Atmosphere's Leak at Will EP: A Review

For years, the Midwest hip-hop duo Atmosphere (rapper Slug and producer Ant), have been producing music that is part battle rap, part storytelling and part what now might be termed emo-rap: personal, usually autobiographical rhymes that often eschew the standard hypermasculine trope of hip-hop. Originally from Minnesota, the critically acclaimed independent duo, perhaps best known for their 2003 single Trying to Find a Balance, are not exactly household names, but have carved a strong fanbase since their 1997 debut. Their latest offering is an excellent seven-track collection titled Leak at Will, mostly free of profanity and misogyny.

An EP that Atmosphere released as a "thank you" to fans, the less than twenty-minute collection is easily as good as many full-lengths released in the past few months. Most of the tracks are a casual listen; though the storytelling of a few requires your attention. But each is excellent, starting with the opener C'mon's beat, which sounds like something straight out of the nineties or out of Nas' post-Stillmaticcatalog. On it, Slug is, as always, equal parts inspiring and laid-back.

And Leak at Will is casual, (much more casual than their full-length LPs), especially in terms of production, but it is striking how casually serious Slug is, as if he is following not Jay-Z's "blueprint" but that of KRS-One (who he samples for White Noise, which skewers television addicts and television quality). The Ropes' pulsating beat punctuates Slug's inspirational message, as he instructs youngsters in the ways of the world.

Feel Good Hit of the Summer, pt. 2 is an ode to vices (emphasis on the word "hit"), but still manages to sound a cautionary note regarding those vices. Mother's Day is a masterfully insightful look at the holiday from perspective of both mother and child. Millie Fell Off the Fire Escape recalls some Kanye West productions circa 2000-1, but it services a tale more nuanced than either West or Jay-Z typically tell. They Always Know also sounds like it might have come from Mr. 808's and Heartbreak or possibly Drake's producer Boi-1da, but its subject matter is much darker than that of either of those artists.

It's refreshing to hear conscious rap done well enough that it doesn't feel overly moralistic, and even more so to be able to download it for free without a pang of guilt. For anyone who enjoys thoughtful rap music, and catchy beats with a nineties feel, I highly recommend you download Leak at Will at Atmosphere's online store here.

View my other Associated Content music reviews here.