Atmosphere & Grayskul: Giving Eminem Wet Dreams
Atmosphere, Grayskul, POS and Digibits
Live at Neumos
April 14, 2005
By Nathan Ellis-Brown
Holy shit, one of the best Hip Hop bills this year is slated for Thursday, April 14 at Neumos. Atmosphere, Grayskull (pictured above), POS and Digibits grace us with another solid night at this Capitol Hill club.
Riding on the critical and commercial success of their album Seven’s Travels, Atmosphere has achieved a fine balance of popularity and creative vitality. MC Slug has completely blown off the conventional insult slinging posture associated with modern rap. Concentrating his lyrics on social interaction and emotional instability, he taps veins of raw honesty that shtick rappers like Eminem have wet dreams about. And his flow? Impeccable.
When I saw him last fall, Slug and his backing DJ Mr. Dibs were in rare form, seamlessly mixing old and new cuts. Slug is clearly a rehearsed wordsmith, weaving stock verse with improvised lines. Do not miss this set.
Joining Atmosphere on the bill is the fast rising local act Grayskull. Fronted by long time Old Dominion members Onry Osborne and JFK, they have been nodding heads on opening slots for national acts such as Aesop Rock and Mr. Lif. Such positive exposure landed them a deal with indie-rap powerhouse label Rhymesayers and a tour backing their new release, Deadlivers. Opening the night are Digibits and Doomtree’s POS, solid acts in thier own right. This is going to be one hell of a good bill.