As a teenager, Slug (Sean Daley) became entranced with hip-hop, graffiti, and breakdancing, forming the Rhymesayers label and collective (originally known as Headshots) with two high-school friends, Siddiq Ali (Stress) and Derek Turner (Spawn). After some early gigs as Urban Atmosphere -- where Slug DJed behind Spawn's rhyming -- the pair hooked up with producer Ant (Anthony Davis), as well as like-minded locals such as MC Musab, Mr. Gene Poole, and the Abstract Pack, forming an underground hip-hop clique dedicated to freestyling and clever lyricism. In 1997, Atmosphere released their debut album, Overcast!, which received college radio airplay and earned an underground hip-hop following thanks to Slug's deeply personal, poetic musings, as well as Ant's bare-bones -- but inventive -- production.
Atmosphere participated in the supergroup the Dynospectrum (who released a self-titled album on Rhymesayers in 1998) and Slug contributed to another supergroup, Anticon's Deep Puddle Dynamics (whose full-length The Taste of Rain...Why Kneel appeared in 1999). The Headshots collective concluded their series of underground cassettes with a seventh volume in 1999, later reissued as an Atmosphere release called Headshots: Se7en. The group also began a series of limited releases (often sold exclusively on tour) titled Sad Clown Bad Dub, beginning with an extremely scarce 1999 cassette.
A year later, Atmosphere (then down to the duo of Slug and Ant) released the Ford One and Ford Two EPs, followed by the Lucy EP in 2001. Collected as the 2001 full-length Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EPs, the three EPs were built around the theme of Slug's complicated relationship with his ex-girlfriend, the lost love of his life. As Atmosphere's following increased beyond underground hip-hop circles, they toured consistently, both at home and overseas; while Ant usually didn't accompany the group on the road, Mr. Dibbs of the group 1200 Hobos often joined in behind the turntables while Slug was assisted on the mike by young rappers like the teenaged Eyedea. In June 2002, Atmosphere unleashed God Loves Ugly, an 18-track effort that returned to previous themes ("F*@k You Lucy"), but also contained the group's pop-friendly single "Modern Man's Hustle," which reached the Top 20 of the U.S. rap singles chart.
By this time indie rap superstars, Atmosphere returned with their fourth album, Seven's Travels, in 2003, followed two years later by You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having. Following the record's success, Ant began regularly touring with the group. They continued to put music out during the next couple of years, including the free download Strictly Leakage in late 2007, a near-party album that they followed up with When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold in April 2008. The record featured plenty of live instrumentation and guest background vocal spots from Tom Waits and TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe; it was also their highest-charting album, hitting number five on the Billboard 200. The "double EP" To All My Friends: Blood Makes the Blade Holy appeared in 2010, with the full-length album The Family Sign following in 2011.
In 2014, the group released the album Southsiders, which featured the single "Bitter" and became another Top Ten-charting hit. The following year, Atmosphere celebrated the ten-year anniversary of You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having by reissuing the album as a four-LP set (including instrumental versions of all the album's songs), in addition to The Fun EP, a picture-disc vinyl issue of an EP of You Can't Imagine outtakes that was originally released as a promo CD in 2006. In 2016, they returned with Fishing Blues, an album that featured the single "Ringo" along with guest appearances from MF Doom, Kool Keith, and Aesop Rock. While the set peaked just outside the Top 20 on the Billboard 200, it became their second album to top the U.S. indie chart. Mi Vida Local, an urgent reflection on middle age, appeared in 2018, followed a year later by the full-length Whenever. The Day Before Halloween arrived on that exact date in 2020, with Atmosphere unexpectedly switching to sci-fi/horror-informed themes over spooky, synth-heavy backdrops. Nearly a year later, Ant and Slug swerved back to their signature sound with Word?, which included guests such as Evidence, Aesop Rock, Sa-Roc, and MF Doom.
