The Current's Music On-A-Stick: Atmosphere & Friends: Minnesota with Atmosphere, Cypress Hill, Lupe Fiasco, The Pharcyde & DJ Abilities

Saturday, August 23 at 5:00 p.m.

$51.50 - $75.25 (All seats reserved)
$71.50 - $86.75 (General Admission Pit, no seating)
$71.50 - $85.25 (Party Deck)

INFORMATION | TICKETS

Atmosphere

For over two decades, Atmosphere has maintained a course of rigorous output, releasing over two dozen studio albums, EPs and collaborative side projects. In that time, the venerated duo has built a legacy out of bringing honesty, humility and vulnerability to the forefront of their music, continually challenging themselves to evolve without straying too far from their roots. Slug has proven masterful at storytelling and writing compelling narratives, leaving a trail of his own influence while paying homage to the rappers and songwriters who helped shape him. Ant has skillfully molded the soundtracks with inspiration from soul, funk, rock, reggae and the wizardry of hip-hop’s pioneering DJs and producers, creating his own trademark sounds while providing the pulse for songs about life, love, stress and setbacks. At its essence, Atmosphere has been a musical shepherd, and with each new album comes a new journey as they guide generations of listeners through this thing called life.

Cypress Hill

Three decades ago, B-Real, Sen Dog and DJ Muggs sparked a trip that left popular culture stoned, stunned and staggering in anticipation for more. Naming themselves after a local street in Los Angeles, Cypress Hill burst on the scene in 1991 with the release of their self-titled debut album. The singles “How I Could Just Kill a Man” and “The Phuncky Feel One” became underground hits, and the group’s public pro-marijuana stance earned them many fans among the alternative rock community. Cypress Hill followed their debut with “Black Sunday” in the summer of 1993, which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200, garnered three GRAMMY® Award nominations, and went triple platinum in the U.S. As a result, Cypress Hill became the first rap group to have two albums in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 charts at the same time, and they are the first Latino-American hip-hop group to achieve platinum and multi-platinum success. Since the release of “Black Sunday,” Cypress Hill has put out seven more albums, including 2018’s critically acclaimed “Elephants on Acid.” Cypress Hill made history once again in 2019 when the group was honored with its own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2021, Cypress Hill released “Champion Sound.” Produced by Black Milk, the single appears on the soundtrack of R.B.I. Baseball 21, the eighth installment of the R.B.I. franchise developed by Major League Baseball, and is also the featured song for the band’s partnership with Montejo Cerveza. Cypress Hill celebrated the 30th anniversary of its self-titled debut with a SONY reissue on vinyl, a 7-inch box set, a reissue across all DSPs that included eight unreleased tracks, as well as a graphic novel. The band also announced its very own STANCE sock and released its “Hits From The Bong” documentary as part of Mass Appeal’s “Hip Hop 50” franchise in partnership with Showtime.

Lupe Fiasco

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco, is a Chicago-born, Grammy Award-winning American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur and community advocate. The independent rapper, who parted ways with his former label Atlantic Records following the release of 2015’s “Tetsuo & Youth,” is pegged as one of the most gifted lyricists and visionaries to grace the mic. Rising to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, “Food & Liquor,” Lupe has released acclaimed studio albums, including “Drogas Light,” released in 2017 on his own label, 1st & 15th. These albums have netted three platinum singles, three RIAA gold certifications, 12 Grammy nominations and one Grammy Award in 2008 for his infectious single “Daydreamin” feat. Jill Scott. "Drogas Wave" was released in 2018, via 1st & 15th. His efforts to propagate conscious material helped solidify him as GQ’s Man of the Year in 2006 and garnered recognition as a Henry Crown Fellow. While musical genius and ingenuity are at the forefront of Lupe’s achievements, the artist extends his innovation to projects that aim to foster creative discourse and opportunities in underprivileged and impoverished communities. As the co-founder and co-owner of community initiatives such as We Are M.U.R.A.L, The Neighborhood Start-Up Fund, Society of Spoken Art and Studio SV, Lupe proves that he is more than just a mouthpiece for change; he is a committed facilitator of intellectual community discourse and outreach.

The Pharcyde

With a career spanning over three decades, The Pharcyde remains one of the most influential and beloved groups in hip-hop history. Formed in Los Angeles, the group made an indelible mark on the culture with their groundbreaking debut album, “Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde,” an instant classic known for its playful lyricism, jazz-infused production and infectious energy. The album spawned timeless hits such as “Passin’ Me By,” “Otha Fish” and “Ya Mama,” establishing The Pharcyde as a breath of fresh air in an era dominated by gangsta rap. Their follow-up, “Labcabincalifornia,” showcased a more refined and introspective sound, featuring the production genius of a young J Dilla and delivering the timeless hit “Runnin’” – a track that continues to be a staple in hip-hop playlists worldwide. Now consisting of Fatlip, Imani and Slimkid3, The Pharcyde continues to bring their signature high-energy performances to stages across the globe. Their live shows are a testament to their deep catalog, blending nostalgia with raw lyricism, acrobatic flows, and an undeniable stage presence that keeps crowds moving from start to finish. From performing at major festivals to rocking intimate venues, The Pharcyde’s live show is a must-see experience – full of charisma, humor and the dynamic chemistry that made them icons in the first place. Their influence can be heard in generations of artists who followed, and their legacy remains strong as they continue to tour, create and connect with hip-hop heads old and new. Whether you fell in love with them in the ‘90s or just discovered their music, The Pharcyde remains a powerful force in hip-hop – timeless, innovative and forever fun.

DJ Abilities

Growing up in a family of artists, Gregory Keltgen (aka DJ Abilities) had early ambitions of working in the visual medium, but it wasn't until he discovered hip-hop that he’d found an art form that he truly identified with. After trying his hand at b-boying, MCing, and even drawing graffiti-inspired comics, Abilities ultimately gravitated toward the turntables, becoming a DJ at age 17. He soon found himself deeply embedded in the hip-hop scenes of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, linking up with friends and future collaborators who would become the foundation of Rhymesayers Entertainment, and it wasn’t long before he established a name for himself. After only two short years of intense practice on the turntables, DJ Abilities went on to compete in the legendary DMC DJ competitions in 1999. He won the regional title and advanced to the U.S. finals, and did it again in 2001. Soon after, Abilities was also garnering attention for performing all the scratches on El-P’s classic debut, “Fantastic Damage,” as well as contributing his turntable talents and production skills to other cult favorites like “The Anti-Album” by Semi.Official and “The Taste of Rain… Why Kneel?” by Deep Puddle Dynamics, among others. But above all, his name would become most celebrated throughout the 2000s as one-half of the dynamic hip-hop duo Eyedea & Abilities. DJ Abilities first met Micheal “Eyedea” Larsen in the mid-90s, and the two soon began a working relationship that would eventually play a prominent role in the burgeoning indie-rap movement of the time. Together, the pair developed a near symbiotic creative union that produced three albums – “First Born,” “E&A” and “By The Throat.” Tragically, Eyedea passed away in 2010, leaving Abilities to soldier on by himself, but the influence of their partnership continues to shape DJ Abilities’ music to this day. His project “Phonograph Phoenix” finds the DJ/producer returning to the forefront and embracing an entirely new approach to making music. A departure from previous work that was primarily sample-based, “Phonograph Phoenix” finds Abilities opting to build the album’s compositions from the ground up, creating his own sound through Ableton Live and enveloping synths, with razor sharp cuts and select vocal chops providing a voice where his fallen partner may have once stood.