I’m a young struggling man in high school and you and slug have both been a role model for me. Keep on doing what your doing. Best wishes from Colorado

I’m mixed. My dad was mixed. When i was a teenager growing up in Dayton Ohio i was considered a light skint black kid. I had that “good hair.” I started going bald around 24 years old. When i shaved it all off, i looked more white. When i moved to Seattle my skin got even lighter. Now people perceived me as white. Being mixed for me meant being both races and neither race. Never black enough or white enough. But it gave me a thick skin and I’m at peace with my swirled origins.

Real talk. Rhymesayers is some of the dopest hip-hop ever and hearing slug acknowledging his roots is really heartwarming. It comes full circle too because my family is from Minneapolis (mom south side, dad northside) and i know there’s a lot of mix people up there. Shout out to this convo 🙌🏾

This was interesting to hear. I’m from Minneapolis too, and mixed in also a racially ambiguous way, but never knew slug I also mixed all these years. I deal with some of the same issues around my identity being a visual artist. Sometimes a grant or some other opportunity would come around for black artists or POC artist and my younger self was honestly terrified of the eventual moment where I would have to prove my blackness to the public. I’m 39 now and have mixed kids, so I’ve managed to work past that fear some. Cool to hear someone I grew up listening to actually relates in a deep way. Much love yall ✌🏽

I have been following Rhymesayers for over twenty years. Slug, you still manage to surprise me with how down for the culture you are. Brother Ali, I just found out you cast, I need to get into the back catalogue. Artists like you inspire artists like me to do the damn thing but to do it with decency and without exploiting the weak. You cast a BRIGHT light in obscenely dark times.

It’s so dope to see this! Even though I’m a mixed person as well, I STILL get looks for “acting” like one side of the spectrum more. The sooner you stop listening to comparisons, the more peace you can find ☮️

Loved you guys since I was a teenager. It wasnt about black or white for me when i discovered yall. You just opened up my eyes to the fact that hiphop can be used as a freedom of expression, rather than the vent for testosterone that i was using it for up until that time.

I had no idea about slugs personal life. Very glad I listened to this.

Both of my parents are black, but my Dad looks more like Slug. I honestly never thought about it. My parents were both proud HBCU alum, etc. I hit middle school and people started teasing me for being mixed (I'm not) after they saw my dad. I'm sure it hits hard when you ARE mixed, and trying to navigate identity. I think it also effected my dad in many ways. He is very pro-Black, and made sure we were grounded in our Blackness. He won't talk about what he experienced, but I know people speak freely when they don't perceive a Black person to be around....

Found god loves ugly when i was drunk one day on pandora. Came up years later when i was down and around 2020 i found atmosphere. Ive loved every slug project since. Found brother ali from slug as well. glad to see you stories

Being native mixed, this really hit home.

Yeap. Growing up mixed and light is a real struggle. Internally.

Fellas thanks for being so open, showing us how your vulnerability makes you grow and strengthen. Your music inspires just the same for so many.

Definitely appreciate that part of the interview, I fell like I the box and labels have had me messed up.

I saw you live at the Engine Room, 2003 Houston. Incredible show. Nothing but love. Ooooh shit, I met you backstage and you autographed my ticket stub. What a great memory.

So i got to meet Slug this summer. He could clearly see i was absolutely fuckin SHOOK, he reaches out, shakes my hand and says "You can call me Sean." Ill never forget that shit man. He couldnt have been more humble and respectful. Let us take pictures, bullshitted with us for a bit, and off he went. To put on one of the greatest performances ive ever seen in my whole fucking life.

I ran into Atmosphere through Buck 65, Sixtoo, all the Anticon crew, and Eyedea/We Really Freestyle, etc, and bumped that stuff for yeears, never really thought about race, the vibe was a little different, but the soul was full send.

Damn this was a great interview. "love language"...... So gonna need an album titled this!

beautiful.

I can relate to this. Similar background, similar experiences. Similar realization. Like Lauryn says “I get out of all ya boxes”

I resonate with this so much.

