moments here too - Slug's storytelling across the record is highly engaging, with most of the themes across the album still feeling pretty relevant today, meanwhile Ant brings the heat with a very varied but almost perfect across the board set of beats that will have you solemn one second and jumping right out of your seat the next. I really don't understand why so many people consider this one of the worst Atmosphere records! For me, this couldn't have been any better, and it makes me incredibly excited to see what they have in store next with the strangely titled You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having - if there's been one thing wrong with the last two projects it was them both being a little daunting in length; but a 13 track project, released right in their prime? This is gonna be good. And for now, Seven's Travels stands as quite possibly my favourite Atmosphere record - don't let some of the bad press put you off, because this is a masterpiece of storytelling and production. Nice!

Best Track: "Cats Van Bags"

Worst Track: "Shoes"

Read up on my previous Atmosphere reaction/reviews over here! 

An Atmospheric Journey, Pt. 4 - God Loves Ugly

By the year 2002, Sean "Slug" Daley and Anthony "Ant" Davis, the masterminds behind Atmosphere, had become some of the most prominent and anticipated names in the entire underground hip-hop scene. Their blend of powerful and often unexplored concepts in the lyrics spit with emotion unrivalled by the best actors, over smooth, melodic, often sample-rich beats was such a unique one that it seemed they had created an entire new subgenre all by themselves. While the first two projects I listened to gravitated occasionally towards more typical unpolished 4-track shit with basic instrumentals and bars that were perhaps a little too long for the beat, it was the third one that really grabbed my attention as something unlike anything else I'd heard in the genre. Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's was definitely their most polished project so far, as the concepts and passion put into discussing them were simply unparalleled in a genre that, as much as I love it, does often find it difficult to stay on topic. This project has really got me excited for what's to come - the group have clearly found their sound, and now it's time to see if they can perfect it.

God Loves Ugly is the second official studio album by the duo, although it's the first where they are actually a duo at all, as Overcast! was of course back when Spawn was still readily available for a quick verse or three. On this effort, however, Sean and Ant seem much less willing to let collaborators into their universe, with I Self Devine being the only guest appearance on the entire 18 track project - this is gonna be a long one. Out of all their works thus far, this one clearly seems to be the most ambitious, and furthermore, many fans consider it the best, with Atmos classics such as "Fuck You Lucy", "Modern Man's Hustle", and of course the title track being some of the duo's most revered work. 

So I'm feeling pretty excited! Everything I've heard so far from these guys has been dope as shit, and I'm sure this one will be too. Even the title is innovative - anyone else hear about last year's JID album? It's high time I get into this - it's been like 8 months since I added to this series. Jeez.

All songs are produced by Ant. 

1. Onemosphere

Not exactly what I expected would open this disc up, but nonetheless this track was pretty awesome. Unlike "Between The Lines", which of course opened up the last full length, this track has a very angry feel, with hard drums and almost tuneless piano keys which sit in the instrumental to punctuate a word of every aggressive bar that Slug spits. And while the opening lines here feel a little too positive and PG for what this album is presenting itself as, most of the shit spit here is dope as fuck. "And the moral of the story comes equipped with a sting / once again I'm picked for the wrong fucking team" he says before the hard ass drums quiten down for a moment of relaxation in-between the two intense verses. This song seems to basically present this duo as underdogs in the game who have come to prove their worth now with international distribution, and so far it seems to be going well. This is a very strong opener. And I love that title!

2. The Bass and The Movement 

This song also has a pretty fucking awesome title, and it's similar musically too, if a little more skeletal instrumentally. Not that that's a bad thing at all, as this beat is in fact dope as all fuck. The disjointed drums teamed with the samples of what sound almost like people screaming is all at once familiar and unlike anything I've heard before. I mean sure it could have perhaps used a little shaking up during the chorus that seems to aim to be chanted at concerts, but I'm really not here to be nit-picky. And as for Slug, his lyrics here are even better than they were on the previous song, with the line "You can catch a face full of phallus" standing out in particular to me for how hilarious it is. But really, this whole song just seems to exemplify the man's personality on the mic, with many moments feeling almost relatable, whether that happens to be worrying or not. This shit was fucking brilliant.

3. Give Me 

Unfortunately it seems we've ran out of all time song titles, as this one opts for something incredibly generic. What a shame. Thankfully, the quality of the music hasn't deteriorated with it, because this instrumental from Ant is goddamned hypnotic, more jazzy than the previous two cuts, reminding me of some of the better moments on Overcast!, which by the way I still think is a very solid album. On this track, Slug goes into detail about some of his goals for his rap career, and also starts to make it more clear what he means by "Ugly" - in Slug's mind it means to be an outcast, an underdog, someone who has been brushed away and left to collect dust by society, and that's who this music is meant for. I think. That's what I'm getting anyway. But regardless, the song itself is very good - Sean seems to be going more in-depth than on the previous tracks, and the instrumental is really really nice. This is definitely a keeper. 

4. Fuck You Lucy 

A stark departure from the previous three tracks, "Fuck You Lucy" is the first emotional high on the record, and my God is it good. Backed by Ant's intense piano and chopped vocal samples, Slug goes on a rant against "Lucy", a character who could be interpreted as a metaphor for quite a few different things, although most tend to agree that it's either hip-hop or alcohol that Slug is ranting about here (and also referenced in the title of the previous project we discussed). The lyrics are a mix of sometimes poetic, like on the chorus, or simple and biting, such as the repeated shouts of the title within the verses. It's a very emotional song, certainly one of the most aggressive I've heard from this duo yet, but it's certainly one that's worth returning to, whether that's for the passion in the verses or the incredible instrumental. These guys really fit like a glove don't they. This might be the best song yet. 

5. Hair 

A far more lighthearted affair than the previous track, "Hair" is more of an interlude than anything else, as the instrumental here is quite simplistic compared with most of the other Ant beats I'm familiar with, and Slug's story about meeting an attractive girl after a concert is told with a delivery that feels kind of tongue in cheek, as if he's utterly gleeful that he has the opportunity to let his fans know about this encounter. Of course, fans of the duo will know that things don't end quite so well for Slug at the end of this song, as an unexpected twist occurs that shatters the pleasant mood of the track pulling us straight back in to the dark and depraved mind of Slug.... 

6. GodLovesUgly

I've actually already heard this one many times before, and you don't voluntarily listen to a song "many" times if it's whack. "GodLovesUgly" is one of my favourite hip-hop songs of all time. The piano loop on this track is fucking iconic, and as for Slug's rhymes, they're just something else. So many of these lines stand out. "I wear my scars like the rings on a pimp / I live life like the captain of a sinking ship" is the perfect opening to the track, and the interpolation of "Once Upon a Time in the Projects" feels like it couldn't possibly have fit in anywhere else. The way it takes a while before any rhymes come in feels so great as well, because it just builds the tension more and more as the piano continues to permeate your ears. This song is so fucking beautiful, I almost don't care that it kind of peters out at the end - how could I possibly critique this in any way? This one will be very difficult to beat. 

7. A Song About a Friend 

Another song about meeting a girl, although not only is it framed more seriously than "Hair", the track has an almost creepy vibe to it, not least because of Ant's jingling piano keys that almost remind me of some kind of horror film at times. But even Slug's lyrics are odd, especially during the chorus where he admits to looking up this girl's skirt on a staircase, possibly without her knowledge. I mean, dude, what the hell are you doing? I love the beat here though, and as the song progresses to Slug seeming to start falling for this girl, only for the relationship to sadly crumble to the point of no contact, the lyrics start to become much more profound and moving - as I've said before, Slug was never one to hide his emotions, and here's where that skill comes in handy, as the song does get to you in the end. This is a pretty strong effort overall. 

8. Flesh (feat. I Self Devine)

Over a percussion heavy Ant instrumental with a bassline that's sure to have you moving, Slug teams up with I Self Devine to rap about violence and rapping prowess in a shit talking cut that still does engage in amounts of lyrical prowess and vocabulary dense spitting, that is exactly what you'd expect from the hungry underground rappers of this scene. While Slug and I Self kill the verses, I'm not as keen on the gimmicky hook, which is pretty miserable to listen to in all honesty. Still, this one is a goddamn banger, with a very unique instrumental for the 'Sphere. Things so far are going very smoothly.

9. Saves the Day 

Kind of a sentimental sounding track, although Slug is still spelling out his ambitions for the future on here, and how he wishes to "save the day", whatever the hell that means. The song lyrics here seem kind of disjointed, even if the last couple bars were pretty powerful, but my favourite moment of the track comes at the end anyway, when the music kind of breaks down and the echo of the word "music" fades in and out - it's a nice switch up in the production that I wasn't really expecting to hear on a record like this. The song as a whole is okay though - it just feels a little repetitive for my liking. 

