Live Review: Atmosphere - The HiFi

In the contrived climate of contemporary hip hop bursting with handclaps, Auto-Tune and self-aggrandising lyricism, it is truly refreshing to witness acts that still embrace purist attitudes towards the genre and sanctify the original meaning and intention behind rap music. Subversive Minnesota duo and veterans to the world of alternative hip hop, Atmosphere have more than 15 years' experience in the game and still have not compromised their signature sound in the years but rather matured and expanded it to signify growth and exploration.

Opening for Atmosphere was fellow Rhymesayers multi-talented rapper/photographer/graffiti artist Evidence, who warmed up the animated crowd by spitting honest rhymes, showing obvious passion and energy towards his work. The underground feel of the show became obvious in these early stages, with true hip hop fans banding together at the front, reciting lyrics with their fists strongly held in the air.

Atmosphere showcased their raw and unadulterated talents in this live setting, demonstrating that real, organic hip hop needs not frills but a mic, a beat and live instrumentals. Opening the show with Became, off their most recent album, The Family Sign, MC Slug exercised his dope flow and flare for rhyme, moving the audience with his intricate lyricism and evident self-absorption in his own poetic stories. The show lacked one element, which rather than giving it consistency, made it more visceral – and that was an actual physical sense of 'format'. What was left rather was a natural, impulsive performance, which blended a diverse ambiance of tracks, freestyles and modest banter with the audience. The group chanting during GodLovesUgly demonstrated the surprisingly strong support for the group, indicating that Australia's alternative hip hop scene is thriving in the underground. To highlight how the audience participation was so prominent, at one point Slug cut the music and cheekily noted, “What the fuck? You know all my words… So what the fuck do you need me here for?”