Re: Little Brother - Get Back (Instrumentals)
THX
THX
Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchange 2
- Thread starter BobbySteelz
- Start date
Re: Little Brother - Get Back (Instrumentals)
yeah, fiinding this album made my week
yeah, fiinding this album made my week
Re: Little Brother - Get Back (Instrumentals)
thanx...
thanx...
Re: Little Brother - Get Back (Instrumentals)
DA GUY IN DA BACKGROUND IS SAYING SUMN ELSE. CANT MAKE IT OUT BUT HERE'S WHERE DA SINGER SAYS IT
[Chorus]
[singing Interlude]
Uhh~! Everybody thinks I'm crazy
Cause I don't do what they do
Cell phones stop ringin at night
I'm thinkin - where are my bitches!
Nobody wants to see you when you're down and out
These niggaz gon' turn their backs on you
Wish that they could see me now
http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/little_b/getback/extrahrd.bro.txt
DA GUY IN DA BACKGROUND IS SAYING SUMN ELSE. CANT MAKE IT OUT BUT HERE'S WHERE DA SINGER SAYS IT
[Chorus]
[singing Interlude]
Uhh~! Everybody thinks I'm crazy
Cause I don't do what they do
Cell phones stop ringin at night
I'm thinkin - where are my bitches!
Nobody wants to see you when you're down and out
These niggaz gon' turn their backs on you
Wish that they could see me now
http://www.ohhla.com/anonymous/little_b/getback/extrahrd.bro.txt
Re: **Little Brother - Get Back [Retail/GroupRip][2007]**
Full props to:
- TRE2K4
Full props to:
- TRE2K4
LITTLE BROTHER INSTRUMENTALS
01. Sirens
02. Can't Win For Losing
03. Breakin My Heart
04. Good Clothes
05. After The Party
06. Extra Hard
07. Step It Up
08. Two Step Blues
09. That Ain't Love
10. Dreams
11. When Everything Is New
http://rapidshare.com/files/71475264/get_on.rar
Little Brother "The Listening" instrumental LP
01 Morning
02 For You
03 Speed
04 Whatever You Say
05 The Yo-Yo
06 Shorty on the Lookout
07 Shorty's Reprise
08 Love Joint Revisited
09 So Fabulous
10 The Way You Do It
11 Away From Me
12 Nobody But You
13 Home
14 Nighttime Manuevers
15 The Listening
http://rapidshare.com/files/72143084/Little_Brother_-_The_Listening_Instrumentals.zip
Little Brother "The Minstrel Show" instrumental LP
01 Welcome to the Minstrel Show
02 Beautiful Morning
03 The Becoming
04 Not Enough
05 Hiding Place
06 Slow It Down
07 Say It Again
08 Lovin' It
09 All For You
10 Watch Me
11 Sincerely Yours
12 Still Lives Through
13 Minstrel Show Closing Theme
14 We Got Now
http://rapidshare.com/files/72146338/Little_Brother_-_The_Minstrel_Show__Instrumentals_.zip
http://rapidshare.com/files/72158183/va-little_brother-the_minstrel_show_samples-2005-cms_int.zip
1. “The Getaway”
2. “System”
3. “Next Day”
4. “Please Stand By”
http://rapidshare.com/files/72147312/Getback_Extra_Track.rar
Re: Little Brother - Get Back (Instrumentals)
Big ups, Tre2K4.
Big ups, Tre2K4.
Re: Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchan
Big ups to WMJJ47 + SCORP1970:
Greenville + Charlotte, NC represent. Outside J-League associate/affiliate Supa' in the house!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supastition
http://www.myspace.com/supastition
http://www.supastition.com
Big ups to WMJJ47 + SCORP1970:
Greenville + Charlotte, NC represent. Outside J-League associate/affiliate Supa' in the house!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supastition
http://www.myspace.com/supastition
http://www.supastition.com
Re: Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchan
Full props to HYDROHIGH for blessin' the fam' with the J-LEAGUE heat.
KHRYSIS - ON THE BOARDS WITH THE HEAT (Instrumentals Package):
Full props to HYDROHIGH for blessin' the fam' with the J-LEAGUE heat.
KHRYSIS - ON THE BOARDS WITH THE HEAT (Instrumentals Package):
This is ill, so if you're still sleeping on him, cut that bullshit out right muthafuckin now ! Highly recommended !!!
Tracklisting:
1. "Intro"
2. "Too Real - Rapper Big Pooh"
3. "Non Sense - Jean Grae"
4. "Watch Me - Little Brother"
5. "I'm A Star - L.E.G.A.C.Y."
6. "Now - Big Pooh"
7. "Praises Due - Ceasar Comanche"
8. "Da Grind - Masta Ace"
9. "Onion Head - Sean Price"
10. "Bye Bye - Sean Price"
11. "Door To My Life - Joe Scudda"
12. "Live Life - Rapper Big Pooh"
13. "Too Long - L.E.G.A.C.Y."
14. "Let's Go - Chaundon"
15. "Who's That - HOJ"
16. "Rockin It - Ceasar Comanche"
17. "Freestyle Shit - Jean Grae"
18. "PX2 Intro - THETHYRDAY"
19. "Lights Out - The Away Team"
20. "Pure - L.E.G.A.C.Y."
21. "Turn It Up - Skyzoo"
22. "Doin Me - Little Brother"
23. "The End Of The Day - The Away Team"
24. "2 Sided Coin Remix - Median"
25. "Back In Time - Edgar Allen Floe"
26. "Real Good - Yahzarah"
27. "The Jam - Jean Grae"
28. "The Grind - Ceasar Comanche"
29. "On The Line - The Away Team"
30. "Come On Down - The Away Team"
31. "Fuck Everybody - Chaundon"
32. "I Don't Care - Rapper Big Pooh"
33. "Bad Habbits - Joe Scudda"
34. "The Death List - L.E.G.A.C.Y."
35. "The Shining - The Away Team"
36. "The Game - Jean Grae, Jeanius"
37. "Tour of Duty - HOJ"
38. "Monkey See Monkey Do - The A.L.L.I.E.S."
39. "Just Friends - Rapper Big Pooh"
40. "The Fever - Rapper Big Pooh"
41. "Outro"
http://rapidshare.com/files/43266553/Khry.rar
Re: Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchan
Anybody got that 9th Wonder .. the Wonder years album?
Anybody got that 9th Wonder .. the Wonder years album?
Re: Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchan
These dudes are fire
These dudes are fire
Re: Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchan
MEDIAN
Median's Relief
"How Big is your World?"
Production: 9th Wonder
2007
One of my fave cuts in YEARS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QSqU_7Iay8
[FLASH]http://www.youtube.com/v/_QSqU_7Iay8[/FLASH]
MEDIAN
Median's Relief
"How Big is your World?"
