Tone Atlas – Hors D’Oeuvres [EP]
Fiercely independent and gifted rapper Tone Atlas follows up last year’s fantastic “Death Of A Salesman” with a cinematic and gripping new EP, “Hors D’Oeuvres”. It’s one of the Syracuse, N.Y. native’s finest works to date, and he’s only just getting started. Right from the jump, Tone makes his feelings clear with a spoken-word piece inspired by classic HBO film, Gotti. Before passionately rapping over the piano-laced beat that serves as the EP’s theme, he addresses the lack of timeless Hip-Hop being released, in a generation where new artists hop from one trend to the next. With such an introduction, you’d almost expect a miserly and aggravated approach from Tone on here. Instead, he sounds inspired and hungry while tackling a variety of topics. He speaks on the issues facing his hometown of Syracuse (“The Coldest Winter” feat. Will McGrady, Banko Fresh & Rashad), the importance of being true to yourself (“‘97 Sh*t”), and never selling your soul for profit (“Madness”). “As long as I’m making music and I’m in this industry, I won’t create anything that doesn’t represent me,” Tone says of his bars on “Madness.” He recognizes that being independent is one of the most difficult things to do in his industry, simply because there’s limited money and resources to get a project off the ground. “There are a lot of talented people in this world who will never be heard,” he adds. “I’m blessed to be in the position I’m in.” Tone’s position is one of an
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