Atmosphere’s stop in Gainesville during their Welcome to Florida Tour took on a much broader sense than that of your normal hip-hop show. It brought a little taste of Minnesota to Florida in what turned out to be a full-blown Rhymesayers family affair event.
I arrived at High Dive early Thursday night. Not too into the hip-hop scene, I was eager to take in the atmosphere (ha ha) surrounding a rap concert. I was surprised to see the venue relatively full upon arrival.
deM atlaS, a.k.a Joshua Evans, kicked off the evening shaking his dreads and lisping lyrics to a crowd that gobbled it up as soon as he put it on the plate. I lingered by the bar during his performance, kicking back jager bombs (my go-to move every time I arrive at High Dive) and watching the array of people entering the venue be instantly drawn to the stage.
Via: Ear Grub
Each performance allowed a decent intermission to mingle on the High Dive front porch. While waiting for Prof to take the stage, I went outside to smoke a cigarette, which was kindly lit by a tall, scruffy and handsome man lingering by the merch tent. We chatted for a little while about Parliaments and how they are the superior cigarettes.
I then befriended Doug, the official Rhymesayers merch tent man. Doug, like the rest of the Rhymesayers crew, followed suit with what I now refer to as “Minnesota hospitality.” He was more than willing to speak with my tipsy self as he sold T-shirts and CDs.
I also met Cody, the assistant tour manager who is more widely known by a variety of codenames, all of which are classified and cannot be leaked for the sake of this review. I noted the T-shirt I planned on buying later, and made my way back inside.
Once I got there, I was pleasantly surprised to see the quirky man who had just lit my Parliament setting up his equipment toward the left of the stage. Prof, otherwise known as Jake Anderson, came on and introduced his partner in crime, DJ Fundo, a.k.a “tall, scruffy and handsome.”
Prof lived up to his reputation of live performance stage antics, to say the least. He was feisty, in-your-face and hilarious. Early into his show he pulled out a pair of red wired hipster spectacles and repeatedly posed for the camera. His fans, fondly labeled “Gampos,” came as close as humanly possible in matching his rowdy energy.
The stage presence and interactions between the Prof and DJ Fundo illustrated their MOs as goofy yet highly talented artists. They repeatedly engaged in silly embraces, both laughing and dancing and sending frequent shoutouts to the other. While Fundo kept posted at his soundboard, Prof ran all over the stage and made sure to drench the heads of the front row with his drink. The performance ended with a highly creative and spectacular freestyle.
The intermission between Prof and Atmosphere was filled with an air of lingering suspense. The fans in front of me clung on with an iron grip to the front railing as the tech crew set up the duo’s equipment.
Ant, a.k.a Anthony Davis, was the first to take the stage. He started the music with a “Waka Waka Waka,” transitioning into the delicate keyboard intro of “January on Lake Street.”
Via: Michigan Daily News
Men and women came together to let out a shrill cry of emotion as MC Sean Daley, better known as “Slug,” walked across the stage, casually dressed in a dark zip-up and khaki shorts. I joined the rest of the crowd at the end of the opening song when he told the crowd to “put your hands in the air like you work at a bank.”
The rest of the set list included old hits such as “Scapegoat” and “Gods Bathroom Floor,” as well as songs off of their most recent album, “Southsiders!”, including “Kanye West” and “Flicker.”
I was moved by Atmosphere’s beautifully diverse and blatantly dedicated fan base. Everyone around me sang along to every word of songs like “Yesterday” and “The Waitress.” There was no excessive shoving to get a better view, no snide remarks from the drunkard behind you, as I’ve experienced at most hip-hop shows I’ve attended. The crowd joined together to share a truly unique hip-hop experience.
Slug’s live performance was heartrending. His body language and facial expressions matched the raw emotion that spilt from his lips with each song. While Slug mapped the stage with his microphone, Ant posted up at the soundboard behind him. It is not until you see the two live that you realize how essential each member is to the music being produced.
Via: Luke Himself
High Dive is the ideal Gainesville venue for a show as big as Atmosphere to juxtapose a hint of intimacy into the evening. After all four Minnesotians stormed the stage for an exhilarating freestyle performance, I slowly meandered to the front porch, where I stumbled upon a group of music lovers huddled around deM atlaS, who continued to drop rhymes, amidst an epic freestyle battle with his fans, for all who would listen.
The night ended successfully with a large thin-crust cheese and black olive pizza, and a mental note from me to visit Minnesota, but not before I had the pleasure of spending a few minutes on the Rhymesayers’ tour bus after the show. Slug made the transition from high-energy frontman to wise hero of hip-hop as he told me to quit smoking cigarettes. Here’s some of the rest of the wisdom he dropped on me during our chat:
GainesvilleScene: A lot of people hear the name “Atmosphere” and only associate it with the rapper Sean Daley. I know that Ant plays a huge part in the music that you make though, could you elaborate on the collaboration that goes on between you two?