Production: 9th Wonder
2007
One of my fave cuts in YEARS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QSqU_7Iay8
[FLASH]http://www.youtube.com/v/_QSqU_7Iay8[/FLASH]
Re: Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchan
MEDIAN'S RELIEF IN THE MAKING - 2007
MIXED BY DJ LOW KEY
HOSTED BY 9TH WONDER:
http://www.djlowkey.com/Medians_Relief_In_The_Making.zip
http://www.djlowkey.com/
http://blacksheepsound.blogspot.com/2007/07/medians-relief-in-making-2007.html
http://blacksheepsound.blogspot.com/
http://www.halftooth.com
http://www.hiphoppick.com/
http://www.hiphoppick.com/index.php?category=Mixtapes
01. 9th Wonder Intro
02. Median - Comfortable (prod. by 9th Wonder)
03. Foreign Exchange - All That You Are feat. Median (Original Mix/Nicky
Van Halen’s 1987 Monsters of Rock Tour Remix/Nicky Fagan’s Eye Should
Know Better Remix) (prod. by Nicolay)
04. DJ Low Key - Mixing In Action #1 Freestyle feat. Median
05. Median - Doing Dances (prod. by 9th Wonder)
06. Median - Rize feat. LaDehra (prod. by Khrysis)
07. Big Pooh - Scars feat. Median (prod. by 9th Wonder)
08. Median - Golden Ticket feat. Tanya Morgan (prod. by Von Pea)
09. Von Pea Guarantees A Classic
10. Median - Powershift (prod. by Nicolay)
11. Median - M.A.D. (Median Alleviates the Drama) (prod. by 9th Wonder)
12. Cesar Comanche - Get Ready feat. Median (prod. by 9th Wonder)
13. Edgar Allen Floe - The Great Adventure feat. Median & L.E.G.A.C.Y.
(prod. by 9th Wonder)
14. Spectac - Life Ain’t Easy feat. Median (prod. by FortyI)
15. Median - Personified (Remix) (prod. by Khrysis)
16. Median - How Big Is Your World? (prod. by 9th Wonder)
17. Little Brother - Shorty on the Lookout feat. Median (prod. by 9th
Wonder)
18. L.E.G.A.C.Y. - I’m A Star feat. Median, Chaundon & Joe Scudda (prod.
by Khrysis)
19. Kenn Starr - Back At It Again feat. Median (prod. by M-Phazes)
20. Median - Balance (prod. by 9th Wonder)
21. Median - Yeah Right (prod. by Khrysis)
22. Jean Grae – Stories feat. Median (prod. by 9th Wonder)
23. Median - What Would You Do (prod. by Ant B)
24. Median – Straight N Narrow (prod. by Marshall Law)
25. Foreign Exchange - Be Alright feat. Median (Easy Breezy Sunday
Afternoon Remix)(prod. by Nicolay)
26. Median – Maglite (prod. by 9th Wonder)
27. Median - Visionary (prod. by 9th Wonder)
28. 9th Wonder Outro
29. Median – If Then Statement
http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/banners/median_728.gif
http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/index.php?showforum=10
http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/
http://www.thejustusleague.com/
http://www.halftooth.com
http://www.musicremedy.com/webfiles/artists/Median/Median-01-big.jpg
http://www.musicremedy.com/
http://www.netweed.com/nchiphop/justusleague/
http://www.netweed.com/
MEDIAN'S RELIEF IN THE MAKING - 2007
MIXED BY DJ LOW KEY
HOSTED BY 9TH WONDER:
http://www.djlowkey.com/Medians_Relief_In_The_Making.zip
http://www.djlowkey.com/
http://blacksheepsound.blogspot.com/2007/07/medians-relief-in-making-2007.html
http://blacksheepsound.blogspot.com/
http://www.halftooth.com
http://www.hiphoppick.com/
http://www.hiphoppick.com/index.php?category=Mixtapes
01. 9th Wonder Intro
02. Median - Comfortable (prod. by 9th Wonder)
03. Foreign Exchange - All That You Are feat. Median (Original Mix/Nicky
Van Halen’s 1987 Monsters of Rock Tour Remix/Nicky Fagan’s Eye Should
Know Better Remix) (prod. by Nicolay)
04. DJ Low Key - Mixing In Action #1 Freestyle feat. Median
05. Median - Doing Dances (prod. by 9th Wonder)
06. Median - Rize feat. LaDehra (prod. by Khrysis)
07. Big Pooh - Scars feat. Median (prod. by 9th Wonder)
08. Median - Golden Ticket feat. Tanya Morgan (prod. by Von Pea)
09. Von Pea Guarantees A Classic
10. Median - Powershift (prod. by Nicolay)
11. Median - M.A.D. (Median Alleviates the Drama) (prod. by 9th Wonder)
12. Cesar Comanche - Get Ready feat. Median (prod. by 9th Wonder)
13. Edgar Allen Floe - The Great Adventure feat. Median & L.E.G.A.C.Y.
(prod. by 9th Wonder)
14. Spectac - Life Ain’t Easy feat. Median (prod. by FortyI)
15. Median - Personified (Remix) (prod. by Khrysis)
16. Median - How Big Is Your World? (prod. by 9th Wonder)
17. Little Brother - Shorty on the Lookout feat. Median (prod. by 9th
Wonder)
18. L.E.G.A.C.Y. - I’m A Star feat. Median, Chaundon & Joe Scudda (prod.
by Khrysis)
19. Kenn Starr - Back At It Again feat. Median (prod. by M-Phazes)
20. Median - Balance (prod. by 9th Wonder)
21. Median - Yeah Right (prod. by Khrysis)
22. Jean Grae – Stories feat. Median (prod. by 9th Wonder)
23. Median - What Would You Do (prod. by Ant B)
24. Median – Straight N Narrow (prod. by Marshall Law)
25. Foreign Exchange - Be Alright feat. Median (Easy Breezy Sunday
Afternoon Remix)(prod. by Nicolay)
26. Median – Maglite (prod. by 9th Wonder)
27. Median - Visionary (prod. by 9th Wonder)
28. 9th Wonder Outro
29. Median – If Then Statement
http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/banners/median_728.gif
http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/index.php?showforum=10
http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/
http://www.thejustusleague.com/
http://www.halftooth.com
http://www.musicremedy.com/webfiles/artists/Median/Median-01-big.jpg
http://www.musicremedy.com/
http://www.netweed.com/nchiphop/justusleague/
http://www.netweed.com/
Re: Little Brother Mega-Drop!!
