Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons...

4.0/5
Atmosphere, the duo of Ant (producing the beats) and Slug (delivering the flows), has become one of the titans of underground rap. Their latest album is a breath of fresh air from the rap you hear everyday on the radio and has easily become the best rap album of the year so far. These are not club jams, but that doesn't mean the album's any less enjoyable. These tracks have easy, mid-tempo grooves. "Dreamer" has a beautifully constructed beat, "Your Glass House" and "Shoulda Known" are ominous tracks with incredibly powerful beats that grab your gut, "Yesterday" is a pleasant jam, and "You" has actually gained some radio airplay. But the quality that most separates Atmosphere from mainstream hip-hop is the thought-provoking lyrics, whether they are Slug's personal confessions or tales of losers with real problems, the type of subjects that most self-promoting rappers completely evade. Highly recommended.