10. Lovelife 

This smooth cut refers to a literal interpretation of the common phrase it uses as it's title - Slug encourages the listeners to love life and work their hardest at it, despite what things God (who is addressed in the very moving chorus of the song) may throw their way. This is lyrically definitely one of the most intriguing songs of the whole record - sure, it's brilliant when Slug is battle rapping and insulting opponents with hilarious insults on a track like "The Bass and The Movement", but if it weren't for the more powerful and passionate moments like these then the duo probably wouldn't be quite as legendary as they are today. This is certainly one of the best songs yet, and Ant's haunting violins compliment the subject matter perfectly. Great stuff. 

11. Breathing 

After that more emotional moment, we're back to another somewhat fun cut, with a bouncy beat utilising somewhat dated synths that are still pretty good mind you, and a catchy hook that seems tailor-made for concerts - Kanye West would later use something similar on his song "Breathe In Breathe Out". I think, based on the final couplet of both verses here, that the concept of this song is Slug airing out his frustrations and thoughts about the world to a somewhat uninterested bartender, and I for one think that's a pretty unique idea, and one that works pretty damned well too - it's certainly one of the funnier moments of this record when he states "so just pour me another and ignore me my brother" after a legitimately powerful verse. This is a dope joint. 

12. Vampires 

The vampires in question being... well, pretty much every sentient being on Earth as well as the Earth itself according to Slug, who clearly fell out of bed the morning of creating this track (and perhaps others on the album as well). "Vampires" is one of the darker tracks on this record, dealing with thoughts about the inherent evils of the world, be that corrupt policemen or corrupt governments who leech off of the general public for their own sick needs. It's all punctuated by Ant's instrumental, full of guitar licks and hard drums, which feels pretty typical of the producer, but deeply suited to the themes of societal disarray nonetheless. It makes you realise by the end of this track that Slug's metaphor is actually quite apt, which is really quite a depressing thought when you look at it. I think I need a lie down. 

13. A Girl Named Hope 

I was kind of skeptical coming into this much shorter track at first, thanks to the terribly corny title that sounds like a children's story book written in the modern day more than a song from some of hip-hop's finest artists - but thankfully, this song was actually pretty good, if Slug's understated delivery was a little jarring in comparison with some of these other tracks. This one more seems to be a metaphor about Slug being ground down until he's lost all hope for the world, and it's quite sad really, especially with those repeated female vocal samples in the background punctuating the relentless stress life pushes at us from all angles. For a glorified interlude, this was awesome - shit, it could hold its own against most of the full length cuts here as well. 

14. GodLovesUgly Reprise 

Meanwhile this one is just weird. Slug gives up on rapping here for a sung approach, something I understand he ventures more into on an abundance of tracks later on in his career, for better or worse. Thankfully, he utilises many backup singers here to help him, and the results are pretty interesting - think of this as the hip-hop underground's weird answer to that "Iron's Theme" from Supreme Clientele, only it's not as catchy and sounds like something a creepy circus clown would recite to you in its torture dungeon. 

15. Modern Man's Hustle 

This was one of the album's most popular singles, and it's easy to see why - the melodic and relaxing instrumental, the legitimately catchy hook, and the (mostly) clean lyrical content makes it easy to see why the majors were sniffing all around the Rhymesayers head office after the release of this album in search for someone who might let them sign this duo. "Modern Man's Hustle" has legitimate radio appeal, even if it certainly isn't Atmosphere's signature song or even close, and even if Slug actually disses radio friendly rappers within this very track. The lyrics here, mind, are just as well written as they have been on most of the other songs here, with Slug's lyrics detailing the balance of his relationship with a girl he truly loves with trying to create a successful rap career. Sure, it's been discussed before, but here they've really created an anthem for that particular problem, and for that I have to applaud them. This track is really nice. 

16. One Of a Kind 

Finally, Slug delivers another creative "suck my dick" type of bar, this time in the form of "open invitation to catch today's ejaculation all across the front of your pretty little apron". That kind of sets the tone really, as this song is pretty damned aggressive - Slug calls out all the whack copycat rappers, none of whom have a lick of uniqueness about them, unlike he who is, as he so humbly claims, "one of a kind". The album has been due a joint dissing the sucker MCs for a while now (it is an early 2000s underground record after all), and with this track it finally has one - although I will say that this track doesn't quite deserve to be one of the most beloved songs on the entire record. It's good, sure, but better than "LoveLife" and "The Bass and The Movement"? I'm not so sure. Still, I liked it, so that's all that matters really.

17. Blamegame 

For the third time, Slug mashes together words that should be separate for a song title on this album. Why? Who cares. This track is... interesting. I'm not sure who's idea it was for a reggae style track to be introduced to this project, but it seems he was quite an aggressive and potentially dangerous chap, as otherwise the artists would probably have laughed it off - this simply isn't the right fit for the record. I mean, the track as a whole is fine, but I don't think this album at all benefits from its inclusion. It's a small blemish on a record that, for its length, has been otherwise incredibly consistent. Oh well. 

18. Shrapnel 

Anyone else feel like this instrumental really reminded them of Ghostface's Ironman album? The resemblance is almost uncanny - in particular the bassline here feels particularly similar to that on "After the Smoke Is Clear". Man, now I want to go back and listen to that for the millionth time. But that's okay, because we've now reached the last track on the album - and what a last track. After the weirdness of "Blame Game", "Shrapnel" pulls us back into an underground feel, with a dark and bleak instrumental punctuating Slug's vocals perfectly, whether that be during the two long verses or the very esoteric chorus here. But perhaps the best parts of this one are when the beat is left to ride out by itself - an under-appreciated art in the genre, when the producer gets his moment, and you are given time to really take in what the MC has just said. I really appreciate that. As closers go, this is one of the best in the Atmosphere discography yet. Wow.

In conclusion, God Loves Ugly might also just be Atmosphere's best work yet full stop. While it is a little too long, and contains the odd moment that hints at being a teensy bit of album filler (looking at you, "BlameGame"), for the most part this album is everything I hoped it would be. Slug's lyrics are even more interesting, his delivery more passionate, his hooks catchier - and Ant's production has improved tenfold too, especially with beats such as those on "GodLovesUgly" and "Lovelife", some of his most haunting and memorable work yet. God Loves Ugly also feels more of a curated experience than other Atmosphere projects. The way that this album constantly weaves from (somewhat) lighthearted moments such as "Hair" and "Flesh", straight back into tracks like "Fuck You Lucy" and "Vampires" that are passionate, dark and oftentimes quite haunting, is unlike anything I've seen outside of maybe some of Tech N9ne's early work. But the vibe of this album is completely different. It's like Ironman mixed with Anghellic mixed with 3:16: The 9th Edition, and with a little something else thrown in there as well, that unique Atmosphere magic. It's fucking incredible. And yes, I didn't think this was a perfect album. There were some songs that were placed where they perhaps shouldn't have been, some songs that followed a structure a little too formulaic, even moments that ever so slightly bored me. But I guess the whole message of this album is to accept those who are different, those who are perhaps... imperfect. And while it is that, this album is damned excellent nonetheless, and certainly a highly influential classic of the hip-hop underground. And the pair certainly capitalised on their success quickly, releasing another immensely ambitious independent release just one year later, intriguingly titled Seven's Travels... . I'll see you for that one folks. Thanks for reading!

Best Track: "God Loves Ugly"

Worst Track: "BlameGame"

Other Atmosphere write-ups are available! 

An Atmospheric Journey, pt. 3 - Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's

After the (lack of) success their debut album Overcast! generated for them, Minneapolis rapper/producer duo Atmosphere set about creating even more music for the underground heads to salivate over, only this time in the form of extra "side" projects - compilations and EPs and such - while they gave themselves a lengthier period of time to perfect their next proper studio album. The first of these was the Headshots: Se7en mixtape/compilation that I covered during the last post of the series, and it was pretty great, if not extraordinarily replayable or inventive. Perhaps the more significant of their endeavours in this era, however, was the project I'm covering today - Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's. 

This project was the coming together of three EP's that Slug and Ant had put out in the years 2000 and 2001 - Ford One, Ford Two and The Lucy EP - with a couple of changes in sequencing too (one song from the EP's, "Travel", didn't even make this project at all). The first eight tracks make up The Lucy EP, and then tracks 9 to 15 are Ford One and Ford Two, with a few brand new tracks thrown in there too. The compilation of sorts is mostly produced by Ant, but oddly there are a few tracks on here with different producers, which feels a bit mean considering Ant is an actual part of the group and would therefore have nothing to do with those particular cuts. But whatever. There's also allegedly a hidden track which is a collaboration with El-P, and if there's one song I'm really intrigued by it's that one. But hopefully, there'll be plenty to enjoy throughout the 15 listed tracks on the back cover - Slug is a rapper who could potentially hold my interest for 15 straight tracks, and that's a good thing, as there are no other features on here at all. 

