Atmosphere Announce ‘Sad Clown Bad Dub 2’ Release & Share ‘Body Pillow’

Atmosphere has announced that they will make Sad Clown Bad Dub 2 available digitally and on vinyl for the first time on August 4 through Rhymesayers Entertainment. The Sad Clown Bad Dub series began as a series of limited edition cassette tapes and CD-Rs for Atmosphere sold exclusively on tour.

Since its inception in 1999, the Sad Clown series has seen more than a dozen iterations in numerous formats, including rare 4-track demos, live recordings, a DVD of behind-the-scenes tour footage, a mixtape, 7-inch vinyl singles and more. To this day, one of the first installments – Sad Clown Bad Dub 2 – remains one of the most celebrated and coveted installments in the series.

Originally released in 2000, Sad Clown Bad Dub 2 was a rather stripped-down DIY release – a simple CD tucked behind an illustrated sleeve with handwritten track listing and liner notes. The recordings were equally rough and consisted of a dozen raw 4-track demos that had not been treated to any kind of mixing or mastering.

While Atmosphere initially only produced 500 copies of these CDs to sell on the road for extra cash, the buzz and ensuing fan demand eventually led the group to print more of the CDs, this time with the “Authorized Bootleg” stamp on the album cover. as a sly nod to those who ripped and shared the files. Sad Clown Bad Dub 2’s unpolished nature didn’t deter the appeal of its content, though.

Generally regarded as an underground classic in hip-hop circles, Sad Clown Bad Dub 2 is often cited as one of the standout releases in Atmosphere’s extensive discography. It is a deeply introspective project that explores a range of complex thoughts and emotions balanced by occasional moments of darkly humorous sarcasm and wit. Slug’s writing is sharp and insightful with a knack for turning his personal struggles into universal themes that listeners can relate to.

Ant’s production is minimalist, moody, even eclectic in nature, full of atmospheric textures and unconventional rhythms. This release is clearly one of the first steps in developing their unique and distinctive sound together, establishing their reputation as one of the most innovative and groundbreaking acts in hip-hop.

Atmosphere’s Summertime 2023 tour with Slightly Stoopid, Sublime with Rome & The Movement kicks off next month, alongside their DeTour headliner dates, culminating with a headline show at Red Rocks Amphitheater on September 17, supported by Danny Brown, Souls of Mischief and more. Atmosphere currently holds the record for the most sold-out shows in Red Rocks for any hip-hop artist with nine sold-out shows since 2011.

Their new album So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously is out now and available here, and tickets for upcoming tour dates can be purchased at atmospheresucks.com, along with limited Sad Clown Bad Dub 2 merchandise.

TRAVEL DATES:

7/6 – Auburn, WA @ White River Amphitheater +

7/7 – Bend, OR @ Hayden Homes Amphitheater +

7/8 – Nampa, ID @ Ford Idaho Center Amphitheater +

7/9 – West Valley City, UT @ USANA Amphitheater +

7/11 – Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues >

7/13 – Murphys, CA @ Ironstone Amphitheater +

7/14 – Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheater +

7/15 – Irvine, CA @ FivePoint Amphtheater (without Sublime with Rome) +

7/16 – San Diego, CA @ Petco Park +

7/18 – Tucson, AZ @ Rialto Theater >

7/20 – San Antonio, TX @ Aztec Theater >

7/21 – The Woodlands, TX @ The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavillion +

7/22 – Del Valle, TX @ Germania Insurance Amphitheater +

7/23 – Irving, TX @ The Pavillion at Toyota Music Factory +

7/25 – Oklahoma City, OK @ Tower Theater >

7/27 – Somerset, WI @ Somerset Amphitheater +

7/28 – Chicago, IL @ Huntington Bank Pavillion at Northerly Island +

7/29 – Sterling Heights, MI @ Michigan Lottery Amphitheater at Freedom Hill +

7/30 – Indianapolis, IN @ TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park +

8/1 – Asheville, NC @ The Orange Peel >

8/3 – North Charleston, SC @ North Charleston Coliseum (indoors) +

8/4 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Veteran’s United Home Loans Amphitheater +

8/5 – Raleigh, NC @ Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek +

8/6 – Wilmington, NC @ Live Oak Bank Pavillion +

8/17 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center +

8/18 – Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavillion +

8/19 – Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom >

8/20 – Camden, NJ @ Freedom Mortgage Pavillion +

8/22 – Portland, ME @ State Theater >

24/8 – Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire +

8/25 – Mansfield, MA @ XFINITY Center +

8/26 – Wantagh, NY @ Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater +

8/27 – New Haven, CT @ Westville Music Bowl with Sublime featuring Rome and The Movement

8/29 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr. Small’s Theater >

8/31 – Atlanta, GA @ Heaven at The Masquerade >

9/1 – Jacksonville, FL @ Daily’s Place +

9/2 – Tampa, FL @ MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheater +

3/9 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheater +

9/17 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks with Danny Brown, Souls of Mischief, The Grouch & Eligh with DJ Fresh, Mr. Dibbs and Breakbeat Lou from Ultimate Breaks & Beats

10/14 – Honolulu, HI @ Waikiki Shell featuring Dirty Heads and Ark Woods

+ Summer 2023 tour dates with Slightly Stoopid, Sublime with Rome and The Movement

> The DeTour dates

Photo by Amahl Grant