Atmosphere played Columbus April 29. Their performances always seem warm and familiar because of Slug’s everyman approach, and his label’s Rhymesayer’s releasing music by Blueprint and Soul Position.
Heck, they had Blueprint put together a video that starred Yellow Brick Pizza’s proprietor Bobby Silver as Teen Wolf for “We Aren’t Going To Die Today.” off their latest album “Southsiders.”
I could tell you everything I think I know however:
I’m actually using this to set-up the following:
I walked in as opening act B. Dolan was having the crowd scream “Film the Police.”
This relevant:
1) The resistance effort in Baltimore and the current petition drive from a Civilian Review board in our own city.
2) The Columbus-Minneapolis shared ARA history which was a big proponent of Cop-watch which advocated Filming the Police.
Dolan is not from the Twin Cities. He is from Rhode Island and glaringly a member of Sage Francis’ Strange Famous label.
But this is all connected so nothing about 2015 at the LC was different than shows of underground hip hop past within this culture.
Dolan wasn’t all politics. He invited a young women and a man from the crowd to have a dance contest while he did a rendition of LL Cool J’s “You Can’t Dance.”
Within every crust punk hip hop fan there is a party animal and hustler?!
Blueprint was roaming through the room during all this.
Blueprint just released “King No Crown” on his own label Weightless.
Blueprint and Chuck D had exchanged tweets during the week,
I think that Blueprint’s combination of boom-bap that is sometimes space and synth laden but also projects both a rock and p-funk influence probably has a Bomb Squad aura.
I want a Blueprint produced Chuck D record released on Rhymesayers.
(Lil B the Based God could be Flavor Flav on that project. But that might be reaching or something.)
Imagine a Public Enemy/Atmosphere tour. Chuck was present at Rhymesayers 20th Anniversary South By Southwest Showcase.
Ok. Back to April 29.
Atmosphere in Ohio last night performed in the physical form of Slug (emcee) backed by Ant (Producer/Deejay) and Plain Ole Bill (deejay.)
Slug came out skrong having the room give piece signs as he rapped .
Slug blazed through his extensive catalog.
I put my hands up like “Kanye West” when they performed “Kanye West” off the “Southsiders” release.
We got a skrong “Lucy Ford” segment.
“Bigger than Guns. Bigger than Cigarettes” was a welcome chance to hear Espo wordplay.
We got “Scapegoat” from “Overcast” which was my solipsist anthem during the rave era.
Slug told a story about feeling awkward playing “Tattooed Hands” for Murs back in the day.
Slug also said he has not been booed since 1995. Then he rapped “God”s Bathroom” floor which he said was 1995.
I used to really hate the album, “God Loves Ugly” because to me this was Slug switching from Lifter Puller to Warped Tour.
(I would not know who Lifter Puller was without rap music.)
But last night those songs seemed consistent with career duration of “Overcast” to “Southsiders.”
Slug brought out B. Dolan and newest Rhymesayer act Dem Atlas to freestyle over “Sound is Vibration.”
A highlight toward the end was “Flicker” which is a tribute to deceased friend Eyedea.
(The new Blueprint record also has a tribute to Eyedea.)
After “Flicker” Slug discussed not wanting to go through a trite encore facade and then launched into “Trying to Find A Balance” off “Seven’s Travels” which is the record Atmosphere turned Rhymesayers into the Back Pack No Limit Records of the Midwest and discussed the internal angst of growing pains.