Right, let's get into it. This one has been a long time coming. Time to see if Slug puts as much effort into his EP's as he does his actual albums - because if so, this could be a seriously interesting project. 

1. Between the Lines (prod. Ant)

While Slug's storytelling throughout "Between the Lines" is pretty interesting, especially during the powerful and rather depressing third verse, I honestly think that the main appeal of this track is that instrumental from Ant, and the way it meshes so beautifully with Slug's vocals throughout the track - it's a truly wonderful sounding song, and honestly one of the best of the Atmosphere discography so far. The hook on here is memorable, and manages to be very repetitive without ever coming across as annoying, and this mellow beat really helps Slug's vocals to stand out, without ever feeling like mere background music, always standing out as this beautiful groove. I am actually surprised at how brilliant this sounded. Nice!

2. Like Today (prod. Ant)

A rather depressing storytelling cut - I guess we already know what the lyrical themes of most of these songs are going to be. I must admit I wasn't nearly as grabbed by the instrumental on this track as on the previous one - it's not bad, but just feels a little clunky, and doesn't really have the same smooth and relaxing grooves that made the last track so good. Also, Slug's storytelling is much more matter of fact here, and on a lot of the track he comes across as - to put it bluntly - a bit of a fucking creep. The best part about this track is probably the end part, where he reveals that the day was a dream, and insinuates that his life has become so formulaic that what inevitably happens has been plastered moment-for-moment into his mind. Did I mention the song was depressing? So while this is a step down from the previous song, it does have its moments - here's hoping the writing improves a little for the next song. 

3. Tears for the Sheep (prod. Ant)

On this track, things get a little more intense. Ant samples Aretha Franklin's "Cry Like a Baby", which I immediately recognised as also being the sample used in Czarface's "Cement 3's", released over ten years after this song, I might add - and it makes for a pretty nice beat that feels rather urgent and dystopian, as if the apocalypse mentioned on the previous song has finally come to get us. However, this song is more about Slug's feelings about the rap game, and how everyone is all similar nowadays - they've all become "sheep", hence the title. I've never been the biggest fan of when underground rappers act like they're better than the mainstream artists - even if they are, it's just arrogant and pretentious most of the time - but here Slug does start to improve his metaphors, rather than giving me the message straight up like on the last song, which I do appreciate from him. Overall, this is definitely an improvement over the last track, and a pretty nice cut in general. 

4. Guns and Cigarettes (prod. Ant)

Ant leans into his strengths - that's relaxing, groovy instrumentals - for the first time since the intro track, for this brilliant beat, that is repetitive as it gets, but manages to sound great throughout due to Slug's vocals and lyrics, which are absolutely hilarious. I was wondering why the man kept taking himself so seriously up to this point, so this humorous track (which was brand new on this compilation I believe, not a part of the original Lucy EP) is an honest to God breath of fresh air. Slug's lyrics, especially during the second verse, are entertaining as hell on this one, and I also love the way he incorporated the title into the theme of the song - go ahead and listen to it, you'll find out. In my opinion, it's seriously worth it. One of the best tracks yet. 

5. Don't Ever Fucking Question That (prod. Ant)

Beautiful, beautiful song. Slug's dedication to his mother is powerful, and made all the more heart-wrenching by Ant's incredible work behind the boards here - that sampling is just impeccable. But really, I wouldn't care what beat was on this song - it's the lyrics that help it to stand out. If this was just another tale about some lonely, depressed character with girl problems then the instrumental might not have even sounded that good - but it's not, and it helps that beat to sound beautiful. Also, is it just me, or do parts of that second verse sound exactly like something Aesop Rock would write? Whatever - this song rules. Brilliant stuff. 

6. It Goes (prod. Ant)

It seems that, thankfully, "Like Today" was the exception on here - as outside of that one Ant has been really tapping into his skills throughout this record. I mean, the bassline on this track right here is just exquisite. This is the first song on the project that really feels like it could be an Overcast! outtake, with it's fairly light hearted instrumental, and old-school call and response chorus - but let me tell you it would have been a highlight on that album. Slug's lyrics on here are really stellar, with some great one-liners, including "my son thinks that I am the coolest thing in this world / 'cause he's still too young to fall in love with girls". Rapping, production... whatever - this song is great in all areas. Dope stuff. 

7. If I Was Santa Claus (prod. Ant)

Despite the off-putting song title, I found this one to be really entertaining too. The track has kind of a haunting feel, despite the very christmassy sound that the instrumental incorporates, and Slug uses this as a blueprint for one of the most passionate performances he's delivered on this record thus far. The lyrics on here are nothing short of fantastic, with aggressive verses detailing all of his feelings at the time on music, love, his own depression, and much more. The track is far darker than the previous one, and it does add to the kind of bipolar nature of the record so far - but honestly that's not such a bad thing. This is one of the best tracks yet. 

8. Aspiring Sociopath (prod. Ant)

Quite the switch up in sound from the rest of the project so far, this pretentiously titled song finishes The Lucy EP section of the album, and it's... interesting. Musically, this one doesn't warrant much replaying - the halloween-esque instrumental is slow and gets rather mind-numbing, even if it is at least somewhat experimental and interesting, and Slug's flow is nowhere near as tight and in the pocket as it has been throughout the rest of the project. No, the main draw for this song is the storytelling, which basically is a better, less creepy (despite still being somewhat creepy) version of what Slug wrote on "Like Today" - and it's pretty entertaining, bar some of the attempts at singing classic songs strewn throughout the lone verse. Slug's mind clearly travelled to a myriad of different places during his early career, and this is an example of when his highly intriguing pen distracts the listener from any shortcomings the instrumental or actual rapping performance might have. This isn't a great song, but it does stand out, and that's important in a discography as big as Atmosphere's. 

9. Free Or Dead (prod. Jel)

This is the point in the LP where the Ford One and Ford Two EPs are placed, a change marked by the introduction of a new producer. And I've gotta say, this Jel guy does a pretty good job of keeping up the atmosphere (ha) of this album, with an instrumental that's relaxing yet also somewhat haunting, and one that doesn't overwhelm Slug's vocals on the song at any point either. The chorus on here is a bit pointless, feeling like just another part of the verses, only one repeated unnecessarily at the end... but otherwise this song is pretty awesome, despite Slug's affinity for rhyming about being a creep rearing its ugly head again. The rapping here is pretty damn entertaining, if the flows were a little repetitive at times, and as I said this beat is dope. Nice stuff!

10. Party For the Fight to Write (prod. Ant)

Atmosphere's love letter to the genre they work within is this track, the title of which alone pays homage to two classics by Public Enemy and the Beastie Boys. The bass heavy instrumental feels like a Bomb Squad beat put through the Atmosphere filter to make it sound relaxing, and it's really good, especially when it starts to switch up a bit midway through the track. Pity there's no record scratching on here - that would have enhanced the track to no end. Still, as it is it's pretty nice, with some really good verses from Slug - the awkward "Shook Ones" interpolation notwithstanding - and a reasonably well written hook. Like the last couple of tracks, it's not phenomenal, but it's not bad either. 

11. Mama Had a Baby and His Head Popped Off (prod. Ant)

The only song in this half of the album that's all new, not taken from the Ford EPs - and in my opinion it's a step up from the last few cuts. Atmosphere are at their best when Ant is creating a smooth, relaxing instrumental, and Slug is rapping calmly but with conviction, with some lyrics that are interesting and meaningful, but not too corny or preachy either - and this song manages their strengths perfectly. The instrumental, with that groovy bassline and vocal sample, is absolutely gorgeous, while Slug's rapping is brilliant - his lyrics are typically great, and his flows are nice too. It doesn't even have an annoyingly repetitive hook. This song is easily one of the best so far, and a brilliant track in general. 

12. They're All Gonna Laugh @ You (prod. Jel)

Ehhh... I get what Slug was trying to do here, but it really doesn't work for me. Remember the stuff I mentioned in the last paragraph about what makes Atmosphere great? Yeah, this has none of that. The instrumental is jarring and barely qualifies as music at all, while Slug's yelling and his terrible, terrible final bars are annoying as all hell. It's great that you can use music as a way of letting your anger out Slug, but do you really have to subject the general public to the results of it as well? This was a swing and a miss - but hey, at least it's short. 

13. Lost and Found (prod. Jel)

Definitely a big improvement on the last song, even if it is again a bit abrasive compared with some of the best material on this project. Slug's performance here is better and less whiny than on the previous song, meanwhile the instrumental is loud without being clunky and annoying - that last song really was a weak link wasn't it? Some of Slug's lyrics on here are really great, especially the opening few bars, and even if it is repeated to high heaven, I do enjoy the chorus on this track too. Yeah, this one was pretty fun. 

