📷: Dan Monick

OUT MAY 17TH VIA RHYMESAYERS ENTERTAINMENT

“Slug’s rarely sounded more charismatically confident […] augmented by Ant’s production, sticking to what he does best, taking classic sources […] and making them bump so hard and so clean that ’88-fetishizing stasis isn’t even part of the equation” – Pitchfork

“finds them getting back to their roots, with Slug spitting aggressive punchlines over repurposed Big Daddy Kane beats and lots of horns” – NPR’s 10 Best Mixtapes Of The Year

“a charismatic add to any music collection. The oft-clever rhymes coupled with an old school, lo-fi sound results in a head-noddin’ funky narrative worthy of a listen” – Wired

Minneapolis hip-hop pioneers Atmosphere have announced a reissue of their 2007 mixtape Strictly Leakage, available May 17th via Rhymesayers Entertainment. Early on, Strictly Leakage had been pressed on a limited run of vinyl and CD, but it wasn’t long before they sold out, and fans were left chasing bootlegs and digital files in order to hear the project. Finally, the project returns to double-vinyl LP and CD, made available for retail distribution for the first time. Additionally, an exclusive pressing of blue & green colored vinyl LP’s and limited cassettes are available for pre-order directly from the artists at atmospheresucks.com and rhymesayers.com. 

Often recognized as one of the most consistent and prolific duos in independent hip-hop, Atmosphere hit a stride of extraordinary output from July 2007 to April 2008, even by their own standards. Within those 9 months, they released a full-length album, four EP’s, and a 42-minute mixtape of exclusive material, altogether totaling 48 new songs released, all while they were consistently touring as well. This rapid-fire string of releases introduced some of their most popular songs to date and showcased their dynamic range, from moody and reflective, to upbeat and optimistic, to a boom-bap throwback style of rap, the latter of which was most prominently displayed on the mixtape. Introduced on Christmas Day 2007, the mixtape was a “gift” to fans in the form of a free download, aptly titled Strictly Leakage – a nod to both eschewing standardized industry practices in favor of giving the music away, and to another prominent hip-hop album title from the era that inspired them and perhaps more specifically, these recordings.

Strictly Leakage surprised fans and critics alike, not just because the download invite appeared in their inbox without warning, but also because the project sounded so uniquely different from Atmosphere’s typical recordings. Ant was digging deep into the funk & soul crates, favoring samples over live instrumentation, and producing tracks that sounded as if they were birthed alongside late ’80s and early ’90s hip-hop classics. Slug was rapping with a renewed passion, yet somehow sounding more casual and carefree delivering endless wordplay with more technical rhyme patterns than other Atmosphere projects. Together, they created 13 exclusive songs that sounded as if they were just having fun making them, without the pressure of any album expectations – undoubtedly as rewarding an exercise for themselves as it was for the listeners.

📷: Dan Monick

In December of last year, Atmosphere released the Talk Talk EP via Rhymesayers Entertainment. The genesis of the Talk Talk EP was during a recording session for the title track, “Talk Talk”, which originally appeared on their latest album, So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously. The duo also made their cult, early 2000’s mixtape Sad Clown Bad Dub 2 available for the first time ever. They were recently featured on The Danny Brown Show podcast and Slug contributed to The New York Times’ “50 Rappers 50 Stories”  in celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip hop last year.

For over two decades, Atmosphere has maintained a course of rigorous output, releasing over two dozen studio albums, EP’s and collaborative side projects in as many years. In that time, the venerated duo have built a legacy out of bringing honesty, humility and vulnerability to the forefront of their music, continually challenging themselves to evolve without straying too far from their roots. Slug has proven masterful at storytelling and writing compelling narratives, leaving a trail of his own influence while paying homage to the rappers and songwriters that helped shape him. Ant has skillfully molded the soundtracks with inspiration from soul, funk, rock, reggae, and the wizardry of hip-hop’s pioneering DJ’s and producers, creating his own trademark sounds while providing the pulse for songs about life, love, stress and setbacks. At its essence, Atmosphere has been a musical shepherd, and with each new album comes a new journey as they guide generations of listeners through this thing called life.

Atmosphere recently announced the Tour De Friends: Part Deux spring tour dates. On the heels of two sold out shows in their hometown in November of last year, the new tour dates will kick off in St. Louis with stops in Boston, New York City, Cleveland, Chicago and more, wrapping in Sioux Falls.  They’ll also make a stop at Florida Groves Festival in Orlando, FL, Reggae On The Way Festival in Tacoma, WA, and Lake Tahoe Reggae Festival in Olympic Valley, CA. The duo will continue their touring schedule in 2024 with support from HEBL & NOFUN!. Tickets and information are available on atmospheresucks.com.