Slug of Atmosphere stopped by the Current this morning to unveil the details for the third annual Welcome to Minnesota tour, which will find the hip-hop heavyweight touring the state with support from Brother Ali, Get Cryphy, Carnage, and up-and-comer Haphduzn.

"It's officially a tradition now," Slug said.

Atmosphere will be pared down to just Slug and his producer/DJ Ant, a configuration that hearkens back to their earliest days performing live.

Here are the dates for this year's Welcome to Minnesota tour:

Friday, March 1: Sanford Center, Bemidji

Saturday, March 2: Clyde Irons Events Center, Duluth

Sunday, March 3: Red Carpet, St. Cloud

Monday, March 4: Verizon Wireless Center Ballroom, Mankato

Tuesday, March 5: First Avenue, Minneapolis

Tickets for the Welcome to Minnesota tour this Friday, and ticket info will be available on Rhymesayers' site.

As with past years, the artists who are performing as part of the Welcome to Minnesota tour also collaborated on a new track. You can hear that new song, "It Ain't the Prettiest," featuring Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Haphduzn, and Carnage, right here:

While chatting with the Morning Show today, Slug also mentioned that he's taking a break from touring nationally to work on a new record, which he says he's "knee deep in" now. Hear the full conversation with Slug, which includes talk of the new tour, new track, his toddler and more in the audio clip below.

Related:

• Atmosphere performs live in the Current studios (February 2012)

• Atmosphere performs live in the Current studios (April 2011)

• Atmosphere performs live in the Current studios (April 2008)