Biography by Dan LeRoy
There are other artists with the same name:
2) A Polish rock group, established in 1993 in Leszno, Poland, with Marcin Rozynek as a vocalist. In 1994 the group appeared at Mokotowska Jesień Muzyczna, where they were runners-up just behind Myslovitz. Two years later they won competition Marlboro Rock In. In 1997, Atmosphere released their self-titled debut album, Atmosphere, and in 1999 released Europa Naftowa. Atmosphere was awarded the Album debut of the year 1997 by magazine Tylko Rock and was nominated for the award Fryderyk in 1998 in the category Debut of the Year. In 1998, Atmosphere appeared at the National Festival of Polish Song in Opole with song Niewielki Skrawek Ziemi. Disbanded after Marcin Rozynek departure for a solo career. However, Atmosphere regrouped recently with a new line-up and is recording a new album.
3) An obscure one hit wonder Italo-disco group of the early 80’s. The group was produced by Franco & Venise Scopinich, and their one single “Swede’s Scandal” was realased on Superradio Reccords (label owned by Franco & Venise Scopinich).
4) A thrash metal band of the same name from Vietnam who have released two demo's.
Mother's Day
Atmosphere Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She lost one to pneumonia, gave the other to prison
and now she spends mother's day sitting in her kitchen
Looking at the pictures of her past felt surreal
She had a couple of people, some friends that helped her heal
But days like today, she doesn't want to be a bother
and as far as she's concerned, them boys didn't have a father
Nuh uh, she had to teach 'em the ways
Some days it makes her feel like a soldier
and other times it makes her feel like a failure
Why did the stronger one die from a cold, huh?
Why did the smarter one end up in jail? Nah
She gave them boys everything that she could
Two full-time jobs to keep 'em in a good neighborhood
They understood how to love and how to live
Now she doesn't understand how it comes down to this
Maybe she should go work in her yard
and take her mind off the past and try to let the days start
But she's waiting on one of those annual calls
while she's looking at the photos on her hallway walls
[Slug]
His big sibling died, and mom's by herself
and now he spends every day inside of that cell
Looking at the photos of his past makes him crash
So he never takes 'em out that folder under his mattress
Days like today he doesn't think about what happened, no
Still gotta call mommy, wish her a happy one
Uh huh, mom, if only she'd had been around
Maybe big brother would still be living now
Some days it makes him feel like a traitor
and other times it makes him feel like a martyr
Seems like some displacement of anger
Seems like he blames her more than his father
She was gone all the time at work
Never around to play the part of the police or the nurse
She understood how things fall apart
So why'd she let the nest hit the ground this hard?
Well maybe he should go walk in the yard
and take his mind off the past and try to let the days start
Cause it's so difficult to admit it's his fault
when he's looking at the faces in his hallway walls
The Atmosphere's song "Mother's Day" depicts the struggles of a mother and her son, both dealing with the aftermath of familial challenges. The mother lost one of her children to pneumonia and the other one to prison now spends her days in the kitchen on mother's day looking at photographs of her past, reminiscing about the time when she had a couple of people around to help her heal. She has been a strong woman, teaching her two boys everything about the world they live in. However, she now feels like a soldier and a failure at the same time because one of her sons died from a cold, while the other has ended up in prison. The lyrics express her sorrow about the situation, pondering on why fate had dealt with her so harshly. The mother is waiting for an annual call from her prison-bound son, so she spends her time looking at photos on her hallway walls.
On the contrary, the lyrics, through the second verse, offer a perspective from her son's point of view. The man is now in prison; he keeps the photos of his past in the folder under his mattress as he doesn't want to let the memories take over him. The man blames his mother for the death of his older brother and feels like a traitor on certain days, but on others feels like a martyr. He knows that he should call his mother and wish her a happy mother's day, but the anger within him makes it difficult. The song portrays both the mother and the son's struggles as they deal with loss, family issues, and regret.
In conclusion, "Mother's Day" is a deeply emotional song that portrays the struggles of a mother and her son as they deal with family issues, loss, and regret. The song offers a poignant insight into the challenges of parenting, the hardships of life, and the consequent impact on family bonds.
