The Almighty Overcast.. - ....First let me get this out of the way. As an aspiring MC/Producer, Atmosphere has been the one of the most influential hip hop groups to me since The Pharcyde. Contrary to what anyone thinks or says, Atmosphere has, in my view, valiantly withstood the test of time where soooo many other original underground hip hop acts have fell. I have to say the deepest respect I have for them comes from the fact that they ve defied all what makes a rapper hot and were still very successful especially by underground standards. Every single up and coming emcee trying to do his/her own original thing always has all kinds people trying to tell them what s hot, what will work, and what won t work. But screw them, who are they and what the hell do they know?!?! And it s that type of mentality that led Rhymesayers Ent. & Atmosphere to become a force to be recon with in the indie world till this day. ANT, the producer in Atmosphere, incorporates the addictive hard New Jack Swing drums with melodic vintage sampling-style beats (DJ Premiere, Erick Sermon, Marley Marl, old school RZA, etc.) that made me fall in love with hip hop in the first place. And Slug is quite possibly (but extremely arguably) a perfect emcee, having the deep, intuitive, imaginative, dexterous lyrical complexity but still equally maintaining a confident combative persona to remind you why he s one of the best in the entire hip hop scene, and I say that very un-biased (having Nas, Del The funky Homosapien, UGK, & Devin The Dude in the same CD changer with Atmosphere). Now, for the review. This debut album is great on so many levels. Mainly because of the seemless change in mood within the tracks, from rebellious, to combative, to informative, to humorous, to sacastic, but keeping an eerie traditional underground sound. I don t know what 1597 stands for , but it s an awesome introduction. From then on, Slug and Spawn send you on a very detailed lyrical journey into their minds from complicated women to drug abuse to people who don t listen to lyrics to just plain showing off (Multiples Reprise). While now days this sound is very vintage, this is easily a classic debut album.Believe me hip hop heads, if you haven t heard this album yet, it will stay in your CD player for many days. Overcast! Definitely goes about no. 3 in my ultra vast list of great debut albums, and I mean for all genres. Buy it. - Chris BlaQ
more than subpar - This Is A very Good Album And i Have Been Meaning To Review It For Awhile i Think It Is One OIf The Better Atmosphere Albums But they Are All Pretty Solid The Beats Are Pretty Basic But I Like That Because It Gives You The More Rooted Hip-Hop Kind oF Like Where it Originated A Beat Machine And Turntable The Lyrics Are Really Meaningful They Arnt Your Crash Gangsta Or Club Grind But An EveryDay Everyman Kind A Flow Hope U All Found This Helpful Oh My Fav Track Is Scapegoat Peace
Strong Debut - What can you say about Atmosphere that hasn t been said already. This debut is terrific, Slug, Spawn, and ANT all work well together to create a wonderful hip hop album. Slug spefically shines on this album his word play and confidence are sky high and shows on tracks such as Clay Multiples and WND it is terrific to see a hip hop group come out of midwest and laying down enjoyable music. Im sure most of you reading this know about Atmospheres other albums, but if you are new to them check out the Lucy Ford album and God Loves Ugly album, you will not be dissappointed.
Hip Hop Defined - I can count on both hands all the albums I would give 5 stars to. This album, along with Illmatic, 36 Champers, and The first and second Tribe called Quest albums are legitimate 5 star releases. This album blows my mind every time I hear it. Slug rhymes on this album with lyrical maturity and concentration of a veteran MC, and it is only his first album. In my opinion, along with the incredible lyrics, the beats are unlike anything I have ever heard. They have kind of a dark, spooky sound that rings as kinda majestic. I don t blame Atmosphere for trying to expand there sound and audiance, but I am one who believes that there earlier releases are more unique and ground breaking than their newer stuff. This album is the reason I got into white boy hip hop from the midwest. Before I finish, I just want to say that this is one of those rare albums you don t just listen to in your car, but actually turn the TV off, crack a beer, and just vibe through from star to finish. Buy this album, support all of The RhymeSayers lab, because they are keeping this Hip Hop thing alive in the underground.
I m like, what, kid, what? .... - Atmosphere s Overcast is def. my fav. album from the group. The reason it s my favorite, is because of the olds chool hip hop vibe it gives off. It s different from the other albums, production, and lyric-wise. Spawn is great on this, and Slug does what he does BETTER on this album, IMO. This is such a great personal, chilled out record. It s something that you can lay back and just vibe with.So...if you re looking for an album to just relax and relate to, check it out.