Slug:He makes the beats and stuff, and I make the words and stuff, and it’s 50/50. He sometimes will tell me my words suck, and I’ll change them. Sometimes I’ll tell him the beats suck, and he’ll change them. It’s the perfect friendship.
GS: Do you mainly work together, or separately and then combine forces?
Slug:We’ve tried both. It’s always different every time we get together and make music. Currently we’re working together and are actually working together in the same room, but we’ve done it other ways too, where we’ve been in different parts of the country and emailed each other back and forth. We’ve tried everything.
GS: According to your Rhymesayers biography, your newest album, “Southsiders”, is a celebration of the group’s fortitude, but it is also similar to your previous albums in that is very much a detailed look at your life. Has your relationship between what you’re experiencing in your life and the song writing process been something that you continue to find as rewarding as day one?
Slug:It’s more rewarding now than it was back then, for a number of reasons. Back then, I think I was chasing after things that don’t really exist. I was chasing after certain types of validation and things that as I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized don’t really mean shit to me. Making a bunch of money is not as important to me as making sure that my friends are doing well and are healthy.
As you get older, you change, you gain more perspective and that perspective helps form where you want to go with your life. Now, I’m able to actually use my time and energy, especially the stuff I put toward my work, to push for my life to go in certain directions, whereas back in the day I was a little bit more at the whim of the world. Wherever the wind wanted to blow me is where I landed. Nowadays, I’ve become my own wind.
GS: Following up on the new vibe of the Southsiders, the combination of production from Ant and the words of the songs make them each a masterpiece in their own. Do you think that wisdom and atypical calmness felt in this album reflects the new direction/evolution of atmosphere, do you have a secret master plan of where you want Atmosphere to go?
Slug:As far as where I want Atmosphere to go, the only real rule I adhere to and the only one I intend to adhere to is that we stay 100 percent in control of our own destiny. But at the same time, we do not fool ourselves into thinking we know what that destiny is. For me, I just don’t ever want to have the ability to blame another person for my mistakes. I want to own my mistakes. I want to own my good decisions as well as my bad decisions. Everything that happens, I want it to be my fault.
GS: You’ve mentioned in previous interviews that you don’t care if others related to “Flicker”, yet, ironically it’s been one of the most powerful and therapeutic songs I have ever heard. How does it feel to be able to help people with something as grave as the grieving process, does it motivate you to see the impact your songs have on others?
Slug:I appreciate humanity for its ability to navigate tragedy and adapt to change. I don’t think necessarily that I am helping people to do that as much as it is, maybe, some people include us into the soundtrack of their own journey as they do these things. People themselves are the ones responsible for those amazing efforts. The music you play or the books that you read along the way, it’s just something to bide your time or maybe stimulate certain parts of the brain, or soul, during your journey. I don’t ever want to fool myself into thinking that I’m a piece of your journey. I’m just here, and fortunate enough to provide some of the soundtrack for that journey.
GS: You have a very powerful theme in a lot of your music, with the exploration of death and mortality, would you mind elaborating on what goes on behind writing those words?
Slug:I don’t know if I’m even fully 100 percent in touch with what goes on behind writing those words. I think that I can at least say that it’s relatively natural for somebody my age to be exploring the concept of mortality. I’m 42, I have three sons, and so I think about what happens if I die. What’s going to happen? What am I leaving these people with? What kind of mess am I leaving behind? Will they be able to cope with my death? Will they be glad that I’m gone? All of these types of thoughts are very natural, and I just chose to write about this shit, you know?
I’m no doctor, but on one hand I think there’s probably somewhat of a catharsis involved, probably working through shit. But I don’t know if I’m so self-aware that I know what it is.
GS: I’ve always admired music as a unifying tool and universal language. How do you handle, as a songwriter, the delicate relationship between the pressure and power knowing that people all over the world find guidance in your songs/Do you ever feel a sense of vulnerability when opening your mind up to the world?
Slug:I don’t really consider that people are going to hear my music when I make it. I’m really only concerned about Anthony and me. Do I like it? And then did I make Anthony laugh? Did I make Anthony feel confused? Did he understand what I was saying? If it passes that, then I’m willing to give it the label. I’ve been fortunate in that I haven’t had to consider the listener — for better or for worse. Maybe I’d make better records if considered that people listen to them, or maybe I’d make worse records if I considered that people listen to them. I don’t know, but I do know that this is how I’ve always done it and I appreciate doing it this way. I appreciate the fulfillment that comes from making songs for myself. I don’t have to worry about selling these records, that’s the record label’s problem.
GS: Anything you would like to add?
Slug:I’m looking forward to coming to the tropical city of Gainesville. I haven’t been there since 2005. It’s been ten years, I’m looking forward to enjoying the humidity and petting the alligators running loosely in the street.