14. The Woman With the Tattooed Hands (prod. Ant)

This project's most popular song is this rather odd storytelling track, in which Slug recounts a time when the tattoos on a woman's hands came alive after she started to *ahem* pleasure herself. I'm assuming it's Ant's brilliantly moving instrumental, with its beautiful piano chords, that is the cause of this song's high streaming count, because I can't imagine Slug's disturbed fantasy is the reason - this song is lyrically weird as fuck. Entertaining, but weird as fuck all the same. There's probably some deeper message to this song, but for the moment I'm not really sure. Maybe it's just a story for the sake of a story. Either way, Slug is clearly starting to scrape the barrel for ideas, so it's a good thing we've reached the last song. 

15. Nothing But Sunshine (prod. Moodswing9)

Aside from the bit where Slug murders a cow while moaning (yes, that really does happen during this song), I actually really enjoyed this one - it might well be the best of the entire second half of the record. Slug's tale of how his rough upbringing didn't affect his positive outlook on the world now is touching (even though apparently most of the story is made up), and Ant's beat is fucking awesome, with great ringing pianos that make for beautiful backing music to the song. This was genuinely stellar, and a truly great way to end this project. 

But wait! Is that a... hidden track? Why yes, it is. 

15 1/2. Homecoming (feat. El-P) (prod. El-P)

I can only assume it was Slug not wanting to have any guest appearances on his album that kept this joint off of the main project, because this is easily one of the major highlights on here, and that's not even just the El-P Stan in me talking. Oh sure, El's verse is absolutely brilliant on here, being a precursor to a lot of the weird, unorthodox rhyme patterns and lyrics that would litter his masterpiece Fantastic Damage one year after this song's release - and his production is also fantastic (if not really like a lot of the other stuff he was doing at the time), with the pianos and occasional electronic sound effects creating a dystopian air to the song that is mostly missing from other Atmosphere tracks. But... I mean, Slug does good as well. Ah, who am I kidding - El-P is the main reason why you should listen to this - and you really should, as it's fucking brilliant. Great way to end this album - if only it was on a separate track to "Nothing But Sunshine". Oh well. 

Honestly, Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's might just be Atmosphere's best album yet. Sure, Overcast! and Headshots: Se7en were both very entertaining, but at the end of the day they felt very amateur, and very rough around the edges. Lucy Ford is the first album in their discography thus far that feels like a proper project made by professionals using proper equipment - it feels like they're finally starting to find their own sound, and differentiate themselves from all the other underground, battle-rappy acts of the time. I've gotta give most of the props on here to the first half of the album, The Lucy EP, which was actually more recent than the Ford EPs, so it makes sense that it'd be more realised. Aside from my small issues with "Like Today", there was really very little to criticise within this half of the album. The storytelling was brilliant, Slug sounded brilliant on the mic, and Ant's production was consistently great, with plenty of lovely grooves being found in this part of the album. The second half is definitely less consistent, both in quality and also in sound in general - the latter point making sense what with the introduction of more new producers in this section - and in general lyrically and musically a little bit less enjoyable; but it's still pretty great nonetheless, and for every underwhelming moment (or straight up bad song - I'm talking about "They're All Gonna Laugh @ You", of course), there is a fantastic song too, like "Nothing But Sunshine", or that brilliant El-P collaboration that's a hidden track for some reason. This album is most certainly not perfect, but it definitely is a big step forward in Atmosphere's sound, and makes my excitement for the next album GodLovesUgly rise tenfold. I'd definitely recommend a listen of this - Atmosphere's unique sound is one that isn't to be missed, and much of the time on Lucy Ford their formula is working at it's absolute finest. 

Best Track: "Don't Ever Fucking Question That"

Worst Track: "They're All Gonna Laugh @ You"

If you're interested, I've written a little more about Atmosphere too!

An Atmospheric Journey, pt. 2 - Headshots: Se7en

Even though I've been listening to an unhealthy amount of Aesop Rock and The Weeknd this week (a weird combo, I know), my intrigue in this Atmosphere discography has remained sky high, and thankfully I've managed to find a good time to sit down and review this next project in their discography. But wait! What's that? Headshots: Se7en isn't even an album! It's a compilation!

That's right, the second Atmosphere project I'll be reviewing was originally released back in 1999, two years after Overcast!, as a cassette only effort that most Atmosphere fans would consider a compilation, or even an official mixtape. From my understanding Headshots was a series of mixtapes that is absolutely impossible to find, consisting of rapping from the likes of Slug, Beyond, Spawn, Doseone, and other affiliates of early Rhymesayers music - maybe I'll check these out someday, although for now I'm not quite intrigued enough to track down random cassette only mixtapes when I haven't even listened to GodLovesUgly yet. 

For a while, Headshots: Se7en was a cassette only project that, like the other Headshots mixtapes, was about as easy to find as a person who actually enjoys Death In Paradise, but when they re-released it on CD in 2005 (with an extra bonus disc no less), it's notoriety in the Atmosphere fandom grew exponentially, as the first Atmosphere project to be hosted by just Slug and Ant, as (as the liner notes explain) Spawn had left earlier on due to creative differences. 

And it's therefore highly important that I listen to this project as part of my Atmospheric Journey (thanks, I came up with the name myself), so I picked one up, with the bonus disc in there as well. Since even the standard disc is a cool 21 tracks, with an additional 10 to check out on disc two, this one is going to be fucking long. Hopefully, the quality of the music will be worth it. So buckle up, ladies and gents, as this one might be a hell of a ride. 

All songs are produced by Ant. 

1. Sep Seven Game Show Theme

That was fuckin' great. On this track, Slug takes a slightly more fun and tongue in cheek approach to his rhyming than on most of Overcast!, rhyming around interludes depicting some type of game show - most rappers probably wouldn't bother to rhyme on a track like this and just leave it as an insufferable skit, but not Slug. He absolutely murks this aggressive beat with some fantastic and often hilarious rhymes, with some excellent rhyme schemes as well, especially in "pissed on the Asti Spumonte, sippin' Kamikaze, shoulda called mommy when you saw me pull up in an Omni". That part was so dope. But the rest of this is too. Sure it's not as deep and meaningful as some of Atmosphere's other work, but it sure as hell is fun, and sets a dope mood that excites me for what's to come. This one is sick. 

2. Round and Round

While Ant's instrumental on here started off sounding incredibly annoying, once the bass kicked in it turned into an absolute slapper - it's amazing what some deep underground bass sounds can do for an otherwise cheap and clunky sound (not sure what he thought he was doing with those synths). On this song Slug is talking about his position in the underground hip-hop scene, and how he's watching other artists sell out as they gain even a little bit of the fame and fortune. "I need to find a duty doing sales or some shit / 'cause I was always good at talking people into dumb shit" is a particular favourite line of mine on here, but there were lots of lyrical gems, and despite it being quite repetitive I also found the chorus to be a hit. This isn't going to be anyone's favourite Atmosphere song, but it sure is dope nonetheless. 

3. Tracksmart (feat. Mr. Gene Poole)

Mr. Gene Poole? What concoction of psychedelics were you on when you thought of that stage name?? Still, I found myself enjoying this track anyway - the instrumental from Ant on here is simply beautiful, with a really nice piano loop that almost reminds me of Gang Starr's Moment of Truth album, although I'm not exactly sure why. The rapping on here simply consists of bragging and more bragging, and they even throw in a round of applause sound effect at the end to further their own egos. But really confidence is what battle rap is all about, and since the bars on here were mostly good I think we'll give them the pass. Not sure why we had to spend so long on that whole catfish metaphor though. 

4. Choking On The Wishbone

  The title of this song was intriguing, but even though I still found some enjoyment in this track I would definitely say that it's my least favourite so far. That's not to say that it's bad at all, as the rhyming is still great and Ant does a fantastic job with the drums as usual - but the instrumental here is just too fast for Slug, who sounds jumbled and like he's rushing out his words, which is unusual since he usually sounds so cool and collected. The beat itself is okay, if a little repetitive, but really not one that Ant should have saved for Slug. Lyrically this one is interesting though - Slug takes time to lament on some of his darker, more depressed moments, and also compares touring as a rapper to being a circus clown, which is kind of apt if you think about it, if also very depressing once again. I do love how Atmosphere's music is so fun and sad at the same time. Yeah, there are some things holding this one back, but I certainly wouldn't qualify it as bad. It's solid. 

