Atmosphere (Slug & Mr. Dibbs), Murs, Blueprint & Brother Ali

Being a music snob, sometimes you have to deal with the heartbreak of losing one of your favorite underground groups to the rest of the world. At times it can be hard to deal with; it's like losing a girlfriend you thought was pure and down for the cause only to watch her evolve into a coke slut over time. As asshole as you think that may sound, I'll let you know the feeling is mutual. I can still remember the first time I made the three-hour drive to San Francisco just to see Atmosphere. It was at a dingy little spot called Rico's Loft. I watched, I enjoyed, I worried, I knew. There would soon be a day that Atmosphere would no longer be a little known underground act from the Midwest. And each time I'd make that three-hour-long drive home, I wondered when would it be the last for them.
Almost three years later, Slug has released a critically acclaimed album and has partnered up with another one of my favorite MCs, Murs from the Living Legends. Touring in support of an EP collaboration between the two and bringing along up-and-comers Blueprint and Brother Ali, once again the bait looked good enough to hook me into making the drive one more time.
Slim's in San Francisco, a medium-sized club in need of a better air conditioning system was packed and Brother Ali was on stage rocking it. I actually felt out of the loop; not familiar with any of his material, I was forced to watch from the back by the bar like a sucka while the majority of the crowd threw their hands in the air and jocked the pale-skinned mic rocker. Note to self: download some Brother Ali.
Now lets talk about the crowd. The majority of those in attendance were typical of underground shows of this nature in the Bay; predominantly white college-aged males with similar fashion sense who probably spend a little too much time on the Internet. Also in attendance were the indie rock posers who were there for the cred because the hip-hop head at the record store he worked at told him it was going to be a dope show. But lo and behold, there were actually girls at this show as well! I think Slug had a master plan long ago: make music for lonely guys, they'll make mixtapes for the girls they like with your songs on it, the girls will become fans and make the lonely guy bring them to your show, you get on stage and play the whole Morrissey role, then you get to fuck the girls of your choice. Fucking genius!
Slug came out and everybody screamed. Slug said he was sick; he looked really drunk. Two songs into the set, Slug made out with a chick in the front row. He told another girl to stop touching his penis. Murs ripped; he did "Murs Rules the World," "I Hate Your Boyfriend" and dedicated his song about getting head to his ex-girlfriend. Some girl got onstage and slapped Mr. Dibbs, he did that ill routine again with the Sabbath records and got the crowd hyped. Blueprint was dope too, though people weren't feeling him as much as they should have. He did some songs off the Soul Position record as well as "Alchemy" from off the Aesop Rock Daylight EP (the highlight of the night for a few heads). But the night belonged to Sluggo. He rapped his little heart out till his voice sounded like shit. And after a couple of stage dives, after all the girls stopped screaming and the choice ones were brought backstage, after a mosh pit broke out during a Murs song ("24 Hours With a G") and after a lackluster freestyle cipher at the end, I was doing the three-hour-drive home thinking to myself, 'Is this going to be the last time for Atmosphere? Or not?'
- Words of Elias Perez

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