On his brand-new banger “Alone,” King Magnetic trades fiery verses with two living rap legends, Slug (of Atmosphere) and Masta Ace, over hard-hitting production from Khrysis. Making the cipher complete is Queens’ own DJ Eclipse, who provides the slick scratches on the hook.

The release of “Alone” follows two other heaters off Mag’s upcoming album, Everything Happens 4 A Reason: the symphonic slapper, “I’ll Show You” featuring Cappadonna and Dink, and the project’s inaugural leak, “Cash 4 Catastrophe” which was accompanied with a video.

Just as fans enjoyed the real-talk of “Cash,” we’re treated to Hip-Hop in its purest form on “Alone.” Of course, we have King Mag and his teeth-gritting bars to thank for that, in addition to the always-sharp rhymes of his guests. Slug and Ace are the type of elder-rap statesmen who haven’t once lost a step in their decades-long careers, whether they’re talking their sh*t or serving up wisdom.

The two provide a fine offering of both on “Alone” alongside King Mag, who in addition to his upcoming album is getting ready to hit the road soon. He’ll be touring alongside Wu-Tang Clan heavyweight Cappadonna, and up-and-comer Recognize Ali.

“Alone” can now be right here courtesy of RESPECT., and is available for download as the third and final instant grat track off the iTunes pre-order for EH4AR, which drops next Friday (3/31) through all major digital retailers and streaming platforms via King Mag Music.

Tracklist: 
01. EH4AR (feat. Burke the Jurke) [prod. by Haze Attacks]
02. Crackin’ (prod. by Per C Wells)
03. Bounce (prod. by Viktor Ax)
04. Cash 4 Catastrophe (prod. by Explizit One)
05. Suckas Can’t Relate (prod. by DJ Lowcut)
06. Alone (feat. Masta Ace, Slug & DJ Eclipse) [prod. by Khrysis]
07. Drunk Right Now (prod. by Kuma)
08. #nomorepartiesinsantafe (feat. 3T3N) [prod. by U-nik Stylez]
09. Me or You (prod. by Explizit One)
10. Dirty Old Man (feat. RA the Rugged Man) (prod. by EQ)
11. Eyes (feat. Recognize Ali & DJ Express) [prod. by 9th Wonder]
12. I Can’t… (prod. by White Shadow of Norway)
13. Understand (prod. by AMP)
14. I’ll Show You (feat. Dink & Cappadonna) [prod. by Astronote]

Album Pre-Order (Smart URL): http://smarturl.it/EH4AR

Twitter: 
• King Magnetic: https://twitter.com/kingmagnetic
• Masta Ace: https://twitter.com/mastaace
• Slug (Atmosphere): https://twitter.com/atmosphere
• DJ Eclipse: https://twitter.com/ItsDJEclipse
• Khrysis: https://twitter.com/KHRYSIS

Suggested Articles: 
RESPECT. The Track: King Magnetic (ft. Cappadona & Dink) – “I’ll Show You”
#PeepTheVisual: King Magnetic – “Cash 4 Catastrophe”

The post RESPECT. The Collab: King Magnetic (feat. Masta Ace, Slug & DJ Eclipse) – “Alone” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

A few months after the release of his second album, “The Incredible True Story” , Logic is prepared to embark on his new tour in 2016. Last week, the Maryland rap poet released an interesting one-off track called “Tree of Life” features Slug (of Atmosphere) and the always eloquent Killer Mike.

The piano-themed song,  produced by Top Dawg Entertainment’s  producer Tae Beast, features the rap trifecta reflecting on the good and bad of hip-hop in their respective lives using the tree as their metaphor.

Logic starts off the song saying that he read something from Atmosphere in which they spoke about music we love and hate. He then raps about how different types of music connects with people in certain ways and just because it’s different doesn’t mean it’s inferior.

“We all from the same tree but your leaves degraded / Judging the different branches in music that elevated / Just cause it’s further from the roots don’t mean that you should hate it / Cause there’s a time and place for everything that’s been created” he raps.

Atmosphere continues to build on theme, suggest that hip-hop was made for everybody and not for a particular demographic. “My skin looks like bark / They used to do it out in the park / Pretend to defend or neglect to protect,” he says.

Finally, Killer Mike ends the song as he reminisces about music that touches his soul growing up. Check out the new track below:

The post New Music: Logic, Slug, & Killer Mike ” Tree of Life” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Atmosphere’s Slug hit up Sway’s universe yesterday and touched on a number of topics. They hit on the upcoming Soundset festival as well as the new Southsiders album (which you can read our review of here). Slug also performed a couple of records off the LP. Watch it all below.