Truest words spoken...couldn't have said it better myself
Truest words spoken...couldn't have said it better myself
Re: Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchan
Real hiphop ^ - uppage for this GREAT thread.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzSpynvL9N0
Common - "The Game"
[FLASH]http://www.youtube.com/v/PzSpynvL9N0[/FLASH]
Real hiphop ^ - uppage for this GREAT thread.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzSpynvL9N0
Common - "The Game"
[FLASH]http://www.youtube.com/v/PzSpynvL9N0[/FLASH]
Re: Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchan
Full props to KHRYSIS himself for sending a cat the following tracks for all of ya'll to enjoy on the board. Big ups, Khrys'!
Enjoy the continued real hiphop, fam'.
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/audio/id.4964/title.khrysis-f-median-a-c-get-a-clue
http://www.hiphopdx.com/
(Khrysis feat. Median and AC ~ "Get A Clue")
ALSO ...
THE AWAY TEAM & NERVOUS RECK:
The Warm Up LP Comin' Soon
"Wise Cracks": : http://www.zshare.net/audio/13993621ecbe3268/
"Home Alone": http://www.zshare.net/audio/139937073da44002/
HFunk's Recommended Linkage:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khrysis
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Khrysis
http://www.myspace.com/khrysisbeats
http://www.freehiphopnow.com/features-khrysis.php
http://www.freehiphopnow.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Away_Team_(group)
http://www.theawayteam.com
http://www.myspace.com/theawayteamhoj
http://www.theawayteamonline.com/
http://www.nervousonline.com/index.html
http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/index.php?showtopic=43568&pid=844580&st=0&#entry844580
http://www.thejustusleague.com/
http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/index.php?showforum=10
Full props to KHRYSIS himself for sending a cat the following tracks for all of ya'll to enjoy on the board. Big ups, Khrys'!
Enjoy the continued real hiphop, fam'.
http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/audio/id.4964/title.khrysis-f-median-a-c-get-a-clue
http://www.hiphopdx.com/
(Khrysis feat. Median and AC ~ "Get A Clue")
ALSO ...
THE AWAY TEAM & NERVOUS RECK:
The Warm Up LP Comin' Soon
"Wise Cracks": : http://www.zshare.net/audio/13993621ecbe3268/
"Home Alone": http://www.zshare.net/audio/139937073da44002/
HFunk's Recommended Linkage:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khrysis
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Khrysis
http://www.myspace.com/khrysisbeats
http://www.freehiphopnow.com/features-khrysis.php
http://www.freehiphopnow.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Away_Team_(group)
http://www.theawayteam.com
http://www.myspace.com/theawayteamhoj
http://www.theawayteamonline.com/
http://www.nervousonline.com/index.html
http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/index.php?showtopic=43568&pid=844580&st=0&#entry844580
http://www.thejustusleague.com/
http://www.thejustusleague.com/lawn/index.php?showforum=10
Re: Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchan
Make sure ya'll check out the late-July (free online: search BGOL + Google) release 'SWEET LORD' from 9th and Murs. It's a lead-in (gift for fans) in relation to Murs' eventual lp set for September 30th, 2008 ... MURS FOR PRESIDENT.
Here's a track (#10 of 10) off 'Sweet Lord'.
"MURS INATRA".
Real shit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYFMyInGibY
http://www.mursand9thwonder.com/9thWonderMursSweetLord.zip
http://www.mursand9thwonder.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MURS
http://berkeleyplace.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/9th-wonder-and-murs-sweet-lord-free-project/
http://speakerb0x.blogspot.com/2008/07/9th-wonder-murs-sweet-lord-2008.html
http://speakerb0x.blogspot.com
http://www.mursmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/murs
Make sure ya'll check out the late-July (free online: search BGOL + Google) release 'SWEET LORD' from 9th and Murs. It's a lead-in (gift for fans) in relation to Murs' eventual lp set for September 30th, 2008 ... MURS FOR PRESIDENT.
Here's a track (#10 of 10) off 'Sweet Lord'.
"MURS INATRA".
Real shit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYFMyInGibY
http://www.mursand9thwonder.com/9thWonderMursSweetLord.zip
http://www.mursand9thwonder.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MURS
http://berkeleyplace.wordpress.com/2008/07/25/9th-wonder-and-murs-sweet-lord-free-project/
http://speakerb0x.blogspot.com/2008/07/9th-wonder-murs-sweet-lord-2008.html
http://speakerb0x.blogspot.com
http://www.mursmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/murs
Re: Little Brother Interview: Less workin with 9th Wonder and Phonte's Foreign Exchan
http://4allmyniggaz.blogspot.com/2008/02/justus-league-albums.html
http://4allmyniggaz.blogspot.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Justus_League
http://www.thejustusleague.com/
http://www.hallofjustus.com
http://www.justusleaguerecords.com/
February 15th, 2008 =
"Sexta-feira, 15 de Fevereiro de 2008
Justus League albums...
Justus League - 2K8 Bootleg 2007
01 Little Brother - Good Clothes
02 Legacy - Nice (Remix)
03 Chaundon - N.Y.I.D (Dirty)-Homely
04 9th Wonder Ft Jean Grae Mos Def - Brooklyn In My Mind Crooklyn Dodgers III
05 Supastition - Word Has It 2
06 K Hill Ft K - Slack & J Bully-Once Again
07 Az - Rise and Fall (Feat Little Brother)
08 Emc - What It Stand For (Prod By Nicolay)
09 Kaze Feat. K - Slack-Stick-N-Move
10 Brand New Heavies Ft. Phonte - Sex God (DJ Spinna Remix)
11 Little Brother Ft Carlitta Durand - Life Of The Party
12 Chaundon Ft Mal Demolish - This Is You Rlife
13 Drake Ft Little Brother Dwele - Dont You Have A Man
14 Eternia Torae and Ms Davis - Nowhere No More (Prod By 9th Wonder)
15 Paul Wall - Sittin Sidewayz (9th Wonder Remix)
16 Chaundon - Shine (Prod By 9th Wonder)
17 Little Brother Ft Kardinall Offishall - Rappers Are Still In Danja
18 9th Wonder Ft Royce Da 59 Naledge Vandalyzm - The Last Time
http://rapidshare.com/files/77933928/Justus_League_2k8-Bootleg-2007.rar
JUSTUS LEAGUE - wjlr radio vol. 1
01 - nicolay - beat 1
02 - thyrd day – fantastic
03 - il will - so far
04 - defcon & phonte - almost genuine
05 - chaundon - f u pay me
06 - big pooh - don't speak
07 - median - nation within a nation
08 - thyrd day - rock music
09 - little brother - let's move
10 - nicolay - beat 2
11 - busy signals - fresh like cear gel
12 - i plus i - love.life.music (nicolay remix)
13 - thyrd day – memories
14 - khrysis - get paid
15 - phonte – apologies
16 - sean boog - u express
17 - kevin h ill - a letter to sick
18 - slack - broken angel
19 - chaundon - far away
20 - big pooh - heart of the city
21 - thyrd day - keep shinin
22 - median - median alleviates the drama
23 - spectac - that's us (9th wonder remix)
24 - busy signals - buckle down (feat har mar superstar & phonte)
25 - thyrd day – superstars
28 - common - i gotta right ta (nicolay remix)
http://rapidshare.com/files/5713596/justus_league_-_wjlr_radio_vol._1.zip.html
JUSTUS LEAGUE mixtapes:
Boot Camp Clik & Justus League - NC To Bucktown
http://rapidshare.com/files/78685022/NC_To_Bucktown.rar
N.C. State Of Mind Disc 1
http://rapidshare.com/files/78706570/NC_State_of_Mind_Disc_1.rar
N.C. State Of Mind Disc 2
http://rapidshare.com/files/78709651/NC_State_of_Mind_Disc_2.rar
The Singles Files
http://rapidshare.com/files/78695635/Hall_Of_Justus_presents_The_Singles_Files.rar
Triple Play
http://rapidshare.com/files/78461967/Triple_Play.rar "
http://4allmyniggaz.blogspot.com/2008/02/justus-league-albums.html
http://4allmyniggaz.blogspot.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Justus_League
http://www.thejustusleague.com/
http://www.hallofjustus.com
http://www.justusleaguerecords.com/
February 15th, 2008 =
"Sexta-feira, 15 de Fevereiro de 2008
Justus League albums...