5. The Jackpot / Swept Away

A two part track, which is cool - I always love beat switches, as it gives albums more of a sense of diversity and surprise, even if the fact that the beat switch will happen is plainly advertised in the song title. "The Jackpot" takes up the majority of the runtime of this track, but that doesn't mean I'm entirely sure what it's even about. I think it's simply about a breakup, although the way Slug puts it makes it seem more like he's narrating some kind of cheesy detective story - although I guess it makes sense as his way of accepting that it's his fault the relationship ended. I never realised before starting this discography run that Slug would be so abstract with some of his verses - I was under the assumption he was more matter-of-fact with his writing, like Murs. Still, there's no denying the first part of this song sounded great, as that beat from Ant is really nice. The second half of this track features Slug rhyming over that "The New Style" sample that everyone knows, and he also does a good job. The way this song is structured is dope as fuck - it's definitely one of the better tracks yet. 

6. @ It Again

A fun instrumental interlude with some scratching, maintaining a nocturnal feel that I think was inevitable considering the darker colour schemes of this album art. I love these interludes on older hip-hop albums - they're always great at setting the mood. 

7. Lyle Lovette

While the back cover lists "The Stick Up" as track 7, it's wrong, as track 7 is actually this rather sexual cut - for some reason they got the two songs the wrong way around in the tracklist. This is easily the weakest track on the album so far - the instrumental sounds like something Puff Daddy would have rhymed over on a forgettable album cut in the late '90s, and Slug's bars are uninteresting, that is if they're not fucking weird (case in point: "the only ones I don't do is those under 18 / or at least I keep that shit a secret, if you know what I mean"). That's not funny dude - it's called paedophilia. Maybe not the best thing to brag about, eh? Yeah, this one is kind of weirdly underwhelming.

8. The Stick Up (feat. Eyedea)

I'm kind of excited for this one - I've never listened to anything from Eyedea before, but I hear he's a legend of the underground, so hopefully he'll bring something dope to the table here. 

And yeah I really liked this one, even if it's unusually short, at under 1 and a half minutes. The instrumental on here really reminded me of that on "Party Crasher" by Method Man, only without such a creepy and unsettling air to it, and the two verses, while very short, were entertaining and contained some dope bars. Eyedea's slightly nerdy delivery works, and Slug sounds as cool as ever, and it's a perfect match, to make for one of the dopest songs yet. Nice stuff. 

9. Higher Living

A pretty fun joint about Slug attempting to kill all the negativity within his life and just live as joyful and innocent as possible for a rapper on tour all the time, seeing all the ills of the world. The instrumental from Ant on this one is very simplistic and seems quite repetitive, with the instrumentation consisting of drums and a bass and that's about it, but I think Slug's performance on the track really elevates it to a new height, as the lyrics and vocal delivery on here is actually some of the best on this project yet in my opinion - the chorus is especially catchy for an early Atmosphere track. I actually found the verses to be mostly compelling too, and the short parts of instrumental break making you think the song is about to end, only for Slug to come back in with yet another verse, only serves to keep this track exciting and impressive. I dug the fuck out of this. 

10. To The Break Of Sean

This one didn't seem so much like an actual song as it did an interlude, which just so happens to have a short verse in the middle. The track does last well over 3 minutes, but only about 30 seconds or so seems to be dedicated to the verse, where Slug writes a letter to his mum about his new fame and fortune, sounding younger and more innocent than I've ever heard him on a record before. Most of the rest of this seems to be an Ant scratching affair, but for what it's worth it's pretty good in my opinion. This isn't anything to rave about, but I enjoyed it. 

11. Deer Wolf

Over probably the darkest instrumental on the album so far, carrying a legitimately haunting feel that's definitely been missing from most of this project up to this point, Slug spits some dope-as-shit verses that are unfortunately broken up by a repetitive and awful chorus with good lyrics, but terrible flow and rhythm - they didn't need to say that shit more than once. However, the rapping and production on this track serve to make this easily one of the strongest songs yet, with bars like "I write it for me, and if you like it that's love / and if you don't like it that's life, 'cause life don't like Slug" standing out as particularly excellent. And as I said Ant really outdid himself here - this is almost certainly the best beat on the album yet. I was a huge fan of this cut. 

12. Molly Cool

Despite this one having a similarly dark and creepy instrumental to the last track, lyrically this one more matches "Lyle Lovette" from earlier in the tracklist, as Slug drops one long ass verse detailing a date who wanted to get straight to fucking, rather than bothering with all that talking bullshit like most people. I mean, who the fuck wants to talk? Lyrically, this track is definitely kind of crude, but Slug's storytelling ability does shine through, and it's definitely a track that will have you at least a little bit hooked on the tale. And Ant's instrumental on here is fucking fantastic. I'm not really sure what the actual message of that opening voicemail was though - did anyone get what that meant?

13. Dungeons and Dragons (feat. Musab)

Slug recruits Musab from the previous album (then known as Beyond) for this joint as well, and it's a good thing, as his verse might actually be my favourite on this entire track. His flow and delivery is highly aggressive and stands out against all the Slug verses within this project, and I have to say I'm a huge fan of what he did here. It's one of the best verses on the album. Still, Slug's verses on this one were pretty fuckin' awesome too, with his disses towards other MCs having as much venom as any performance I've heard from him so far. The piano in Ant's instrumental here is a little too buried in the mix for my liking, but otherwise I messed with this one a lot. 

14. Anterlude

Not really as good as the previous interlude on here, but I guess it brings an important message. Moving along...

15. Advanced Communications

After a rather unorthodox build-up where Slug tries and very nearly succeeds to rhyme over these incredibly disjointed pianos and drums, the song proper starts up, and it's... decent. I feel like this isn't particularly a standout on the record, with a simplistic instrumental and a rather esoteric verse about Slug's purpose in life as a rapper - at least that's what I think it's about. I liked this one, but there's really nothing here to separate it from the other tracks. It's cool.

16. A Tall Seven and Seven

At this point in the tracklist, the songs seem to be getting shorter and shorter, which I guess is a good thing considering just how goddamn long this tape is. This track is one verse over an actually banging instrumental, where Slug tells off one of his old school friends for becoming an alcoholic - it's an interesting concept for a song, and one that works well, especially considering that Slug doesn't get all overdramatic on us, instead treating the situation with calmness and even a bit of humour. Yeah, I liked this one a lot. 

17. 3.2 Red Dog

Another short-n-sweet one, this one having a slightly different type of instrumental, having more instrumentation, which is a good thing, helping the song to stand out a ton on here. The track in general feels a bit more positive too, even though it's mainly about Slug entering a house party he has no real interest in just so he can see this one girl who he fancies. I do like this one, although like quite a few of the tracks towards the back end of this project it feels like it could have used more fleshing out to become an actual song, rather than a one verse cut that feels more like an interlude than anything else. Still, I like it.

18. The Abusing Of The Rib

Really fucking good. I feel like it's always these darker instrumentals that Ant really excels at, and here it couldn't be more obvious, as the piano and drums on this track are absolutely pristine. This has to be the best instrumental on the entire album, and one of the best I've heard from Atmosphere period. As for the rapping, it's also pretty excellent, as Slug seems to pity Mother Nature, and is trying to find ways to make things better for her - of course some interpret the whole "Mother Nature" schtick to be just a metaphor for a woman he wants to be with, which if we're being honest is far more likely. Not that that would be a bad thing, as the lyricism on here is still compelling either way. And despite me not really enjoying a lot of the more repetitive hooks on this project, I thought this one was particularly great, and the slow delivery helps it hit home even more. This is definitely a standout in the tracklist, a fantastic song overall. 

19. Write Now (Multiples No. 4)

"Multiples" and "Multiples (Reprise)" appeared on Overcast!, and there's actually a "Multiples Reprise Remix" on the bonus disc of this project, so I guess it does make sense that this is the fourth in the series. This is yet another very short one that is an ode to what Slug uses to write his rhymes - his pen, and it's pretty heartfelt considering the subject is an inanimate object. Also, that instrumental is absolutely brilliant, painting a haunting yet poignant atmosphere that is quite different from everything else here. This joint is really good. 

20. I Wish Those Cats @ Fobia Would Give Me Some Free Shoes

That title is so completely ridiculous that I can't help but love it. And that's kind of how I feel about the song. The stabby piano chords here kind of paint the atmosphere of a comedy horror film, and yet Slug's lyrics mostly seem to surround his frustration with being a reasonably popular musician, and yet still having to shop at Goodwill and, that's right ladies and gentlemen, having to actually buy shoes, rather than getting them for free for celebrity endorsement. I wonder if the cats at Fobia did give him some free shoes after he released this song. Anyway, I was a huge fan of the storytelling here, and while on the surface the song seems a bit "first world problems", I think it's mostly tongue in cheek. This is fuckin' dope. 

