In an interview with TwinCities.com, Minneapolis-based underground hip-hop outfit Atmosphere talks about it’s new album When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, due out April 22. During the interview, Slug reveals that Tom Waits beatboxes on the song “The Waitress”:

“I’m friends with his son. We’ve known each other for quite a while now, going on five or six years. And I finally asked him, I think literally, ‘Have I known you long enough now to ask if I can get in touch with your dad? Or is that offensive?’ So, I sent him the song and asked if he’d sing the chorus. He sent it back and totally avoided the chorus, but instead beatboxed on it. And it sounds good. It worked. We kept it subtle. I didn’t want to be exploitive. I wanted to make sure it made sense musically, and I think ultimately it really did.”

Atmosphere’s been one of my favorite indie hip-hop groups for years, and I’ve made no secrets how big a fan I am of Mr. Waits’ music, so I’m obviously very eager to hear the fruits of this collaboration. (Check out the Waits MP3 below for a sample of his beatboxin’ skills.)

MP3:

Atmosphere – 66th Street

Tom Waits – Bonus

Source:

The Band: Atmosphere [TwinCities.com]