In a time when most rappers are working at UPS and indie label owners are heading back to business school, Minnesota hip hop heroes Atmosphere have consistently proven that it just takes time. The duo's buzz has increased, which has resulted in a boost in record sales.

Pop/R&B diva Mariah Carey may have won the top spot on the Billboard charts this week -- as expected -- but Slug and DJ/producer Ant's latest release 'When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint that S--- Gold' scored the No. 5 spot with no help from the 'Today Show' or 'Good Morning America.'

"The optimist in me thinks it is a victory for fans," Atmosphere frontman Slug told the BoomBox. "Not just my fans, but people who support and create independent art. I hope it is a sign of things to come for the overall movement. But the cynic in me is afraid that we were just lucky that no heavy hitters dropped records on that same day."

To build anticipation for their new album, the group released the digital-only album 'Strictly Leakage,' along with a series of "Paint it Gold" webisodes which received over 400k views on Youtube, thus far. Their record label, Rhymesayers, opted not to send out review copies of the album to avoid album leaks, an innovative, and in this case, successful choice. Also, the album features vocal contributions from TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe and the legendary Tom Waits, helping the group to reach an even wider audience.

But maybe their success is due to something more simple, as Slug wondered jokingly, "It has the word "s---" in the title?"

Tour Dates For Atmosphere:
05/02: Austin, TX - Emo's
05/03: Austin, TX -Emo's
05/05: Tempe, AZ - The Marquee
05/06: Los Angeles - Music Box @ Fonda
05/07: Los Angeles - Music Box @ Fonda
05/08: San Francisco - Grand Ballroom At Regency Center
05/09:San Francisco - Grand Ballroom At Regency Center
05/12:Portland, OR - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
05/13: Seattle - Showbox SoDo
05/14: Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
05/16: Salt Lake City, UT - In The Venue
05/17: Denver - Ogden Theatre
05/18: Denver - Ogden Theatre
05/25: Minnesota, MN - Metrodome Parking Lot