With a fraction of blackness. Slug and Ant are a gift. A gift that I embrace and love every single day. Slugs lyrics will make you laugh, smile, cry, think and reflect that no one else in hip-hop can do.

Bamboozled is Spike's best movie. Serch was "1/16th Blak". That Mau Maus joint was legit hot. It's also one of my ANGRY movies, with Mississippi Burning, Who Killed Atlanta's Children, and (less so now) Glory.

Hit me in the soul when he said he thought he was black until the cops showed up. I've always told this same damn story as my sudden realization, but Puerto Rican instead. Born + raised there until coming to the US for middle school and there's a trauma with that realization; being denied legitimate by your own people, watching your friends treated as criminals while receiving a thumbs up for your whiteness - that identity crisis can certainly crush you. Realizing it's the outside world + what's vital is the focus inside is the elixir. Love is the healing balm. Great interview.

This is dope Ali keep this up brotha, mad entertaining

Right on ❤

Absolutely love the podcast Brother. Keep on keeping on. Best wishes from Scotland ❤️👊🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Eyedea brother Ali Atmsophere Minneapolis has a legendary hip hop scene

Slug name dropping Evidence, has me hoping we get an Evidence interview on the Travelers Podcast sometime soon. Thanks for what you Brother Ali and Slug both do at Rhymesayers and for who you are as people. Salute

Salam alaykum, Brother Ali- I've been thoroughly enjoying the pod lately, so thanks for that in addition to your powerful music. Absolutely incredible to hear about your journey to Islam and to learn more about the faith. You probably wouldn't be surprised to hear that your podcast is this midwest white boy's real first introduction to Islam. It's fascinating, humbling, and makes me feel some kind of way... Propaganda in this country seriously sucks, man. Glad to be walking the earth the same time as you, Brother. Hope the fam is well and best of luck on the tour! Stay safe!

Damn Ali, i wish you came back uo with Slug when he played uo here in Alaska this summer. I miss y'all

Great clip. Peace to Bro Ali and Slug.

As long as we focus on the lines they will continue to exist 🌎 The truth is 🚀 we are all Love 🌴

These comments just prove most folks don't understand the mixed or multiracial experience. Race is deeper than skin colour, it is community and family ties it is your internal world as well. Not just how the outside world perceives you.

Now it all makes sense

This was a super good conversation

I remember getting into atmosphere through MySpace in early 2000s.

Slug lovin, I gotchu with that love language, deeds speak.

I grew up off of 16th and 28th. I went to South High in Mpls. And I grew up having native, black and white friends. I was one of only a few Mexicans in that area back in those days. Some of the best memories I have are from being on bikes playing street ball with neighborhood friends. South Sider for life.

I never knew this about Slug. I always thought he was white. He has a song where he says a black woman tought him and his friend about music and I always thought he was a white kid growing up in the hood. I loved his music Smart went Crazy was around the time I found him and it was all love. This was interesting to listen to. Shout out Brother Ali for putting together this channel and content. I subbed for sure boss.

I never knew this. Respect Slug 🙏

Respect to Brother Ali. Stayed true to the craft and community.

Shared

Double Virgo=Acts of Service

cool

What Slug said about the box being around the audience, made me think of an MC Lyte song Lyte As A Rock( 2:50), where she says "theres bars around the stage they assume i'm in prison when in reality they're locked in." You aint white boy music, you ARE music. Great music. Music i connect to as a sad clown 😏

💙💙💙

I am white. I like mayonnaise and raisin salad. I grew up in a neighborhood where no one could correctly read anyone else’s cousin’s names, multiple friends earned DOC(CDC) #s. I went a different route and never “came off the porch.” I went to work, went back to school, got a better job and moved to Caucasian Acres. I don’t fit in with these people. I am playing a part with them, and I am white as hell. 90% of my neighbors never experienced an afterschool special lesson, even if they are black. The one group I can relate to are the naturalized immigrants who came from places they don’t want to go back to. Everyone else seems odd.

