Traveling with Seven
When I graduated from college way back in 2002 and left the wonderful world of college radio, I lost my strongest connection to the underground music scene that I valued most--independent hip hop. Since then I have been struggling to keep up by borrowing albums from my brother (still in college and cool) and discussing them with him over email or an occasional Quizno's sub. Our conversations have been quite constructive and have meant a lot to me, so I thought I'd try posting my half here (and my brother's too, if he's game) and see what happens. If I can bring this music to a few new ears or add some voices to the conversation, I will be quite pleased. For those of you here to see pictures of Veronika with no interest in "rappin'", bear with me.
The topic of our inaugural thread will be Atmosphere's latest album Seven's Travels (if you're not familiar with Atmosphere, here's a couple of brief bios). I tried to withhold judgment until I felt I had a good grasp of it and after three solid listens, I think I'm ready. After the first spin, I was left a little unsettled and I think that it was because I was worried about Slug (the MC of the duo) as a person, as strange as that may sound. He has an unusual way of working out his issues through his rhymes that I'm just not accustomed to. I knew that it was more that just his personal and honest lyrics because I had just finished listening to Brother Ali's Shadows on the Sun, an album that rivals Atmosphere on both counts and which I liked almost immediately.
A second listen to Seven's Travels provided more clarity. Atmosphere's albums have always felt a bit like therapy to me and I think in a way that's what they are to Slug too, a place where he confesses, lays himself bare and ultimately emerges a different (and hopefully better) person. I found the answer to my query when I extended this metaphor. Therapy, at least the Freudian kind I am familiar with, deals with the subconscious, dreams and repressed desires, and these are the playground which Slug inhabits. In a genre so obsessed with being "real," his lyrics float above (or below, depending) the real world but still manage to stay grounded in introspection. Instead of approaching a subject directly, he talks about his emotional hang-ups with it and the baggage that he carries in order to come to terms with his own weaknesses. For instance, on the track "Good Times (Sick Pimpin’)," he sings, "Got a thing for them women that don't love themselves," which, when taken on its own, is not only offensive but sad--taking advantage of women with little self-respect is not exactly upstanding territory. To Slug this line means something completely different though, for two reasons: 1) being an admittedly unstable person, he recognizes himself in them, and 2) he has obviously fallen prey to this trap before and this line seems to be a kind of confession, which he hopes will eventually allow him to rise above it.
The rest of the album holds more of the same therapeutic rhymes on every issue he's currently working through: fame ("Trying to Find a Balance"), doubt ("Gotta Lotta Walls"), vices and temptations ("Los Angeles"), love (several), etc. It's not always easy to listen to him struggle with his demons but eventually you realize that he is overcoming them in a way by revealing them, because if he wasn't I don't think he would see any reason in doing it. After a while you can even sense a kind of triumphant air about the album, as if he's saying, "Yeah, I've got problems but who doesn't. I'm dealing with them and everything's going to be alright." For Slug letting it all out is the only healthy thing, as messy as it may be.
I can't in good conscience wrap up this review without taking this opportunity to say that Ant (the production half of Atmosphere) is probably the most underrated producer in the game today. He makes beats that always perfectly fit the MC he's accompanying and the tone of the song. This is the kind of thing that can only be accomplished by knowing the person you're composing for and taking part in the whole song creation process. Getting a beat from Timbaland or the Neptunes is like buying the most expensive Armani suit on the rack. Working with Ant on a track is like going to the best Old World tailor and having a suit custom-made for the occasion.
I'll save the track-by-track rundown for my brother and leave you with some parting advice--pick up something from the Rhymesayers label (I would recommend starting with Atmosphere's Lucy Ford), you won't be disappointed.