Atmosphere

"Atmosphere finally made a good record . . . yeah, right, that shit almost sounds convincing," Minneapolis-based MC Slug, head of the Rhymesayers collective and label, raps on "Trying to Find a Balance," off Atmosphere's 2003 Seven's Travels LP. Actually Atmosphere's put out a shitload of good records, the most recent being the reissue of a mix tape from '97-'99 called Headshots: Se7en. Usually Atmosphere's live show is Slug rapping while the devilish Mr. Dibbs of 1200 Hobos runs the turntables (in the studio, Ant lays down Atmosphere's beats). But for this tour, Slug is bringing along a full band to back up his bleeding-heart, emotive rhyme-slinging. Slug's become something of the Conor Oberst of the backpacker hip-hop set, the broken heartthrob that all the little girls want to fix. Don't be surprised if you see some lingerie thrown at the stage when he hits town.