Atmosphere Announces, Headlines Soundset 2008 Lineup (Minneapolis Hip-Hop Festival)

Download: Atmosphere - "Watch Out"
Download: Brother Ali - "Original King"
Download: Mac Lethal - "Rotten Apple Pie"
Download: Eyedea & Abilities - "Now"
Download: Grayskul - "Scarecrow"
Download: Aesop Rock - "None Shall Pass"
Download: Beat Junkies - "The Godfathers Talkin Handjive"
Download: Blueprint - "Big Girls Need Love"
Download: Dilated Peoples - "Spit It Clearly"
Download: I Self Devine - "Songs In The Key of Trife"
Download: Little Brother - "Breakin' My Heart" (feat. Lil' Wayne)
Download: Los Nativos - "Black Flag Red Star"
Download: P.O.S.- "Music For Shoplifting"

Festival season is almost under way, and one discouraging trend is that tickets to those paeans to music in an outdoor setting is that ticket prices have gone up. 3-day Pitchfork passes have gone from $50 to $65, and Lollapalooza tickets will set you back almost $200 for total admission, as opposed to $150 from a few years back. Fortunately, those wanting to take in great music at an affordable price can breathe easy.

Atmosphere, the Minneapolis rap duo who are set to release their sixth album, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, in little less than two weeks' time, announced this morning that they would be headline the SoundSet 2008

In 1997, Rhymesayers gathered over two dozen local artists and more than a dozen local DJs and B-Boy’s to perform at a South Minneapolis warehouse until dawn to a capacity-filled crowd. Two years later, Rhymesayers expanded the concept at First Avenue, with Soundset Wednesdays, drawing a crowd of over 1700 people for the opening night and maintaining sellout capacity for its entire run. This was the birth of Soundset and a catalyst for the success of Rhymesayers, now one of indie Hip Hop’s most successful and respected labels worldwide.

Amongst the many performers for the all day hip-hop festival are hometown heroes (and Rhymesayers co-horts) Brother Ali, P.O.S, and Psalm One; legendary DJs Beat Junkies; Marxist rappers Los Nativos; Fellow Rhymesayers acts Mac Lethal, Grayskul, and Eyedeas & Abilities; and indie hip-hoppers Aesop Rock. Many more can be found on the flier above.

Tickets for the May 25th festival, taking place in the Metrodome Parking lot, are on sale NOW! and will only set you back $20. That is, if you participate in the special 3-day Fan Pre-Sale at either Fifth Element Online or Soundset. If you don't buy now, then don't worry. Ticket prices, once they are on sale to the general public, only increase by $5.

That's probably one of the best deals in the country for fans of underground and independent hip-hop.

At the top of the post, you'll find a playlist of all the groups playing the festival, and below you'll find their MySpace pages.

Atmosphere MySpace Page
Brother Ali Myspace Page
Aesop Rock MySpace Page
Eyedea and Abilities MySpace Page
Little Brother MySpace Page
P.O.S. MySpace Page
Beat Junkies MySpace Page
Abstract Rude MySpace Page
Los Nativos MySpace Page
Psalm One MySpace Page
Blueprint MySpace Page
Mac Lethal MySpace Page
Grayskul MySpace Page
Dilated Peoples MySpace Page
I Self Devine MySpace Page
Musab MySpace Page

Buy Rhymesayers music here.
Buy Independent music here.

(Jonathan Graef)