Justus League - 2K8 Bootleg 2007
01 Little Brother - Good Clothes
02 Legacy - Nice (Remix)
03 Chaundon - N.Y.I.D (Dirty)-Homely
04 9th Wonder Ft Jean Grae Mos Def - Brooklyn In My Mind Crooklyn Dodgers III
05 Supastition - Word Has It 2
06 K Hill Ft K - Slack & J Bully-Once Again
07 Az - Rise and Fall (Feat Little Brother)
08 Emc - What It Stand For (Prod By Nicolay)
09 Kaze Feat. K - Slack-Stick-N-Move
10 Brand New Heavies Ft. Phonte - Sex God (DJ Spinna Remix)
11 Little Brother Ft Carlitta Durand - Life Of The Party
12 Chaundon Ft Mal Demolish - This Is You Rlife
13 Drake Ft Little Brother Dwele - Dont You Have A Man
14 Eternia Torae and Ms Davis - Nowhere No More (Prod By 9th Wonder)
15 Paul Wall - Sittin Sidewayz (9th Wonder Remix)
16 Chaundon - Shine (Prod By 9th Wonder)
17 Little Brother Ft Kardinall Offishall - Rappers Are Still In Danja
18 9th Wonder Ft Royce Da 59 Naledge Vandalyzm - The Last Time
http://rapidshare.com/files/77933928/Justus_League_2k8-Bootleg-2007.rar
JUSTUS LEAGUE - wjlr radio vol. 1
01 - nicolay - beat 1
02 - thyrd day – fantastic
03 - il will - so far
04 - defcon & phonte - almost genuine
05 - chaundon - f u pay me
06 - big pooh - don't speak
07 - median - nation within a nation
08 - thyrd day - rock music
09 - little brother - let's move
10 - nicolay - beat 2
11 - busy signals - fresh like cear gel
12 - i plus i - love.life.music (nicolay remix)
13 - thyrd day – memories
14 - khrysis - get paid
15 - phonte – apologies
16 - sean boog - u express
17 - kevin h ill - a letter to sick
18 - slack - broken angel
19 - chaundon - far away
20 - big pooh - heart of the city
21 - thyrd day - keep shinin
22 - median - median alleviates the drama
23 - spectac - that's us (9th wonder remix)
24 - busy signals - buckle down (feat har mar superstar & phonte)
25 - thyrd day – superstars
28 - common - i gotta right ta (nicolay remix)
http://rapidshare.com/files/5713596/justus_league_-_wjlr_radio_vol._1.zip.html
JUSTUS LEAGUE mixtapes:
Boot Camp Clik & Justus League - NC To Bucktown
http://rapidshare.com/files/78685022/NC_To_Bucktown.rar
N.C. State Of Mind Disc 1
http://rapidshare.com/files/78706570/NC_State_of_Mind_Disc_1.rar
N.C. State Of Mind Disc 2
http://rapidshare.com/files/78709651/NC_State_of_Mind_Disc_2.rar
The Singles Files
http://rapidshare.com/files/78695635/Hall_Of_Justus_presents_The_Singles_Files.rar
Triple Play
http://rapidshare.com/files/78461967/Triple_Play.rar "
Little Brother Can’t Be Erased
By Craig Jenkins@CraigSJ
Over time, the story of Little Brother (Phonte and Big Pooh) settled as a great idea that suffered for thinking a few paces ahead of the music-business structure that received it. Photo: Courtesy of Antoine Jameson
Little Brother had to grow up quickly. The North Carolina group made waves in independent hip-hop with airtight beats and rhymes on its 2003 debut, The Listening, a high watermark rapper Phonte would go on to describe on the followup, 2005’s The Minstrel Show, as “a classic album motherfuckers couldn’t find.” Phonte, his partner-in-rhyme Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder jumped the chasm from internet and underground notoriety to a mainstream-label deal before the move became the most well-trodden career path for rappers. Through rhymes about sticking to their guns and interludes sending up consumerism, The Minstrel Show posted prescient criticism of hip-hop culture from inside the scene. The base loved the album, but the partnership with Atlantic Records didn’t succeed at growing the group’s profile. Minstrel Show only got one video, the plainly ironic party-rap scene staged for the lead single, “Lovin’ It,” that BET inexplicably refused to play. The album stalled out low on the Billboard 200, and the group left Atlantic.
2007’s GetBack saw Phonte and Big Pooh soldier on as a duo as 9th departed to produce and cultivate other artists, like the gifted North Carolina native Rapsody. The turn in the group’s good fortune drew out a certain gloom in songs like “Can’t Win for Losing,” “Breakin’ My Heart” with Lil Wayne, and “Dreams,” where Phonte darkly sings, “Momma, I got dreams, but dreams don’t keep the lights on.” The same year, the group guested on a song by Canadian actor Aubrey Graham, who’d begun moonlighting as a mixtape rapper under his middle name, Drake. In two years, most working rappers would kill to have songs with Drake and Lil Wayne on the résumé. (The Drake connection is a point of interest this week, as the Toronto star was honored by the New York Times for having been instrumental in merging rapping and singing in modern hip-hop in this decade, and Little Brother fans — and Phonte himself — were quick to point out that Drake learned a lot of that from Phonte.) Little Brother was ahead of its time, but prescience isn’t necessarily a road to riches. In 2010, the duo split; Phonte and Big Pooh would spend most of the rest of the decade releasing a string of solo and collaborative albums separately.
