Atmosphere is returning to Gainesville after eight years, and rapper Sean “Slug” Daley has expressed anticipation.
“I’m looking forward to Gainesville and all of the loose alligators that roam the streets there,” Daley said as his tour bus headed to the next stop, Jacksonville Beach. “I can’t wait to pet one.”
The underground hip-hop duo will perform tonight at High Dive, located at 210 SW Second Ave., as part of their first-ever Welcome to Florida tour. The show will kick off at 8 p.m. with DJ Fundo spinning. Opening emcees Prof and deM atlaS will follow at 9 p.m., leading up to Atmosphere right after.
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At the start, Daley didn’t set out to form a group. He said simply making music while hanging out with friends transformed into a full-blown music career.
“I don’t think there was any moment where we were like ‘Yo, did you see LL Cool J did it? We should do it, too,’” Daley said. “We didn’t have any moments like that; it was just kind of like we baby-stepped our way into it accidentally.”
For more than 20 years, the Minneapolis-based indie rap group, now consisting of Daley and DJ and producer Anthony “Ant” Davis, has reached various types of audiences.
“Their crowd is very diverse and spans many backgrounds and musical tastes,” said Pat Lavery, owner of Glory Days Presents.
When asked what the usual crowd is like, Daley said they get pretty mixed crowds at their performances.
“I would say they’re like 80 percent human, 20 percent unknown,” Daley said, joking.
The crowd can most likely expect to hear Atmosphere’s hit single “Kanye West,” which the duo performed on Conan in June, and it is also featured on their latest album called “Southsiders.”
In the song, Daley raps “throw your hands in the sky like Kanye West.”
Daley said he chose to use Kanye West because as an artist, West exemplifies the concept of when you care so much, it appears that you actually just don’t really care.
Daley describes Atmosphere’s style as being heavily influenced by music from the ‘80s and said his lyrics are inspired by the experiences that have shaped his life.
“They have an honesty and a depth to their lyrics that isn’t seen in most mainstream hip-hop,” said Lavery.
Daley had advice for young artists who are trying to make it: Honesty is one of the most important traits to possess.
“Be honest to people. Be honest to yourself,” Daley said. “Just be honest to everybody that you come into contact with because if you have to hustle somebody just to listen to you, then they’re not really listening.”
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Tickets can be purchased at the door for $21 or in advance for $18 at High Tides Tobacco and Gifts, 2413 SW 13th St., as well as ticketweb.com
[A version of this story ran on page 7 on 3/26/2015 under the headline “Hip-hop duo Atmosphere returns to Gainesville tonight”]
Hip-hop duo Atmosphere, consisting of rapper Sean “Slug” Daley and disc jockey and producer Anthony “Ant” Davis, are returning to Gainesville after eight years to perform at High Dive tonight.
Atmosphere performs at the High Dive on Thursday.