21. Heart

A fun closing track that details Slug's rise to the top as a rapper, and how he doesn't respect a lot of rappers these days, no matter how much heart & soul they put into their music. The instrumental on this track isn't exactly the greatest thing of all time, but Slug's lyrics here are certainly potent, and I think it ends the project well. It's a cool song. 

And what a project it has been! So far, despite it's imperfections, I've really enjoyed listening to Headshots: Se7en. However, despite that being the end of the actual project, it's not the end of the listen as a whole. No, we still have a 10 track bonus disc of underground Atmosphere and Headshots material to wade through. I told y'all this was going to be a long one!

The Bonus Disc:

1. Industrial Warfare (performed by The Dynospectrum)

The opening track of this disc is by the group The Dynospectrum, who actually did have an album in 1998, one I've chosen not to cover during this discography run through (although I'll probably be compelled to check it out eventually). The group included Slug, Musab, Mr. Gene Poole and I Self Divine, all of whom bar the latter appear on this track right here, and it's definitely a fun experience, if there are problems I have. The synth line in this track, which they probably thought sounded "futuristic" in the late '90s, has actually aged rather poorly, and also contrasts weirdly with the dusty drums straight out of that '90s hip-hop sound. Still, the beat's flaws don't ruin the track, as it features some aggressive and potent verses from the three MCs, who's aims to rip apart the competition seem to be met on this track. God, I love some of this early Rhymesayers music. 

2. Travel (remix)

Surprisingly I enjoyed this track even more than the previous one, which does make sense since this one has the better instrumental of the two tracks by quite some margin. This Ant instrumental is far more thought provoking and far richer than what we heard on the previous song, and that makes sense as Slug's lyrics on this cut (one of only a couple to be labelled as by Atmosphere themselves on this CD) are more serious too. Well, that is outside of some of the more braggadocios lines on here, including "until then, I'ma stay on top of heads like a bald spot", which is just a little bit stupid if you ask me. Slug is effectively introducing Atmosphere as the newest and greatest hip-hop act on this track, and it is effective as hell for the most part - his verses are dope, and the beat is one of my favourites across both discs. This is nice as hell.

3. 7th St. Entry

This is the most viewed song on Genius from this bonus disc, which makes sense, as it's a rather specifically themed track, directed at some fuckhead who decided to write Slug's name in the bathroom at 7th Street. Can you believe the bastard? I'm not sure what exactly about that fired Slug up so much he had to write a full diss track, but hey, at least we got some good music out of it. Because alongside a dope Ant instrumental, the verse on here is well written and kind of hilarious given the context, and Slug's aggression really shines through. This is a dope cut. 

4. Sent (performed by Beyond (Musab) & Slug)

Despite this one having a very generic song structure, and one of those annoyingly repetitive hooks that tends to lessen the quality of a lot of underground hip-hop songs, I still enjoyed it a lot. This is partly thanks to Ant's legitimately great instrumental, with a funky and upbeat tempo along with a goofy synth playing in the background that really works well to create a generally fun and groovy mood for the track. And of course the rapping is great too. I especially loved the lines on Slug's opening verse, where he admits that before he has sex with this woman, she needs to focus on forming a proper bond with her children, as that's far more important. That's honestly quite mature and selfless, even if we'd like to think anyone would think like that. Musab also does a fantastic job with his verses, showcasing once again that aggressive style that has actually got me kind of interested in his music. This was a dope joint. 

5. Multiples Reprise (remix)

While the original "Multiples (Reprise)" was a short-n-sweet experimental verse working with the alphabet, this is an incredibly long affair, where Slug describes many of the fucked up things that have happened or are happening to the people around him. I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure what the chorus on here has to do with the rest of the song, but outside of that this is one of the most emotional and harrowing cuts on the entire record, and if I didn't know the context behind the release I would question why the hell this was only on the bonus disc when it's so powerful. A lot of these tales will really have you thinking, and it's helped by a dark and eerie instrumental from Ant that plays into the dark tragedies surrounding the tales that Slug is narrating here. This is yet another showcase of how great Atmosphere are at creating these dark songs, and I have to say it's one of my favourite songs I've heard from them yet. It's fantastic. 

6. Funny Colors In My Mushroom Trails (performed by Sess & Slug)

I have to confess that I wasn't entirely paying full attention to this track as I listened, but I have an excuse - as soon as that instrumental started up I knew I recognised it from somewhere, but for some reason I couldn't quite place it. Give me a break, I have a hell of a lot of albums in the collection. And eventually I found it - it's a slightly slowed down version of the instrumental from the Xzibit song "Enemies & Friends", from his classic album At the Speed of Life (yes that's a fucking classic and I won't dispute it). Jeez, I forgot how great that song was - there are too many highlights on that album and they can end up overshadowing some of the other great deeper cuts. Anyway, obviously it's difficult for me to listen to this track now without thinking of that one, but I have to say that this is the perfect instrumental for the subject matter about a bad shrooms trip. Also, it's great to hear Slug rhyming over this beat, and Sess had an interesting performance on here too. I wonder if X sampled something for "Enemies & Friends" too, or if they took this directly from that track. Man, I live for finding samples like this. So cool. 

7. Fuck the Bullshit (performed by The Dynospectrum)

Jeez. That's not a very nice title for a song. Still, I did enjoy the track itself, even if it doesn't particularly stand out amongst all the other angry "fuck you" type of tracks that appear all across both discs here. I did note the rather hilarious line "life is like a dance, and I got two left hands" though, which stands out for Slug getting the idiom completely wrong, perhaps by accident, perhaps because he knew "feet" didn't rhyme with "dance". Otherwise on here you have a nice, upbeat Ant instrumental, and some dope verses from the guys in The Dynospectrum. I'm definitely gonna have to track down their group album soon. 

8. Struggle Song (performed by The Dynospectrum)

I find it strange how production-wise this bonus disc has been far more consistently great than the main disc. Aside from the first beat on here everything has been great to an extent, whereas there were far more simplistic and frankly uninteresting instrumentals on the main album here. Then again, these are the "best of" the Headshots tapes so that does kind of make sense. This instrumental here really feels like something from Murs' debut album F'Real, which is a good thing as I love that project - it's got these subtle bells that should be innocent but sound kind of eerie, teamed with dusty and rich percussion that is undoubtedly energetic, guaranteed to get your head noddin'. The track overall is decent, but I really want to highlight how dope Ant's production is. Lyrically, it's pretty cool too, even if it's not quite as depressing as the song title might make out. Overall, it's dope. 

9. Dubs (performed by Beyond (Musab) & Slug)

Ugh, I should have known we were going to have to listen to sex noises at some point. 31 tracks without them and it wouldn't really be a rap album, would it? Still, at least they aren't too interfering with the song, which is good because the song as a whole here is pretty great, even if it's one of the weaker instrumentals on the disc as a whole in my opinion. It's not even bad, it's just a little too overly repetitive. The rapping on here is cool though - it's pretty much just more rhymes about how they're the best, and also how they don't want to let the bitches distract them from what's truly important, the rapping. Misogyny in this track aside, it's pretty good, if not anything I'd get overly excited about. 

10. Substance Abuse (feat. Extreme)

This one feels like the most old-school track on this entire bonus disc, with Atmosphere seeming to go for an almost late '80s type of feel here, with the chanting in the hook and during Slug's verse being reminiscent of Leaders of the New School, and "Scenario". If you listen to this track you'll probably get that vibe too. The instrumental on here is dope as fuck, being intense and unashamedly underground, and the MCing on here is just as good, as the rappers (including Spawn once again!) deliver some great verses over a fantastic instrumental. What a way to end a bonus disc that I'm very glad to have made sure I got. This shit was so good!

Jeez, this thing was long, and somehow entertaining as fuck too. I've just noticed that on average I seem to have written more about the tracks on the bonus disc than the main disc, and that certainly wasn't my intention, but I think it does show that I potentially didn't place as much faith in this project as I should have. Initially, I was kind of worried that, since this is an underground mixtape with little features (on the main album at least) and only one producer, it was going to be samey, and even if there were some songs I liked it would overall be a fairly dull listen. And I was so wrong. This tape is absolutely great, and while I'd probably say that Overcast! is better sequenced and has higher highs, this one actually comes close, and Slug's rapping and subject matter is arguably improved on here - I also much prefer the album art and design on this one, especially that little sketch at the bottom of the back cover. I don't know why but that really contributed to the mood for me. This album (I'm just talking about the first disc now) is really great - sure, some of the production can occasionally be a little simple and repetitive, and sometimes I found Slug to be a little corny or unpleasant (especially with whatever the fuck he was doing on that underage bar), and frankly "Lyle Lovette" was an actually bad song, the worst I've listened to from Atmosphere so far. But looking at the positives, the lyrical content was incredibly varied for an underground, battle-rap type of album, and I never found myself wishing the subject matter would switch up, which I definitely did when going through some of the Murs albums released in this era. And furthermore, when Ant's production was on, it was fucking on, with some sick dark production throughout this thing, on excellent cuts such as "Deer Wolf" and "The Abusing of the Rib". While this wasn't perfect, and was certainly long, I still found it to be very enjoyable, and it really makes me excited to continue on with this Atmosphere discography. For the less acquainted with Atmosphere, who are maybe considering skipping this since it's not a studio album - please don't, as there's plenty worth hearing on here. And hey, you can track down the bonus disc on YouTube or whatever when you're done (or buy the CD like I did), as that's just as potent as the main disc, if not more. This Atmospheric Journey is certainly going well so far. Thanks for reading!