Over time, the story of Little Brother settled as a great idea that suffered for thinking a few paces ahead of the music-business structure that received it. The busier Pooh and Phonte got, the more a reunion looked like a pipe dream. The group’s newest chapter is a perfect sequence of unlikely windfalls. After an impromptu reunion gig, the two found themselves reconnecting alone as friends and, for the first time in years, sparring partners on record. This summer’s May the Lord Watch is an improbable comeback on several fronts. It’s the rare reunion record that preserves what made the group great in its original run, from wizened raps to euphoric soul chops underneath to skits that reprise characters and concepts from The Minstrel Show, without sounding dated or grouchy. Lord Watch is a function of personal growth and musical refinement, but it wouldn’t work unless the spark between both players had successfully been rekindled.
On a late August afternoon in the Vulture office, I can hear the creative chemistry. In person, Pooh and Phonte flesh out each other’s ideas and finish each other’s punchlines, same as they do on record. We spoke about Little Brother paving new career paths at the dawn of the digital era and returning after nearly a decade apart to find a legion of admirers in unexpected places.
When you spend a decade working on solo stuff, different projects, and other groups, is it tricky getting back into the old working process or is it like when visiting a college friend and slipping back into patterns?
Phonte: It was the closest experience for me to doing our first record, because we did it in obscurity. Once you make your first album, your life is never really the same. After that, everyone is either anticipating your next record or they’re always tracking to see what’s going to come next. No one even knew we were working on this. There’s people on the album who didn’t fucking know they were going on the album.
We were able to spend a lot of time together just bonding. We recorded the whole album in a home studio. I would go up there and be like, “All right, I’m here for four days,” and the first day, we never worked. We shot the shit. We listened to other music. We watched TV shows. I must say … I must thank the R. Kelly Good Morning America interview for getting us through.
Big Pooh: That supplied so much.
P: So much comedy! There were so many times in the studio where we’d be tired as shit, just out of it, and we’d pull clips of that interview. [mocks R. Kelly’s voice] “Hey, guys, use your common sense!” “They say I got five, 11, 50 girls!?” That shit deserves an Emmy. Are you shitting me?
Talk to me about coming at the legacy with a fresh perspective. There’s something in the album for the old fans, but the angle feels modern.
P: Our idea was, “What does Little Brother sound like in 2019?” We ain’t trying to take it back because, n—-, I don’t want to go back there. You don’t want it to be like you’re asking someone to tune into season 12 of a TV show. You mean to tell me I gotta watch 11 seasons of some shit … to get this shit? Hell no. In putting the production together, we really wanted to encompass what we sound like now and that certain feeling that people look for in Little Brother records. But at the same time, we were very adamant that this wasn’t a nostalgia play. If we wanted to make a nostalgia play, we could just remaster our old shit and go and perform the old shit.
One of the big conversations we had early on was that if you’re going to do a “comeback” record, you have to show that you still have something to say. It’s not a money grab for us. We’re doing this seriously because we want to, not because “If we don’t do this record, I’m gonna lose my house.” We could really focus on getting it right rather than looking at the financial windfall.
How have you managed to get older in rap without getting grouchy in it?
BP: Don’t nobody want to hear nobody stand up on no soapbox preaching, man. The game changes too fast. You can be mad at kids for doing certain things they’re doing, but it was motherfuckers mad at us for doing shit we were doing, and there were motherfuckers mad at them before that. It’s just how things evolve. We’re not gonna complain about what we feel is not right. We’re just going to show you what is right from our perspective. That’s what we do. We do the work. We put good tape out, as the saying goes.
To be the first one through the door is a sacrifice. We ain’t get the glory, but we were the lead blockers that cleared out the hole.
P: I look at records as where we are now. I like to think of ourselves as giving young rappers a look around the corner. I would like us to look at someone like [2020 Grammy Best Rap Album nominee] YBN Cordae, and for Cordae to look at us and say, “You know what, I’m 21, 22 now, but there’s a lane for me if I want to do this at 40. There’s a way I can do this, still have bars, still do me, still be authentic, and not be corny. I can grow older but not necessarily get old.” Hip-hop is still a relatively young art form. We’re still figuring out what it means to be an older rapper. People always point to Jay-Z, like, “He said …” N—-, he rich. That don’t count. Rich n—-s can do whatever. If Warren Buffett wanted to drop a rap album, he could do it. You’re gonna listen to it. Everybody wants to hear from a rich n—-. If that ain’t your station in life, you have to go at it another way. Hopefully we can give a blueprint to show that you can mature, you can grow older, and you can be true to yourself but not be crotchety. There’s a way you can settle into that moment and still be dope and be profitable and have things to say.
When trap started taking off, there was this impression that all of a sudden you couldn’t necessarily have a huge career off just meat-and-potatoes bars and beats, but there’s a lot of art in this decade, yours included, that’s showing how you can keep an audience without chasing the pulse of the mainstream.
P: Boom bap is like a white T-shirt and black jeans and a black leather jacket.
BP: That’s a staple.
P: There’s an outfit you got in your closet that’s like, “N—-, this ’fit gonna get off in 2019, and it’s gonna go off in 2039.” Now, that throwback jersey you bought from ’02? That’s outta here.
BP: I think people mistake being successful for what’s trending. If you’re not doing what’s popular now, then you’re not successful.
P: No industry works like that.
BP: I may not be doing the most popular thing, but I still can be very successful doing what I’m doing. So yeah, trap is still the sound, but there’s successful artists that don’t do trap. Trap is what’s put in front of you, but this is the playlist era. Everybody has their own radio stations that they personally curate every day. I know people that you never heard of with millions of views, millions of plays.
That’s kind of freeing. You used to have to rely on one outlet but now everyone is their own outlet, and you just have to make sure you reach enough people to sustain yourself.
BP: It’s about discovery. What are you going to do to set yourself apart to get discovered so people can listen?
P: I was doing press last year for [sophomore solo album] No News Is Good News. The dude interviewing me was like, “Tell people where we can find your album.” I was like, “N—-, y’all got my album! You got a phone in your pocket? You got my album!” I’m just trying to guide you to it. It’s like U2. You got that iPhone? It’s there. [laughs] I’m not trying to hear goddamn Bono in the carpool. These motherfuckers had spyware on my phone.
You were one of the early rap groups to make good on an internet following, but I feel like when you got to the crossroads to pivot into the mainstream, the pathway hadn’t been paved yet. The labels couldn’t figure you out. Did it frustrate you seeing artists come along after The Minstrel Show and have an easier time with that?
P: It was a little frustrating, not that we were frustrated with those artists that came after us like Lupe and even more modern people like J. Cole, Kendrick, Drake, all those guys in that lane. [We were] lining up first to be second. To be the first one through the door is a sacrifice. We ain’t get the glory, but we were the lead blockers that cleared out the hole. Now, there are resources available to us that just weren’t available back then. We only had, like, two videos in our whole career.
