Slug and Ant, the Twin Cities duo that make up Atmosphere, clearly know what they’re doing. They’ve been making albums since the late 90s, tour relentlessly ahead and behind them, and have released some pretty solid tracks over the years. There’s no denying Slug’s talent as an MC, either. His easy flow and candid lyrics have steadily matured from emotive and vitriolic to more passive and introspective, finally getting over himself and zooming out on his problems. With his new single, “To All My Friends” (via Prefix), perhaps Atmosphere zooms out a little too far.
Supported by the most basic of Fruity Loops and a guitar riff that sounds dangerously close to “Under The Bridge”, Slug treads a thin line between trust in his talented career and sounding like rappers who possess a fraction of his skill. You could argue that a cliche might be truth diluted to its purest form, but it’s still a cliche. You follow me? Forthright honesty is a sticky wicket in hip hop. Check out the track below.