I went thru this alot. I'm half white and half Mexican. All my "cousins" were of not Caucasian decent. I'm super light skinned so you can not even tell I am Mexican. I didn't know there was a difference till middle school either. Eastside for life

I've listened to Slug for 20+ years and had no idea he was mixed until I saw this. I'm white and I rap, and have a mixed (and "ambiguous"-looking) stepdaughter who I'm getting into rap, and Slug's perspective in this clip was both interesting information-wise and uplifting on a personal level. Thanks for this.

That’s why we’re all here today.

I was a street kid. If you looked at me you'd assume I was high and going to jack your shit. So the cops always harassed the shit out of me. They knew me by name. They would drive by and scream it on their loudspeakers just to let me know they were watching. Always patting me down at school. I would fuck with them too. It was crazy shit in the Bay Area back then. But no doubt. For real. It was different for me because of my race. Anytime I would go to court the judge would look at my grandma and be super lenient. I had a warrant for 18 months straight. The judge sent me back to drug court instead of putting me in jail. Because the courts only saw a lost little white boy being raised by his Grandma. I always got one more chance. Many black kids never did. So even if you grew up on section 8 and life was rugged AF it is way different. That's a privilege despite the fact I suffered from bad circumstances.

Damn haven’t hear suggles in years cool this popped up. Hope everyone is well.

Evidence has fans?

I'm white (dad from Greece, mom 100% Italian) and look white, but my brother is dark skinned and everyone thinks he's Arab or Persian. Meanwhile his daughter is also dark skinned with really curly dark hair, and everyone thinks she's non-white Hispanic. Race and racial perception is a funny thing. Same family, same genetics, but we're perceived much differently.

Look at these legends, and then compare them to mainstream awkward soulless so called rap artists.. Only the real speak about the real, good luck with the POD, been a long time I seen you guys, but never stopped listening, hence why I landed here

I was a full 2 minutes away before i realized this isnt a Logic interview. i thought "Wait, Logics from MN?" Had Ali not said "Atmosphere" i would have never known.

Damn, I never knew Slug was mixed.

SLUG IS BLACK ?! 🤯

Dope and interesting. I'm black and racially ambiguous cuz of my light skin and family ancestry.

Slug dropped references to The Dynospectrum, and Kanye West.

I viewed myself as myself before a cop once called to his croney as a "white Caucasian male." I'm half white... Whatever that may mean and half Mexican, if you will. 1/4 native American and 1/4 Spanish and other blood. To me, view points are view points, doesn't make you what you are. Heart is heart. All these descriptions are bs to me. Love is love, hate is hate. Be respectful of everyone I say. But, idk... Cheers

As a white dude that grew up in the hood, my experience with Cops was totally different

So what is 'Whiteness' and what does it mean to be White? as dude looks white to me and if I didn't know his story I'd assume he was White . I guess that ultimately we need to judge people on their character rather than their Race as it really doesn't matter

TBH, I didn't know this about Atmosphere. Let's all stop judging people based upon the way they look. You can guess but you have no idea where someone came from or what influenced them based in what they look like. "Blackness", "Whiteness", "Appropriation". All a bunch of BS. That isn't to say we should ignore racism or the past, but we should try to understand who someone is and where they came from. Generalizations always lead to hate, war, etc. We are all people.

Slug was always a little smoother and had a little more rhythm than your underground white rappers. Check out is verse on Embarassed with Eyedea and Sage Francis as an example. He wasn't with that shameful attitude lol

*YGM* by A-PHERE is a BANGER!

Black peoples colored people do the same thing . Almost like the movie t” The Butler “

When I think about Brooklyn I think Biggie 😅

Just 2 white fellas talking about rap.

“I was offended” that sounds like something a white person would say.

I thought he was logic for a second. Lol. Just because of the subject.

I wanna love slug like i used to, but they did prof real REAL dirty. For reasons that a younger sluggo would stand up for. Breaks my heart. National disgrace 😭

Just a couple of white dudes shooting the breeze

His dad was around, yep he's white

I literally never listened to Slug because I thought he was just another white rapper...

This is embarrassing.

As black as a 3 dollar bill, would of been so much cooler if he was just a white kid.