A lot of us were mad about that.
P: We came on board before what I call the Rik Cordero era, where n—-s started shooting shit on a [Canon] 7D, when it was literally just a 7D and a laptop playing the song, and from the outside, it looked like damn Funky Finger Productions. At the time, when we were on Atlantic, we shot out first video for “Loving It” for $65,000. You can shoot a goddamn movie for 65 G’s now. But at that time, there was no Instagram even. Me and Pooh have this conversation all the time: What is the value of a video? Videos used to be a way for your audience to see you, because artists were inaccessible at the time. But now, you see me every day. I’m on IG stories, n—-. I’m on goddamn Snap. I’m on Twitter. Is it worth it me paying $10,000 or whatever to shoot this video, or do I just let some bars go in my car? Which one has more value than the other in 2019? I really can’t say one is more valuable. So yeah, it was frustrating at first, but now, all this shit is a wasteland now. Everybody’s just trying to figure this shit out and make some noise, so the playing field is somewhat level now.
How different would rap history be if we had a way to track the music people were listening to but not necessarily buying a few years earlier than we learned to? There’s a big gap between the start of the digital era, when the streaming sites pop up, and when the charts start tracking them. I’m wondering if we would have different movers and shakers in power now.
P: People say, “Beyoncé’s the biggest star ever, bigger than Michael Jackson, bigger than whatever, whatever.” All love to Beyoncé, but you’re talking about two different eras. Thriller sold like 30 million copies.
Well, they didn’t have a way to bootleg it.
P: Let me be clear about something: that’s 30 million n—-s that got up and left their house. There was an investment. This is not the same as your six-year-old streaming “Old Town Road” all day on their phone. There’s a deeper level of engagement there. It’s like … homie, we got to talk apples to apples. What constitutes as engagement now versus what did back then? So yeah, it would be a lot different, in terms of what gets streamed or consumed versus what actually has staying power, what actually indicates investment. Me and Pooh know a lot of cats that have the streaming numbers, but these n—-s can’t sell out S.O.B.’s.
BP: You killing it with these streams, but would people really go out, if they had to, and buy the record? Times are different because you’re just leasing music now. You don’t even own it. Most people don’t download songs. They download the stream but not the album. I’ve seen the number breakdowns. We have a joke: Is this old math or new math?
P: Y’all out here juking the stats. “We got a platinum-selling record!” Really? Old math or new math? It’s more transient. They ain’t sell but 900 copies, but they’ll have 10 million streams.
Do you think that major labels have gotten better with cultivating hip-hop talent than they were in your situation?
BP: Hell naw! The day of the A&R who actually does anything but push papers — and I know there’s still some good A&R’s out there, so I don’t want to trash everybody — but the day of the A&R as we know it is dead.
P: Strippers are A&Rs now.
And bartenders.
BP: They see what’s popping. They sign it because it’s already popping. They have the movement. They already have the buzz and the foundation. It’s like, “We’re just gonna put some money into what you’re doing already.” That’s why, if you’ve noticed, a lot of acts don’t even sign straight to the label. They’re signing through production companies. So the label is doing less but taking more.
P: So, to answer the question … is it better than it was back then? Nah. This shit is worse.
BP: We got caught right before the transition. It’s crazy because we didn’t even have an A&R.
P: We had finished Minstrel Show, turned the record in, came in [to the label’s office] for a meeting.
BP: [And that’s when] an A&R checked in with us. Labels … first they were fighting [the internet], and then they found a way to win.
They found where the money was.
BP: They gon’ always do that.
There’s a line in your new song “All in a Day” that goes, “Shoulders tired from holding my sons / And my hands are tired from holding my tongue.” Talk about starting this group to carry on a tradition, and then watching your own influence filter down into another generation.
P: It’s like genetics. You and your wife could have a kid, and this kid comes from both of you, but you don’t know what they’re going to take from each parent, or what is coming out of the bloodline. “Where the fuck did you get them green eyes from? Are you the mailman’s kid?” “Oh no baby, my great great granddaddy had green eyes.” It’s sort of like that. We made these records not knowing where they would land when we were younger, and now we’re seeing the offspring, again like a Cordae or a Drake or like the homie Casey Veggies.
Are you hearing people come out of the woodwork now that there’s a new album out?
P: Oh boy. What a difference a rollout makes. It’s like, I didn’t even know y’all were listening. In the past, cats were somewhat loath to give us those props, because they don’t want to show their hand. They don’t want to show where their Frank Lucas connection is. They don’t wanna show where they get the dope from direct. They don’t wanna give up the plug. But this go-round, cats are way more generous, and the feeling that they’re expressing is, “Man, they’re happy to have y’all back.” I’m like … “I didn’t know y’all n—-s knew we were gone.” This time I feel very different. The outpouring of people hitting us up … that shit is wild. When you let art go, you don’t know where it’s gonna go.
www.vulture.com
By Craig Jenkins@CraigSJ
Over time, the story of Little Brother (Phonte and Big Pooh) settled as a great idea that suffered for thinking a few paces ahead of the music-business structure that received it. Photo: Courtesy of Antoine Jameson
Little Brother had to grow up quickly. The North Carolina group made waves in independent hip-hop with airtight beats and rhymes on its 2003 debut, The Listening, a high watermark rapper Phonte would go on to describe on the followup, 2005’s The Minstrel Show, as “a classic album motherfuckers couldn’t find.” Phonte, his partner-in-rhyme Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder jumped the chasm from internet and underground notoriety to a mainstream-label deal before the move became the most well-trodden career path for rappers. Through rhymes about sticking to their guns and interludes sending up consumerism, The Minstrel Show posted prescient criticism of hip-hop culture from inside the scene. The base loved the album, but the partnership with Atlantic Records didn’t succeed at growing the group’s profile. Minstrel Show only got one video, the plainly ironic party-rap scene staged for the lead single, “Lovin’ It,” that BET inexplicably refused to play. The album stalled out low on the Billboard 200, and the group left Atlantic.
2007’s GetBack saw Phonte and Big Pooh soldier on as a duo as 9th departed to produce and cultivate other artists, like the gifted North Carolina native Rapsody. The turn in the group’s good fortune drew out a certain gloom in songs like “Can’t Win for Losing,” “Breakin’ My Heart” with Lil Wayne, and “Dreams,” where Phonte darkly sings, “Momma, I got dreams, but dreams don’t keep the lights on.” The same year, the group guested on a song by Canadian actor Aubrey Graham, who’d begun moonlighting as a mixtape rapper under his middle name, Drake. In two years, most working rappers would kill to have songs with Drake and Lil Wayne on the résumé. (The Drake connection is a point of interest this week, as the Toronto star was honored by the New York Times for having been instrumental in merging rapping and singing in modern hip-hop in this decade, and Little Brother fans — and Phonte himself — were quick to point out that Drake learned a lot of that from Phonte.) Little Brother was ahead of its time, but prescience isn’t necessarily a road to riches. In 2010, the duo split; Phonte and Big Pooh would spend most of the rest of the decade releasing a string of solo and collaborative albums separately.
