Malcolm Williams
Don’t Sleep Special Edition #2
Atum - Observation is a Skill
There’s some really talented people out here. Atum is from where I’m from, South Jersey has so much untapped potential it‘s great to see someone trying to tap into theirs. I remember when Atum asked me to check out his tape he said “I think you got the mind for it from what I’ve seen of you.” I took as he was on some shit that was possibly deeper than rap. He sent that link and I lit up when I seen the title, ‘Observation is a Skill’ lines up perfectly with how I’ve always moved. I don’t know if it’s a Jersey thing but samples are my shit so the production on this tape is exactly what I would want to hear. I’m a really big Dipset fan and I can feel their essence all throughout ‘Observation is a Skill’.
Off top on the ‘Intro’ he lets me know exactly what he’s on with a conversation from Brother Polight. Third eye activated immediately, “we on some shit.” I thought. I love that the goal is enlightenment from the jump. With talks of alkaline foods and a dairy free diet. He talks of building up your squad and acting on the visions you all have. This the type of music I’m proud to put people on because I think it’s important to hear these messages as much as possible until they resonate. This is how you set the tone if you create music.
What can I say about that ‘Blessing in Disguise’? There’s a Gorillaz ‘Feel Good Inc.’ sample and being that I grew up loving that record I was excited to hear what he does on that. He keeps the same energy that prior tracks came with, talking about when his mental expansion happened. His flow on this track is reminiscent of some Juelz shit. I just really appreciate how much I’m reminded of the music I grew up loving on this track.
Man let me tell y’all, the ‘Outro’ is by far my favorite track on this project. The clips he chose to get his messages off are perfect tone setters. Then he gave us what sounds like a violin on the beat and dammit that shit is immaculate. Bro has an ability to enlighten with being preachy that I appreciate. When he says “all they wanna hear is trap shit, I’m tryna change the Atlas.” I thought to myself “I‘m writing about this tape.” I’m tryna change the World too so I felt that and I want people to be aware of what my hometown has to offer.
I’m from Bridgeton,NJ and as a kid I never thought that I would be involved in music. I want to give back to South Jersey any way I can. Atum is an artist from back home that’s looking to enlighten and empower so it‘s a no brainer that I would highlight such a skilled artist on my platform. When he sent me the I turned it on immediately and three tracks in I texted him to tell him his shit was real. There’s humanity in his bars and I wanted to let everyone know that.