Album Review: Atmosphere-The Family Sign

For about 15 years, Atmosphere has been one of the kings of underground hip-hop. They reached breakout success with their last full-length When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold in 2008. Three years later, their new full-length The Family Sign continues their reign as one of the best artists in the hip-hop.

The Family Sign is by far the darkest and most depressing Atmosphere record to date. At times, it's actually quite unpleasant to listen to due to it's dark nature. "The Last To Say" is an emotional track about spousal abuse that sees Slug delivering some of his most powerful lines to date. Slug's performance throughout the record is great as usual. This time out his verses are somber and down tempo, but still heartfelt and packed with real emotion. Slug's verses are so effective because you can hear the sincerity in his voice. He puts 100% of his emotion into these tracks and it shows. As with most of Atmosphere's records, the best moments are when Slug is telling a story. "Millennium Dodo", the albums standout tells an enthralling story about a drug dealer on the run from the police. Slug is able to grab the listener's attention with the diverse and important stories he is able to tell through his lyrics. His metaphors and wordplay are crisp and clever and that takes a special kind of talent to do.

The trademark Atmosphere beats are in full-swing here too. The Family Sign marks the first time Atmosphere has used a full band on an album. The use of guitar and keyboards to compliment producer Ant's plethora of interesting beats was a great decision. It adds this band dynamic that most rap groups don't have. Ant proves time and time again that he is the best producer in hip-hop. His cutting-edge creativity and unique arrangements boost Atmosphere's sound even further.

The Family Sign is another great release from Atmosphere (with the exception of "She's Enough", which is the worst song Atmosphere has ever released.) Slug delivers his gloomiest verses to date and gives a spectacular performance. Ant drops an array of dynamite beats that make the tracks even better. The Family Sign is far from my favorite Atmosphere record, but it's still extremely good. The world needs more rap like Atmosphere. Atmosphere is one of the reasons hip-hop is not completely dead as a genre.

4/5 Stars
Standout Tracks
1.Millennium Dodo
2.My Notes
3.The Last To Say