BEST: "Multiples Reprise (Remix)"

WORST: "Lyle Lovette"

Read some of my other Atmosphere reviews. 

An Atmospheric Journey, pt.1 - Overcast!

Sorry about the slightly pretentious title, everyone. It's all I could really come up with. Still, I hope we can agree that it's an improvement on "Murs-athon" (read some of that over here, or don't - I'd rather you stick with this one first). 

Hey readers! You may remember that around August last year, I promised to do discography reaction/reviews to a bunch of different artists, and then ended up doing none of them because my college work got in the way. Well, since college is finally pretty much at a close, I'm ready to jump headfirst back into this blog, which you may have already noticed from me starting to post semi-frequently over the past couple of weeks. And today, I'm starting something I've been excited about for a very long time, and potentially one or two of you have anticipated too - an in-detail look at the discography of underground hip-hop outfit Atmosphere. Hence the title. 

As you probably know, Atmosphere is a producer-rapper duo consisting of Ant (producer) and Slug (rapper), who rose through the ranks of the saturated late '90s/early 2000s hip-hop scene to become one of the most well-respected and prominent acts of the era - with their Rhymesayers record label later becoming a home to other such legends as Aesop Rock and MF DOOM. Back in 1997, however, when they released their debut album, Atmosphere were not only unknown outside of their home state Minneapolis, but also not even the same group. According to the cover art of the CD I have in front of me, there are five members - Slug, Spawn, Beyond, Ant and Stress. Now there's a list of words you'd never think would fly as stage names. However, Beyond is listed as a feature on two songs on the back cover, so I guess he's just an affiliate. And while I have no idea about Stress, I am aware that Spawn was an official member of the group at this time, and an MC at that, so it'll be interesting to see how he fits in on this album. 

The LP is long with little features and only one producer, which is inevitably slightly daunting, but hopefully these guys will be able to pull it off. And while this did come out in 1997, the same year as Murs' F'Real, I am expecting a far more polished sound than was found on that album - mind, I'm not expecting Funcrusher Plus here either, as the group's most praised work is to be found later on in their catalogue. Maybe it'll be a middle ground, who knows. For now, I am so excited to finally get into this discography that I've been waiting to hear for so long. 

So without further ado, I give you... Overcast! 

All songs are produced by Ant. 

1. 1597

Well that was a banger. On this track, Slug introduces a slightly yelpy vocal delivery that sounds far more menacing and passionate than it does silly, over what can only be described as a fantastic and brilliantly eerie instrumental from Ant - this beat is intense and creepy, and could easily have used a sample from a horror film soundtrack - perhaps it did. The lyrical content on here itself isn't particularly unique, as it mainly consists of bragging in slightly off-kilter ways (for example drumming up the nasty image of callouses on the brain), but the rhyme schemes and vocal delivery from Slug certainly make up for it, as they are incredibly impressive and unique - did I mention his vocabulary is already very diverse throughout this opening track? Spawn only pops into the song for a verse at the end, which annoyingly spends half its time fading out, but from what I could tell he was pretty great too. This has certainly got me excited for what's to come, which really is all an opening track needs to do. 

2. Brief Description

Pretty standard stuff for track two on a debut hip-hop album - the first track surrounds where he's at now, and the second examines his roots, as here Slug laments on what made him and where he began to find his love for hip-hop. This makes the track lyrically more interesting than the opening track, even if the flows here are nowhere near as in the pocket, instead sometimes sounding like Slug is just saying his lines as fast as possible rather than actually rapping them - still, he's developing, and all beginner rappers do this at some point on their debut. And the song itself is great - Ant's beat is groovy as fuck with a dope sample to begin, and "the passion for being the best puts the quest for allies to rest" is an Aesop Rock level way of saying that competition leaves a state of every man for himself. I love it. And as a whole this is great - the beat is sick and the lyrics are even sicker. Banger. 

3. Current Status (feat. Beyond)

And we're straight back to some "I'm better at this than you are" shit, once again with an eerie beat (although more hip-hop and less horror compared with that on "1597"), only this time with a guest appearance from Beyond - and once again, Spawn fails to show up. Still, Beyond handles his time in the spotlight well on his opening verse - his deep drawl and his menacing cadence is the perfect fit for this beat, and as silly as it is I absolutely loved the line "I didn't buy your tape 'cause pussy is cheap". He had a great verse, but I won't knock Slug either, who knocked it out of the park once again - "emcees need to take their bras off and burn 'em" is great, as insensitive as it is. This track is great underground hip-hop, and actually has a pretty good chorus too. Nice stuff. 

4. Complications 

Even though, as far as I'm aware, Slug is the one who is known in this group for making songs about relationships, it's Spawn who has the first in the catalogue, as aside from a couple of Slug monologues this is a Spawn solo, and on it he discusses a relationship that he's deciding to break apart for varying reasons. The instrumental on here doesn't really seem very suited to the topic at hand, as it's about as suited for a break up song as a chorus from Lil' Jon, but I think Spawn does make it work, even if having this instrumental makes the track seem weirdly eerie - like the last few tracks come to think of it. This chorus is frankly terrible, with an obnoxious vocal from Slug in there that sounds like he's trying to tell this woman a few things while incredibly drunk, even repeating himself. However, I found the verses here pretty entertaining, and I especially liked the cop-out at the end. Weird how the worst part about this whole song was Slug, even if I did find his interlude where he talks to the girl about her being a distraction for Spawn pretty humorous. 

5. 4:30AM

I guess this is the chilled out, stoner cut of the album, as it features a chorus that references marijuana, as well as more of a laid back instrumental compared with what's been heard so far. And I really liked this one. It's one of the shorter tracks on the album, but I think that works in it's favour as a quick break from the more intense and darker sounds we've heard up to this point, and Slug's two verses on here about ripping up the competition are absolutely great - although threatening to leave the listener "mute and celibate" isn't exactly getting your audience on your side, is it Slug? This song also samples Company Flow member and resident number 1 on my all time greatest artists list El-P, so how the hell exactly could I not like it? This one's a banger. 

6. Adjust (feat. Beyond) 

A bit of an anti-drug track here from Atmosphere, and also quite possibly my favourite song yet. Not because of the repetitive chorus from Beyond, or even Ant's beat, which is still dope with it's slow pace but not one of the best. No, this one is down to Slug's lyrics, which are easily the best yet and start to show why he's regarded as one of the best rappers of all time. Let me just give an example of some lyrics I love on this song - "Life: probably the biggest word I've ever said / that says a lot, 'cause there's a whole lot of words inside my head / death almost a quarter deep, still ain't learned to cope / I struggle to see the horizon while I'm hanging from this rope". I just love how these lines are written and the deeper meaning behind them. And I also love how Slug structures his writing on this song - he brings it from some storytelling shit to slowly making his message more clear throughout the song, and I think it's a creative way of engaging the listener and getting a strong message across. Yeah, this is probably the best track so far. This is excellent. 

7. Clay

When I was going into this album I was under the impression that it was going to be an underground battle rap type of album full of boasts, disses and youthful anger, and while that's kind of how it started, already we're getting into some much deeper shit. On this one, Slug pretty much reveals himself to be suicidal, depressed and mentally unstable, with lines such as "I grip this mic tight because it's really all I have a grip on" revealing a far more tortured artist than some of his contemporaries at the time - it's very clear that Atmosphere were a unique act from early on, and it's no wonder they built such a fanbase so quickly. And while this isn't the best track, due to a slightly annoying chorus and an instrumental that's a little too grating, I do find that Slug's lyrics here are highly impressive. This is great. 

8. @

A record-scratchey interlude from Ant which builds up this mood of intensity and darkness, only with an almost poignant feel throughout it. I always love how these underground albums would have scratches that were bought together to create new sentences relating to the music. Also, this is just one of the best beats on the album so far. Nice interlude. 

