Atmosphere "Overcast! EP" (1998)

Atmosphere came out of nowhere (i.e. Minneapolis) and had some of the hottest shit in '97. Atmosphere has received enough press to pre-empt a summary here; I'll just say once you heard "Scapegoat", you were an Atmosphere fan. Everyone was relating to "Scapegoat" at the time, some truly hip-hop shit that went beyond race and class to unite behind the anthem: "F*ck it, it's everything but me!"

Atmosphere "Overcast EP/exclusives"

The "Overcast! EP" followed the album, and featured standout cuts from the CD as well as two new joints and a slight rewrite of "Scapegoat". The "it's edited for the radio" mix of Scapegoat finds Slug slightly more animated than the original (not that it wasn't intense), and changing up a few lines here and there.

The gems are "Primer" and "God's Bathroom Floor". "Primer" is classic Ant production, a crisp snare over tense, shimmering strings. Slug goes 1st-person, offering what amounts to a retort to his "trailer-park b*tch":

First of all, b*tch-
I never promised I'd be rich
So f*ck you and your wishes
You need to do the dishes

"God's Bathroom Floor" is on some different shit entirely. Personally, I think this is the best beat Slug has ever had to rhyme on; the sax sets it off lovely, and the track just shimmers while being completely cooled-out. Slug's lyrics are abstract enough to spend some time thinking about; case-in-point is the chorus:

From a head, full of pressure, as the senses that i clutch
Made a date with Divinity, but she wouldn't let me f*ck
I got touched by a hazy shade of god, help me change
Caught a rush on the floor, from the life in my veins

For those that missed it, the download includes "Scapegoat(edited for the radio)", "Primer", and "God's Bathroom Floor". The rest of the material on the EP can be found on the "Overcast!" CD.