Minnesota indie hip-hop heroes Slug & Ant have been making music together for 20 years, and the lyricist and dj/producer “both define and redefine the Atmosphere” sound with their 7th album, Fishing Blues. As you might have guessed, the #DadRap group relies on the tried-and-true formula of Slug’s introspective storytelling (“just me and my beer gut / I absorb it before I get deported back to orbit”) and Ant’s live instrumentation-meets-samples beats, and the album features some choice guests: check out Kool Keith’s spoken-word assault on “When The Lights go Out,” on which DOOM also lends a verse, and “Chasing New York” featuring Rhymesayers cohort Aesop Rock. Also of note is the title track featuring The Grouch, and the catchy single, “Ringo.” Includes digital download, comes in trifold gatefold sleeve…

• triple vinyl
• music label: Rhymesayers Entertainment 2016

reviewed by donut savage 08/2016