HYFINated Converstions: Slug from Atmosphere

Atmosphere’s Slug is on the road for the “Dank Days of Summer” tour, a traveling festival that he feels embodies the spirit of 1990s hip-hop. The tour, which also features Cypress Hill, Lupe Fiasco, and The Pharcyde, feels special to him because it brings together artists from different “branches” of hip-hop who are all proven headliners. Slug appreciates the opportunity to play for new audiences and sees a unique connection happening at these shows, with parents sharing the music with their kids. This experience, he believes, is the closest he’s seen to the kind of collaborative, genre-blending tours that were common in the ’90s.

Slug also reminisced about the early days of Rhymesayers Entertainment, which started out of necessity because no one in Minneapolis was paying attention to them. While he helped found the label, he has since stepped away from the day-to-day operations, believing he would just get in the way. He maintains a deep bond with his collaborator, Anthony “Ant” Davis, viewing their relationship as more like a brotherhood. For them, making music is a cherished hobby, while touring is the job that allows them to do it. He even shared a wild story about a time he woke up in Milwaukee after a night out in Chicago, not realizing he was in a different city.

Slug also discussed his upcoming album, “Gestures,” which is set to be released on September 19th. While he didn’t delve into details about the album, he emphasized that making music with his long-time collaborator, Ant, is a cherished hobby for the two of them. Their tours are a job that supports their passion for creating songs, which they do simply because they love it. He also briefly touched on his relationship with the record label he helped found, Rhymesayers Entertainment, explaining that he’s stepped away from the day-to-day operations to focus on his artistry and let the label’s team handle the business side.

HYFINated Conversations