Atmosphere | So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously

After anticipating the drop of 'So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously' I've been in pretty heavy contemplation all morning. At first, I felt a little resentment. Then my resentment morphed into more of an acknowledgement that resulted in a mutual understanding. Anthony Davis sort of took us on another journey with this one. It's as if Sean and I had a brief heart to heart where we told each other what we missed about the person we used to know, and shook on the agreement that time doesn't wait for any man, and we're only getting older as the days go by. I can't expect him to keep making music like he's 23, just like I can't expect it to hit me the same way it did 10 years ago. Different stages, different times.

By resentment I don't mean to say the music on this new album "angered me" necessarily. It's just that, after so many years spent acquiring an ear for the nuances and articulations in his bars-the single 'Holding My Breath' left me feeling robbed of four minutes I'd never get back. Even with my bitter aftertastes, their are still tracks that offer the album life. Like 'Bigger Pictures' just recently released back in March- equipped with an accompanied music video. In the second verse he hits us with the lines "І rеаlіzе mоѕt experiences are coincidental, but І'll nеvеr lеt gо оf these regrets І hоld. Тhаt'ѕ why the ріесеѕ that wеrе mіѕѕіn' always felt mоrе special- better bring some bigger реnсіlѕ tо ѕkеtсh mу soul." Checkout the music video below-that's all to representational of the different stages we deal with in life. My favorite part? Minute four-right at the 25 second mark. His stare as he peers into my feigned persona and egotistical soul is all too tangible.

The aching intuition after confirming my best friend had been sleeping with my partner, the lack of food available in my house at the time-due to my mothers addictions, the embarrassment I felt after having to answer why I was doing better in school without her supervision, and the perceptiveness of knowing my matter of contentions were only transitory-Sean had been with me every step of the way. My daytime melatonin when I knew I bit off more than I could chew, my pubescent silver-lining when I thought there was nothing more I could do.

I was introduced to 'Overcast!' back in 2002 (years after the release I might add) as a 7th grader in middle school, and all I needed was "Scapegoat" before I was hooked. Although I started assessing his 'Sad Clown Bad Dubs' after Volume 3 had been released-it really wasn't until the 'Lucy Ford: The Atmosphere EP's' came out that I realized he was more relatable to me than anything those fools had been airing on the radio. After all you gotta realize, I had just come from the Nelly "Ride Wit Me" days-where everyone was catering to the uninvolved lyric as long as it came with a bass worthy beat. Don't get me wrong though-I love me some Country Grammar. Sometimes nothing makes the nostalgia hit quite like Chingy, and J-Kwon. Accompanied with the first abusive relationship of my life-it wasn't until that cloudy afternoon in the summer of 2003 that Atmosphere actually sunk in with me. Instead of singing about his life (like most rappers were at the time), or speaking from a perspective i couldn't understand..it's almost as if he was offering me personal assistance and escape from my orbiting hell hole or what I "deemed" felt like it at the time.

After Lucy Ford, my long lasting love affair with GLU began to take shape, and Modern Man's Hustle was on repeat almost daily. Til this day, (and I know I've mentioned this before) I still get chills from the lyrics. It instantly puts me back into that moment in time when I relied on another person to make me feel complete. My admiration for the complexity and caliber of anything Rhymesayers Entertainment touches is distressing to attempt to deliberate. Anyone that's been rockin' with me for awhile knows how passionate I am about the artists-not only Sean.

The Official Video for 'Okay'--Catch those mad Cameos? Max Caster, Murs, Sa-Roc-just to name a few. Find your choice of tantalizing variants (if you're into that sort of thing) here and support the label by shopping their threads. Fill me in on where you think he's coming from on this album. Are there any tracks that weren't featured as singles before the release- that are "stand-outs" to you? Eager to see your viewpoint and get a chance to pick your brain! There's far too many MC's on this earth spitting about bringing the pain- when in reality all we really prefer...is a familiar delivery and a few bars to keep us sane.