Over time, the story of Little Brother settled as a great idea that suffered for thinking a few paces ahead of the music-business structure that received it. The busier Pooh and Phonte got, the more a reunion looked like a pipe dream. The group’s newest chapter is a perfect sequence of unlikely windfalls. After an impromptu reunion gig, the two found themselves reconnecting alone as friends and, for the first time in years, sparring partners on record. This summer’s May the Lord Watch is an improbable comeback on several fronts. It’s the rare reunion record that preserves what made the group great in its original run, from wizened raps to euphoric soul chops underneath to skits that reprise characters and concepts from The Minstrel Show, without sounding dated or grouchy. Lord Watch is a function of personal growth and musical refinement, but it wouldn’t work unless the spark between both players had successfully been rekindled.
On a late August afternoon in the Vulture office, I can hear the creative chemistry. In person, Pooh and Phonte flesh out each other’s ideas and finish each other’s punchlines, same as they do on record. We spoke about Little Brother paving new career paths at the dawn of the digital era and returning after nearly a decade apart to find a legion of admirers in unexpected places.
When you spend a decade working on solo stuff, different projects, and other groups, is it tricky getting back into the old working process or is it like when visiting a college friend and slipping back into patterns?
Phonte: It was the closest experience for me to doing our first record, because we did it in obscurity. Once you make your first album, your life is never really the same. After that, everyone is either anticipating your next record or they’re always tracking to see what’s going to come next. No one even knew we were working on this. There’s people on the album who didn’t fucking know they were going on the album.
We were able to spend a lot of time together just bonding. We recorded the whole album in a home studio. I would go up there and be like, “All right, I’m here for four days,” and the first day, we never worked. We shot the shit. We listened to other music. We watched TV shows. I must say … I must thank the R. Kelly Good Morning America interview for getting us through.
Big Pooh: That supplied so much.
P: So much comedy! There were so many times in the studio where we’d be tired as shit, just out of it, and we’d pull clips of that interview. [mocks R. Kelly’s voice] “Hey, guys, use your common sense!” “They say I got five, 11, 50 girls!?” That shit deserves an Emmy. Are you shitting me?
Talk to me about coming at the legacy with a fresh perspective. There’s something in the album for the old fans, but the angle feels modern.
P: Our idea was, “What does Little Brother sound like in 2019?” We ain’t trying to take it back because, n—-, I don’t want to go back there. You don’t want it to be like you’re asking someone to tune into season 12 of a TV show. You mean to tell me I gotta watch 11 seasons of some shit … to get this shit? Hell no. In putting the production together, we really wanted to encompass what we sound like now and that certain feeling that people look for in Little Brother records. But at the same time, we were very adamant that this wasn’t a nostalgia play. If we wanted to make a nostalgia play, we could just remaster our old shit and go and perform the old shit.
One of the big conversations we had early on was that if you’re going to do a “comeback” record, you have to show that you still have something to say. It’s not a money grab for us. We’re doing this seriously because we want to, not because “If we don’t do this record, I’m gonna lose my house.” We could really focus on getting it right rather than looking at the financial windfall.
How have you managed to get older in rap without getting grouchy in it?
BP: Don’t nobody want to hear nobody stand up on no soapbox preaching, man. The game changes too fast. You can be mad at kids for doing certain things they’re doing, but it was motherfuckers mad at us for doing shit we were doing, and there were motherfuckers mad at them before that. It’s just how things evolve. We’re not gonna complain about what we feel is not right. We’re just going to show you what is right from our perspective. That’s what we do. We do the work. We put good tape out, as the saying goes.
To be the first one through the door is a sacrifice. We ain’t get the glory, but we were the lead blockers that cleared out the hole.
P: I look at records as where we are now. I like to think of ourselves as giving young rappers a look around the corner. I would like us to look at someone like [2020 Grammy Best Rap Album nominee] YBN Cordae, and for Cordae to look at us and say, “You know what, I’m 21, 22 now, but there’s a lane for me if I want to do this at 40. There’s a way I can do this, still have bars, still do me, still be authentic, and not be corny. I can grow older but not necessarily get old.” Hip-hop is still a relatively young art form. We’re still figuring out what it means to be an older rapper. People always point to Jay-Z, like, “He said …” N—-, he rich. That don’t count. Rich n—-s can do whatever. If Warren Buffett wanted to drop a rap album, he could do it. You’re gonna listen to it. Everybody wants to hear from a rich n—-. If that ain’t your station in life, you have to go at it another way. Hopefully we can give a blueprint to show that you can mature, you can grow older, and you can be true to yourself but not be crotchety. There’s a way you can settle into that moment and still be dope and be profitable and have things to say.
When trap started taking off, there was this impression that all of a sudden you couldn’t necessarily have a huge career off just meat-and-potatoes bars and beats, but there’s a lot of art in this decade, yours included, that’s showing how you can keep an audience without chasing the pulse of the mainstream.
P: Boom bap is like a white T-shirt and black jeans and a black leather jacket.
BP: That’s a staple.
P: There’s an outfit you got in your closet that’s like, “N—-, this ’fit gonna get off in 2019, and it’s gonna go off in 2039.” Now, that throwback jersey you bought from ’02? That’s outta here.
BP: I think people mistake being successful for what’s trending. If you’re not doing what’s popular now, then you’re not successful.
P: No industry works like that.
BP: I may not be doing the most popular thing, but I still can be very successful doing what I’m doing. So yeah, trap is still the sound, but there’s successful artists that don’t do trap. Trap is what’s put in front of you, but this is the playlist era. Everybody has their own radio stations that they personally curate every day. I know people that you never heard of with millions of views, millions of plays.
That’s kind of freeing. You used to have to rely on one outlet but now everyone is their own outlet, and you just have to make sure you reach enough people to sustain yourself.
BP: It’s about discovery. What are you going to do to set yourself apart to get discovered so people can listen?
P: I was doing press last year for [sophomore solo album] No News Is Good News. The dude interviewing me was like, “Tell people where we can find your album.” I was like, “N—-, y’all got my album! You got a phone in your pocket? You got my album!” I’m just trying to guide you to it. It’s like U2. You got that iPhone? It’s there. [laughs] I’m not trying to hear goddamn Bono in the carpool. These motherfuckers had spyware on my phone.