Line by Line Meaning
She lost one to pneumonia, gave the other to prison
One of her children died from pneumonia and the other was sent to prison
and now she spends mother's day sitting in her kitchen
On Mother's Day, she sits in her kitchen feeling sad and lonely
Looking at the pictures of her past felt surreal
When she looks at old photos, it feels strange and unreal
She had a couple of people, some friends that helped her heal
She had some friends who helped her feel better after her children's tragedies
But days like today, she doesn't want to be a bother
On days like Mother's Day, she doesn't want to inconvenience anyone
and as far as she's concerned, them boys didn't have a father
She feels that her sons didn't have a father figure in their lives
Nuh uh, she had to teach 'em the ways
She had to teach her sons how to behave and be responsible
Teach 'em how to behave, be brave and even how to shave
She taught them important life skills like how to be brave and how to shave
Some days it makes her feel like a soldier
She feels like she is fighting a battle to raise her sons alone
and other times it makes her feel like a failure
Other times she feels like she has failed as a parent
Why did the stronger one die from a cold, huh?
She wonders why her stronger child died from a seemingly minor illness
Why did the smarter one end up in jail? Nah
She questions why her smarter child ended up in prison
She gave them boys everything that she could
She did everything in her power to provide for her sons
Two full-time jobs to keep 'em in a good neighborhood
She worked two jobs to give her sons a safe place to live
They understood how to love and how to live
She taught her sons important values like how to love and live well
Now she doesn't understand how it comes down to this
She struggles to comprehend how her sons' lives turned out this way
Maybe she should go work in her yard
She thinks about distracting herself from her pain by working in her yard
and take her mind off the past and try to let the days start
She hopes that focusing on the present will help her move on
But she's waiting on one of those annual calls
She is waiting for her sons to call her on Mother's Day
while she's looking at the photos on her hallway walls
She looks at pictures of her sons on her hallway walls as she waits for their calls
His big sibling died, and mom's by herself
His older sibling died and now his mother is alone
and now he spends every day inside of that cell
He is in prison serving time for a crime he committed
Looking at the photos of his past makes him crash
Looking at old pictures makes him feel overwhelmed with emotion
So he never takes 'em out that folder under his mattress
He keeps his old photos hidden under his mattress, unable to face them
Days like today he doesn't think about what happened, no
On Mother's Day, he tries not to think about his past and what led to his incarceration
Still gotta call mommy, wish her a happy one
Despite his circumstances, he wants to call his mother and wish her a happy Mother's Day
Uh huh, mom, if only she'd had been around
He feels that if his mother had been more present in his life, maybe things would have turned out differently
Maybe big brother would still be living now
He thinks that if his mother had been more involved, his older sibling may still be alive
Some days it makes him feel like a traitor
He feels guilty for not being there for his family and putting his mother through this pain
and other times it makes him feel like a martyr
Other times he feels like he is suffering for the sake of his family
Seems like some displacement of anger
He recognizes that he may be displacing his anger onto his mother
Seems like he blames her more than his father
He feels like his mother should have done more to prevent his situation, more than his absent father would have
She was gone all the time at work
His mother was often away at work, leaving him alone as a child
Never around to play the part of the police or the nurse
She was unable to be both a disciplinary authority figure and a nurturing caregiver
She understood how things fall apart
His mother knew that things could easily fall apart in life
So why'd she let the nest hit the ground this hard?
He questions why his mother allowed their family to fall apart to such an extreme extent
Well maybe he should go walk in the yard
He thinks about taking a walk outside to clear his head
and take his mind off the past and try to let the days start
He hopes to let go of the past and start anew
Cause it's so difficult to admit it's his fault
He struggles to accept that he is partially responsible for his current situation
when he's looking at the faces in his hallway walls
He finds it hard to come to terms with his actions when he looks at old family photos
Contributed by Camden D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@mattattack7072
Been jamming for a decade plus. RIP mom
@mixmaster6827
Why do the videos for this song keep getting taken down? The album is literally free.