Atmosphere

Slug (aka Sean Daley) is the focal point of this Minneapolis hip-hop collective, dispensing his unique version of street wisdom and male bravado. Genuinely old school, Slug is definitely influenced by prime early rap movers such as Ice-T and Ice Cube. His anti-drug "Panic Attack" is a first cousin to T's "You Played Yourself" with clever commentary like, "Do you call yourself a patient or a junkie? The only thing that separates is who takes your money."

Claiming influences as far-reaching as Tom Waits, Mark Lanegan and the Mars Volta, Atmosphere's DJ/producer Anthony Davis (aka Ant) creates dynamic and fluid backdrops over which Slug states his distinctive case. While the beats are not as original as Daley's ideas, it's the rejection of rap's more unseemly tenants that help Atmosphere achieve an unusual and stylish distinction.