Minneapolis' ever-popular indie-rap group Atmosphere is making its way through Mankato, Rochester, St. Cloud and even Bemidji this week on a tour that might be the final confirmation that hip-hop is no longer just "urban" music.

Tuesday night in Mankato, Atmosphere launched its Welcome to Minnesota Tour, a five-city winter trek targeting corners of the state where fans previously had to travel to the Twin Cities to see the group perform. "Instead of these fans having to drive to see us, we're finally coming to them," Atmosphere rapper Slug said before Tuesday's concert in the Centennial Student Union ballroom at Minnesota State University. "They can arrive on their snowmobiles this time if they want."

The idea for the tour -- which will culminate in front of 3,000 fans Saturday in Duluth -- had been incubating for several years. It finally came to life with the help of social media and independent ticket-sale sites, two areas that Atmosphere and its Minneapolis-based record label, Rhymesayers Entertainment, have mastered.

Hanging out before the concert "backstage" -- a blah-looking conference room built for science and math majors, not rappers -- the members of Atmosphere joked about getting in some ice-fishing on the tour, and their only options for after-parties are "watching cartoons on the tour bus."

When the bass vibrations during soundcheck shook off several light fixtures from the ceiling in the student union, quips were also made about whether Mankato was really built for hip-hop.

But the musicians sounded quite serious about the tour. Mankato, Duluth and St. Cloud were all name-checked in Atmosphere's 2003 song, "Shhh," which became something of an anthem for Midwest hip-hop. Slug said the tour also ties in with the concept behind Atmosphere's upcoming album, "The Family Sign," since the songs are "all about family and the places and people that make us who we are."

This week's snowstorm did send a chill through the musicians and had them questioning their logic. Said Slug, "Next time, I think we'll do it in the summer."

"Why not have Mankato on the tour T-shirts from here on out, next to, say, Boise?"

The Academy Awards are on Sunday, which means that the Oscars of the food world are not far away. The James Beard Foundation has announced the semifinalists in its 2011 restaurant and chef award categories, and the results are peppered with plenty of Minnesota names in seven categories.

Midwest semifinalists for Best Chef include Isaac Becker of 112 Eatery, Erik Anderson of Sea Change, Doug Flicker of Piccolo, Lenny Russo of Heartland and Russell Klein of Meritage. The five chefs share the category with 15 others from Wisconsin, Iowa, North Dakota, Nebraska and Missouri (for the complete list, go to www.jamesbeard.org). Minneapolis chefs have won this category for the past two years: Tim McKee of La Belle Vie in 2009, and Alex Roberts of Restaurant Alma in 2010.

In the national categories, La Belle Vie is in the running for two awards: Outstanding Service and Outstanding Restaurant. Piccolo landed a second spot, in the Best New Restaurant category.

Michelle Gayer of the Salty Tart was recognized in Outstanding Pastry Chef. Sameh Wadi of Saffron is up for Rising Star Chef of the Year, which honors chefs ages 30 and under. Richard and Larry D'Amico of D'Amico & Partners (D'Amico Kitchen, Masa, Cafe Lurcat and Bar Lurcat, Campiello, Parma 8200 and the company's D'Amico & Sons chain) made the cut in Outstanding Restaurateur (as did Steven Ells, founder of the Chipotle chain).

What was filmmaker and lowbrow tastemaker John Waters doing at Walker Art Center last Thursday? The cult auteur met with Walker staffers in some kind of consulting capacity, but that's about all we could find out when we called Christopher James, new head of PR there. James confirmed that Waters spent the day "meeting with staff," but offered no additonal details, saying "we will have more specifics next week."

We heard that Waters was weighing in on museum practices, including floating the idea of a progressive admission price that would lower the entry fee based on how long a patron remained in the building.

Absent any solid information, the mind races. Will we see a show dedicated to the late Divine, the hefty drag diva who starred in many of Waters' movies, and his legendary costars Mink Stole and Edith Massey? A towering statue of Divine in her "Pink Flamingos" outfit in the Sculpture Garden? How about a Friday-night party themed around a TV teen dance party, a la "Hairspray?" We'll let you know when we find out more.

Well, kids, the results are officially in. Vita.mn is pleased to announce the 4onthefloor, Longshot and Pictures of Then as the finalists in this year's Are You Local? contest. The three will play Vita.mn's SXSW Sendoff Showcase on March 4 at the Varsity Theater along with Jeremy Messersmith, Phantom Tails and Ben Weaver. The victor that night will win a slot in our MN Showcase on March 19 at the annual Austin, Texas, music fest. Thanks to all 190-plus bands for competing, and be sure to root for your favorite act on the 4th.

Hey, Mayor Coleman, Jam Productions and Roy Wilkins Auditorium representatives: If Taste of Minnesota isn't coming back this summer -- or even if it is -- the just-announced July 3 show by rock darlings the Black Keys and Cage the Elephant at Roy Wilkins Auditorium should absolutely be moved to Harriet Island. I'll hold the usual slams against the Wilkins, which hipsters and soundmen have gotten used to again after excellent 2010 shows by Arcade Fire, LCD Soundsystem, the Flaming Lips, etc. Even if the gig had been booked at the nicest venue in town, it's still cruel and unusual punishment to make rock fans go indoors for a concert on Independence Day weekend if there's a scenic riverside concert site sitting unused. The Keys played to 50,000 elbow-to-elbow fans outside at the Austin City Limits Festival last year, so they could handle 10,000 or so on Harriet Island. Let's make this happen.

It's time again to tee-up for charity at the sixth annual Pub and Putt Classic. The popular pub crawl and food drive (this year's event filled up in one minute) takes teams of mini-golfers through a course spread out through the bars of the Warehouse District. In the past, holes have ranged from challenging to obscene (kudos to Bootleggers' intricate phallic glory of '08.) Don your best pair of knickers or whatever other ridiculous costume you have lying around and putt the day away. Not registered? You can still hang out and enjoy the food and drink specials. Noon-10 p.m. Sat 2/26, www.pubandputt.com.