9. Sound Is Vibration

If I were a record executive, then I would have chosen this track as the lead single for this album, even though I don't believe this thing had any official singles. The track seems to serve as a "signature song" type of thing, with the poignant and truly excellent instrumental serving as a great backdrop for Slug and Spawn to do a dope ass back and forth verse, something that's been missing from the rest of this album so far. I especially love those chants of "Now who makes the music, now who makes the sound?" towards the end, serving as this reminder that Atmosphere are the shit and the next big thing. The track has a confident feel to it that not many of these other cuts do, and I think that means it earns a strong place within this tracklist. This was a dope cut. 

10. Multiples 

More back and forth? Yes please! This track apparently samples some music from Star Wars: A New Hope, which... I mean how cool is that? And that's what goes for the rest of the song too - the instrumental here is positively banging, kind of reminding me of the beat on the later Aesop Rock track "No Regrets", and the way Spawn acts as a prompt for Slug on verses 2 and 3 is incredibly creative and gives the track an incredibly unique spin - uniqueness being something I commend this album on so far. Spawn's first verse is spit alone though, and that's also one of the best moments here, with him spending it admitting that he isn't going to make anything up, even if he has to look lame next to the typical rapper for being scared to deal drugs. The verse is quite funny really. Overall, this is one of the funnest tracks on the record so far. 

11. Scapegoat

The most notorious song from this Atmosphere debut is this track, "Scapegoat", with it's cold and icy instrumental, slow and dusty drum tempo, and highly depressing lyrics about the state of the world - basically the least radio friendly track here, and yet it's also the biggest. Huh. Still, I can really see why people like this one, as it's bluntness has it standing out amongst some of the other, more abstract stuff that was to be found in the underground at this time - here, Slug paints an apocalyptic picture that just so happens to also be a list of everything he finds wrong with current society. The song also has a deeper message though, about how some people look for everything they can to blame for their own fuck ups, as long as it's not them - that explains the title, the chorus, and the sarcastic "in reality, fuck it, it's everything but me" sentiment at the end of both verses. There's a lot to be read into here, and the end result is one of the most interesting songs on this record, and also one of the best. I mean, how can you not love that haunting instrumental?

12. Ode To the Modern Man (Lightning Blend)

I'm not really sure what "lightning blend" actually refers to in here, nor am I sure why exactly this song serves as an ode to the modern man - instead, all it seems to ode are Slug and Spawn's egos, as this is another track where they big themselves up for four minutes, over a funky ass, guitar leaden beat by Ant that stands as one of the best on this album so far in my opinion. Unfortunately, the title is a bit misleading here, as lines like "once I climb the skulls of this MC graveyard" and "you have only one chance to advance to the next stage I'm at" are not very relevant to the topic at hand at all, and pop up all over this one. This track is still good though - the beat is sick and the rhymes are nice, so what more could I ask for? It's dope. 

13. WND

WND seems to stand for "Writers Never Die", and on this track Slug attempts to prove that by showcasing his storytelling skills. The track is written from the point of view of some wannabe gangster rapper who openly asks some girl to fuck despite having a girlfriend already, only for Slug to turn up and chin check him. He then goes home to get his gun only to realise he doesn't have one. It was brave for Slug to write this one, given most people probably didn't know his name was Shawn and thought he was writing from his own perspective, but it's a risk that pays off, as the storytelling here is fun and compelling, with the last line being particularly amusing. Also, the instrumental here is one of the best on the album. Dope stuff.

14. Multiples (Reprise)

Not really sure what this has to do with the earlier track it's supposedly a reprise of, but I still found this fucking impressive. Seriously, go listen to it. Slug tries out a fun lyrical exercise over some incredible Ant production here, and the results are great. 

15. Caved In

A solo Spawn song about the death of his father, and what seems to be the emotional high point on this album. Ant provides a softer instrumental here in comparison with what we've heard throughout the rest of this project, and Spawn uses it to spit two incredibly heartfelt verses that are enough to bring a tear to the eye. And I'm not going to act like every song about the loss of a loved one is great - I actually think this one is particularly well written and includes an instrumental that feels very suited to the feelings of grief. And on the chorus here Spawn sounds like he's realising the reality of the death and working through it, which is often what writing of a song can do. This song is great, and one of the best on this record in my opinion.

16. Cuando Limpia El Humo

Spanish for "when the smoke clears", which becomes pretty obvious when you hear this track, what with how many goddamn times the phrase is repeated. Still, I did enjoy this one, as it once again features more of a back and forth type of structure, with Slug and Spawn bouncing off of each other with undeniable chemistry over a cool but kinda repetitive Ant beat that I certainly wouldn't say is close to his best work on here. It's decent though. "The world tends to make me introvert" - well that's a slightly convoluted way of saying "I'm introvert". Just joking - I do like this one, even if it doesn't stand with the best this LP has to offer. 

17. The Outernet

I guess the internet was starting to gain serious traction in 1997 (hence the "@" symbol that appears all over this packaging), and so Slug decided to play on that by attempting to build some kind of "network" of MCs on this song - effectively attempting to end the petty competition and the putting down of other rappers that the underground might have seen frequently back then. Yes hip-hop is the genre with the most artist crossover (just look at all the features hip-hop albums have), but it also is the genre with the most competition, and despite having multiple songs earlier on about how he's better than the competition, here he goes against that ideology. I guess Slug grew up and became more mature during the hour this album has been on for. Still, this song was kind of the fucking shit - Ant's instrumental is positively beautiful, and does actually kind of remind me of Funcrusher Plus a bit, and Slug's lyrics are fantastic, with him painting a picture of what the MC world is like now, and also where we can take it. I also dug the bit where he attempted to draw a bridge between the lyricist side of a rapper and the emcee side of a rapper - the former being competitive and demanding respect, and the latter bringing everyone together. He's just trying to find a balance... get it? Anyway, this song was fucking awesome, maybe my favourite on the album. It's so good. 

The following is a hidden untitled track. 

18. [Untitled]

Track 18 consists of two songs, the first of which is sadly mostly forgotten about after the emotional intensity of the second. The first is commonly referred to as "Overcast", and is musically similar to "The Outernet", as Slug and Spawn spit a verse each, with Slug's being particularly violent, seeming to refer to a fight he's having with someone. The track is cool, but it's the other song here that's far more impactful, "Primer", a track that was originally released as part of the Overcast! EP along with some of the other songs on this album. This track features Slug narrating from the point of view of an abusive husband, and it's an odd song if one that is very impactful. The track depicts the mentally abusive and manipulative ways the abuser can keep the abused with them, whether through feeble attempts at flattery (the cry of "I love you" at the end), or though power ("I own the Camaro and the mobile home, so where the fuck you gonna go?"). The song is harrowing, but incredibly well written, and paints a strong image of why some people who are abused may end up staying with the abuser for long periods of time. I mean it's depressing as shit, but it's very good too. I wouldn't put it on while I'm cooking though, or in the presence of my family. Or anywhere, for that matter. 

Atmosphere's debut album is truly great. It contains everything it needs to be considered a classic of late '90s underground hip-hop, with very little in the way of flaws to be found across the total 19 songs. On this album, Slug introduces himself in a fashion that not many would be bold enough to do - yes he adheres to some of the braggadocios and overly confident ideologies expected of upcoming MCs at the time, but simultaneously he also lets the listeners in on his insecurities, his past, and also his outlook on the world and all its flaws. Meanwhile Spawn, while his screen time here seems to be far shorter than that of Slug, gets his message across too, acting as a more rational and less zany voice to keep the project from ever spiralling into insanity - and his dedication to his father was also one of the most powerful tracks here. Also, Beyond does his thing on the features. And as for Ant's production, while not every beat here is great, he does show himself to be incredibly talented with the samples, while also showcasing a knack for creating incredibly head-noddable drum beats, especially notable on the first track here. And some of these samples are fucking awesome - I mean, he literally got one from a Star Wars soundtrack. What other producer would be bold enough to try that? This album as a whole really does feel like what you might expect from the album cover - it's bleak, dark, has elements of horror... but also it has fun elements too, with tracks like "4:30AM" and "Ode to the Modern Man" breaking up some of the darker and more serious moments here. And when it does get serious, it's some of the best written hip-hop of its time - try "Adjust", "Clay", or "The Outernet". I won't pretend like it's perfect - some of the beats are too repetitive, some of the hooks are weak, and frankly this thing could have benefited from being a little shorter. But nonetheless, this is an incredibly strong start to this Atmospheric Journey, and makes me incredibly excited for what's to come. I mean, if this isn't even considered their best, we must be in for some sick stuff down the line. For now, Overcast! is awesome, and if you haven't I highly recommend checking it out. It's the perfect marriage of beats and rhymes, with very little drawbacks. This album is dope!

BEST: "The Outernet"

WORST: "Cuando Limpia El Humo"

More Atmosphere reviews soon to come!