The post Watch Slug of Atmosphere Discuss Southsiders and Perform on Sway in the Morning appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The last time we heard Atmosphere, they had made a sizable departure from the sound fans were used to hearing. Their 2011 Family Sign album featured live instruments and a noticeable relaxation and contentment in the lyrics (at least as content as Slug would ever get). This can be attributed to the fact that Atmosphere’s once troubled and angry lyricist was now a father of two and finally in a state of mind to accept that life was pretty good. Gone were the God Loves Ugly and Lucy Ford sentiments, and here were feelings of a family man. So where does one go when you’ve been sitting home playing Legos with your kids for the better part of the last two years? What’s left to rap about?

On Southsiders, the listener is given a peek into Slug’s new state of mind. There are moments of hope and maturation, but there is a presence of fear and doubt, as well. When one has dealt with pain and anger all throughout youth, the happiness in adulthood is a welcomed change, but it’s frightening to think that it could all collapse at any moment. This is the new Atmosphere.

The album opens up with a dark, haunting beat that picks up where “My Notes” left off on Family Sign. Records like “Arthur’s Song” and “Mrs. Interpret” are vintage Slug, as he details problems with substances and women, respectively. The latter is bursting with beautiful nostalgia, ripe with classic Atmosphere charm and humor, and is only bolstered by Ant’s smoky beat.

On “Fortunate,” we get a glimpse into the paranoia that comes with trying to deal with life’s pleasantries. “I highly doubt that y’all think about sex / Anywhere near as often as I think about death,” Slug raps. The theme of the record is not wanting to overstay one’s welcome on this earth. However, with that desire comes the sadness of a father and husband: “I don’t wanna leave my family tree behind / I don’t anyone to miss me like I miss you.” There is a sense here of Slug wanting to get out before things inevitably go bad. If things have soured in your life previously, it’s only natural to be fearful of the pin dropping on the good times.

It would not be an Atmosphere album without a story record with a twist. On “My Lady Got Two Men,” Slug details a girlfriend who is also seeing another man. Over the Hawaiian beat, our hero tries to convince his lady to side with him. Ultimately, we realize that both the “funk” and the “comfort” are two sides of the same person: “My lady got two lovers / One for the funk and the other for the comfort / I’m trying to understand / But I gotta figure out that I’m both of them.” The record is reminiscent of “Yesterday” off their 2008 Lemons album in terms of an ending that Slug decides to decode for us.

However, for all the highlights of Southsiders, there are missteps. “The World Might Not Live Through the Night” and “Star Shaped Heart” are noticeably lacking in punch when it comes to both Ant’s production and Slug’s delivery. Slug sounds bored throughout both records and we get the sense of him simply going through the motions without much to say.

The album picks back up, though, with its crowned jewel in the form of “Flicker,” a tribute to the late Micheal “Eyedea” Larsen, a friend of Atmosphere who passed away in 2010. The somber cut pays tribute to the MC, while also examining the difficulties of trying to pen a great record for another great lyricist: “But I’m starting to think if you were here right now / You’d ridicule these lyrics, you’d hate this chorus / You’d probably tell me that the concept is too straight forward.” Regardless of the doubts, the record a heartfelt tribute and brings sincerity and unmasked emotion to the album.

While Southsiders may not match up to rawer, angrier installments in their catalog for the fans, it’s an honest look at where Atmosphere is now both musically and mentally. There is newfound maturity on the album, but the production has been scaled back to their earlier roots. One misstep of Family Sign was that it had the feel of an indie band instead a rap group. Here, Slug and Ant let the listeners know that, while they’re older, the hip-hop roots are still very much intact. And though things may be nicer and more comfortable than ever for Slug, the line between hope and fear seems omnipresent.

The post Album Review: Atmosphere – Southsiders appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

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Man Bites Dog Records is letting fans stream Illogic & Blockhead’s collaborative album, Capture the Sun, in full. The 16-track project features appearances from Slug, Tyler Francis, Kristoff Krane and more. Stream it below.

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Illogic and Blockhead will release a collaborative album called Capture the Sun on April 16. Now, we have the first single off that project, featuring none other than Atmosphere’s resident rhymer, Slug.

The post New Video: Illogic & Blockhead feat. Slug – “Capture the Sun” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.