By Daniel Paiz

Atmosphere Rocks 3 was in full effect at Red Rocks, as Atmosphere and an All-Star Hip-Hop lineup fills this historic venue to the brim. In addition to Atmosphere, there was Danny Brown, Souls of Mischief (who are celebrating their 30th anniversary of 93 ‘Til Infinity), The Grouch & Eligh with DJ Fresh, Mr. Dibbs, and Breakbeat Lou. This is becoming a yearly festival of sorts, where Atmosphere compiles a list of dope Hip-Hop acts and gets them all out to Colorado in September.

Two years ago, it was Atmosphere and Cypress Hill with a handful of other acts. Last year, Lupe Fiasco, The Far Side (fka The Pharcyde), and several others trekked to Red Rocks. 2023’s edition of this unofficial festival felt like a UFC fight card, with fantastic openers as the undercard and amazing co-headliners adding to the main event.

Undercard Openers

Breakbeat Lou is known for working on releasing a series of breakbeat albums in the late 1980s and early 1990s known as Ultimate Breaks & Beats with Breakbeat Lenny. The releases these two put out had a big influence on music producers in Hip Hop as well as the genre itself. For those at Red Rocks, this longtime DJ jammed some of selections from this anthology of breakbeats. Lou then brought out a few guests, including Dante Ross, and the legendary Large Professor. Starting the night off with these two immediately set the bar.

The Grouch & Eligh (aka G&E) came out next as DJ Fresh played some tunes and got the crowd into it. G&E are an interesting combo, as Eligh casually speed raps verses like it’s nothing, and Grouch is a conversationalist on the mic. The two different styles mesh well, and the crowd continued to respond and swell their energy onward as the night progressed. G&E also announced that in late October, Living Legends will be putting out a new album (both members are part of this larger collective of artists).

Mr. Dibbs is a name that’s bounced around this Hip-Hop aficionado’s music selections from time to time (usually on MURS tracks), but tonight this guy was in the flesh. A large, neatly trimmed grey beard with a cascade of tattoos adorning Dibbs’ head made him stand out immediately. When he made his cuts, scratches, and seamlessly presented his musical selections on the decks, he stood out even more. The quietest of performers, he pointed at his hoodie instructing readers to “Listen to Breakbeat Lou”. With the set complete, Dibbs walked off stage.

Main Card Headliners

30 years of 93 ‘Til Infinity was the culmination of Souls of Mischief‘s performance, but what was most impressive about this group was their energy. Edging out Atmosphere as the most energetic group of the night is a hard thing to do, especially when the main headliner has been playing Red Rocks yearly at this point. However, the Oakland-based group showed out and never let up, igniting the crowd despite their clear unfamiliarity with the group besides Infinity. These guys reminded me of Coast Contra, making me question if Coast Contra modelled their group dynamic on the Bay Area inhabitants. Breakbeat Lou joined them for their set, making it a group of seven.

On paper, Danny Brown slightly doesn’t fit this lineup of rappers. His catalog is newer than any other group here (save for Atmosphere) and the bass-heavy tracks aren’t as melodic as the others. However, his performance, the song selection, and his clear excitement to be a part of this made Brown fit right in. The Detroit rapper played some of his older discography before choosing some songs from his recent JPEGMAFIA collaboration album. Brown also announced at Red Rocks he has a new album on the way.

Atmosphere, well in this case Slug, has this ability to make any venue feel intimate. It could be a few thousand people; it could be tens of thousands. It does not matter. This veteran emcee will ask the crowd how they’re doing, then discuss how he’s feeling and what is about to happen, and sneakily set up each track about to drop from Ant and Plain Ole Bill.

There’s a playfulness about it, but there’s also a trusted connection that Slug continues to build. When audiences enjoy your work, that seems like it wouldn’t be hard to maintain, but that’s a big part of the set. At this point in their career, it comes off as effortless.

The tunes were a bit different this year, as a few they played last year didn’t make this year’s playlist (which I appreciate as a repeat attendee). The night opened and closed with two tracks from their newest album, So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously. “Okay” was played with a pleasant start, while “Bigger Pictures” built up the night’s conclusion.

Well, there was what Slug calls some “Bonus Content” tracks also, which take the place of an encore because Atmosphere does not believe in encores. Attend an Atmosphere show and you’ll get to see what Slug selects that night. Here’s to hoping there’s a fourth installment next September.