Atmosphere (mixtape) vol.2
Before Overcast![edit]
Sean Daley and Derek Turner met in high school. The two took the names Slug and D-Spawn, respectively, as rapper names. They initially performed under the name "Mental Subjects", before changing the name to "A Rhythmic Culture", and finally settling on "Urban Atmosphere". Originally, Spawn performed as the rapper, with Slug acting as DJ. Eventually Spawn convinced Slug to start rapping as well. Through the rapper Musab (then known as Beyond), Slug was introduced to the producer Ant after they went to his house to record a track. Slug saw an opportunity to work with Ant and convinced Spawn to record further with him. They soon started recording songs with Ant, learning how to structure songs properly and practicing vocal delivery.[1] Eventually the group dropped the "Urban" from their name.
Atmosphere, as a group, joined with other rappers Musab, Phull Surkle, Black Hole,and The Abstract Pack to form a collective known as Headshots. This group later evolved into the record label Rhymesayers. Over time, a series of cassettes was released under the Headshots name which earned some local acclaim. By 1996, Slug, Stress and Musab were making national appearances such as on NPR's All Things Considered.[2] The start of Rhymesayers as a record label came when Siddiq, fed up with their treatment at a number of local studios, decided to buy his own.[3]
Overcast! (1997)[edit]
Spawn left the group 3 years after their first album, Overcast!, was released.[1] The release of Overcast! allowed a wider audience to be introduced to Atmosphere, largely thanks to the airplay that the single "Scapegoat" received on college radio stations. Meanwhile, Slug improved his live performance skills at Minneapolis clubs such as First Avenue and 7th Street Entry. In 1998, two albums recorded by underground rap supergroups involved Atmosphere. The Dynospectrum involved Atmosphere as well as Beyond (Musab), Swift (of Phull Surkle) and I Self Divine. Deep Puddle Dynamics released by the Oakland, California, based underground rap label Anticon, included Slug, Sole, Alias and Doseone rapping over beats by Jel.
Headshots Se7en (1999)[edit]
In 1998 Slug and Ant began to record the group's 2nd full-length album, "Headshots Se7en." At the time it was only released on cassette, and didn't see a full CD re-issue until 2005. However, it is still one of the group's most critically acclaimed albums.
Ford and Lucy Ford (2000-2001)[edit]
Now touring nationally on a more regular basis (the twenty-one date Ford One Tour brought them to the East Coast for the first time),[4] Slug was able to leave his job at a record store, as well as a second job working overnight shifts at a department store. In 1999,[5] the Rhymesayers-owned record store, The Fifth Element, was opened in Minneapolis. In 2001, the two EPs, Ford and Lucy, were combined and released as an LP titled Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs. Originally intended as a tour-only release, it sold so well that it was later released as an official LP, making it the only Atmosphere album with producers other than Ant.[6] In 2001, Atmosphere made three separate tours across North America and Europe.[4] With Lucy Ford, Atmosphere also finally achieved national distribution through the independent distributor Fat Beats.
God Loves Ugly (2002)[edit]
Atmosphere planned to release their second studio album God Loves Ugly on June 11, 2002, but experienced delays in editing. The record had more straightforward, almost battle-centric, lyrics from Slug. It was distributed nationally, again through Fat Beats, and sold over 130,000 copies.[4] The album generated two singles: "Modern Man's Hustle" and "GodLovesUgly". Atmosphere toured extensively in support of this record, going as far as Europe and Japan, playing sixty shows in seventy-one days.[4] After the tour, Daley spent his holidays in the Australian outback.[4] The success of the album and subsequent tours came to the attention of the major labels Interscope, Sony and Warner Brothers. However, for the time, Atmosphere decided to stay independent.
Atmosphere's third full-length studio album, Seven's Travels, was released on September 23, 2003, through Rhymesayers and the punk label Epitaph. It contained two singles, "Trying To Find A Balance" and "National Disgrace", both of which had music videos that received airplay on MTV2 and other stations, attracting more attention and success for Atmosphere than previous releases. The album included a guest appearance from label mate Brother Ali and was entirely produced by Ant. Several songs on Seven's Travels contain lyrics pertaining to relationship problems, alcohol and depression. The single, "Trying To Find A Balance", was used on the video game T.H.U.G. 2 (Tony Hawk's Underground 2).