Atmosphere w/ Blueprint, Grieves, Budo and DJ Rare Groove

Around the turn of the century, Atmosphere introduced a new form of hip-hop deemed “emo-rap” for its aggressively earnest lyrics, but the group avoided falling victim to the somewhat condescending label, pushing their sound and storytelling in new directions with each album. The latest is 2008’s When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, a series of hardscrabble narratives about down-and-out folks that keeps heads bouncing with beats that nod to old-school hip-hop. For their “All My Friends” tour, Atmosphere is touring with artists from their Rhymesayers empire: Blueprint, Grieves, Budo and DJ Rare Groove.