You were one of the early rap groups to make good on an internet following, but I feel like when you got to the crossroads to pivot into the mainstream, the pathway hadn’t been paved yet. The labels couldn’t figure you out. Did it frustrate you seeing artists come along after The Minstrel Show and have an easier time with that?
P: It was a little frustrating, not that we were frustrated with those artists that came after us like Lupe and even more modern people like J. Cole, Kendrick, Drake, all those guys in that lane. [We were] lining up first to be second. To be the first one through the door is a sacrifice. We ain’t get the glory, but we were the lead blockers that cleared out the hole. Now, there are resources available to us that just weren’t available back then. We only had, like, two videos in our whole career.
A lot of us were mad about that.
P: We came on board before what I call the Rik Cordero era, where n—-s started shooting shit on a [Canon] 7D, when it was literally just a 7D and a laptop playing the song, and from the outside, it looked like damn Funky Finger Productions. At the time, when we were on Atlantic, we shot out first video for “Loving It” for $65,000. You can shoot a goddamn movie for 65 G’s now. But at that time, there was no Instagram even. Me and Pooh have this conversation all the time: What is the value of a video? Videos used to be a way for your audience to see you, because artists were inaccessible at the time. But now, you see me every day. I’m on IG stories, n—-. I’m on goddamn Snap. I’m on Twitter. Is it worth it me paying $10,000 or whatever to shoot this video, or do I just let some bars go in my car? Which one has more value than the other in 2019? I really can’t say one is more valuable. So yeah, it was frustrating at first, but now, all this shit is a wasteland now. Everybody’s just trying to figure this shit out and make some noise, so the playing field is somewhat level now.
How different would rap history be if we had a way to track the music people were listening to but not necessarily buying a few years earlier than we learned to? There’s a big gap between the start of the digital era, when the streaming sites pop up, and when the charts start tracking them. I’m wondering if we would have different movers and shakers in power now.
P: People say, “Beyoncé’s the biggest star ever, bigger than Michael Jackson, bigger than whatever, whatever.” All love to Beyoncé, but you’re talking about two different eras. Thriller sold like 30 million copies.
Well, they didn’t have a way to bootleg it.
P: Let me be clear about something: that’s 30 million n—-s that got up and left their house. There was an investment. This is not the same as your six-year-old streaming “Old Town Road” all day on their phone. There’s a deeper level of engagement there. It’s like … homie, we got to talk apples to apples. What constitutes as engagement now versus what did back then? So yeah, it would be a lot different, in terms of what gets streamed or consumed versus what actually has staying power, what actually indicates investment. Me and Pooh know a lot of cats that have the streaming numbers, but these n—-s can’t sell out S.O.B.’s.
BP: You killing it with these streams, but would people really go out, if they had to, and buy the record? Times are different because you’re just leasing music now. You don’t even own it. Most people don’t download songs. They download the stream but not the album. I’ve seen the number breakdowns. We have a joke: Is this old math or new math?
P: Y’all out here juking the stats. “We got a platinum-selling record!” Really? Old math or new math? It’s more transient. They ain’t sell but 900 copies, but they’ll have 10 million streams.
Do you think that major labels have gotten better with cultivating hip-hop talent than they were in your situation?
BP: Hell naw! The day of the A&R who actually does anything but push papers — and I know there’s still some good A&R’s out there, so I don’t want to trash everybody — but the day of the A&R as we know it is dead.
P: Strippers are A&Rs now.
And bartenders.
BP: They see what’s popping. They sign it because it’s already popping. They have the movement. They already have the buzz and the foundation. It’s like, “We’re just gonna put some money into what you’re doing already.” That’s why, if you’ve noticed, a lot of acts don’t even sign straight to the label. They’re signing through production companies. So the label is doing less but taking more.
P: So, to answer the question … is it better than it was back then? Nah. This shit is worse.
BP: We got caught right before the transition. It’s crazy because we didn’t even have an A&R.
P: We had finished Minstrel Show, turned the record in, came in [to the label’s office] for a meeting.
BP: [And that’s when] an A&R checked in with us. Labels … first they were fighting [the internet], and then they found a way to win.
They found where the money was.
BP: They gon’ always do that.
There’s a line in your new song “All in a Day” that goes, “Shoulders tired from holding my sons / And my hands are tired from holding my tongue.” Talk about starting this group to carry on a tradition, and then watching your own influence filter down into another generation.
P: It’s like genetics. You and your wife could have a kid, and this kid comes from both of you, but you don’t know what they’re going to take from each parent, or what is coming out of the bloodline. “Where the fuck did you get them green eyes from? Are you the mailman’s kid?” “Oh no baby, my great great granddaddy had green eyes.” It’s sort of like that. We made these records not knowing where they would land when we were younger, and now we’re seeing the offspring, again like a Cordae or a Drake or like the homie Casey Veggies.
Are you hearing people come out of the woodwork now that there’s a new album out?
P: Oh boy. What a difference a rollout makes. It’s like, I didn’t even know y’all were listening. In the past, cats were somewhat loath to give us those props, because they don’t want to show their hand. They don’t want to show where their Frank Lucas connection is. They don’t wanna show where they get the dope from direct. They don’t wanna give up the plug. But this go-round, cats are way more generous, and the feeling that they’re expressing is, “Man, they’re happy to have y’all back.” I’m like … “I didn’t know y’all n—-s knew we were gone.” This time I feel very different. The outpouring of people hitting us up … that shit is wild. When you let art go, you don’t know where it’s gonna go.
Little Brother Can’t Be Erased
The beloved rap duo on reuniting, how the 2010s changed the music industry, and why their influence on Drake isn’t up for debate.
www.vulture.com
Little Brother Has Come a Long Way From the Okayplayer Boards
Ahead of their block party, Little Brother spoke with Okayplayer about celebrating their debut album The Listening, De La Soul, working with Lil Wayne, and more.
KYESHA JENNINGS
2 DAYS AGO
Beloved rap group Little Brother released their debut album The Listening 20 years ago. Rappers Phonte and Big Pooh, along with producer 9th Wonder, delivered a critically acclaimed project influenced by traditional hip-hop production techniques, soulful samples, and an emphasis on lyricism that was in complete opposition to not only rap music coming out of their North Carolina home state, but Southern rap music as a whole.
The Listening came about during the early 2000s, as the internet became a space for people to talk about music with each other. Little Brother found camaraderie — and feedback for early tracks and The Listening (whether they wanted it or not) — and built a fanbase for themselves thanks to their participation on Okayplayer. A place where fans could engage directly with artists, Little Brother's active involvement on the platform allowed their music to expand beyond Durham, NC, foreshadowing how the internet could and would play a crucial part in an artist’s rise in the digital age.
Fast-forward and each member has found success carving their own lane and putting on for North Carolina rap. 9th has since become a Grammy-nominated producer and the genius behind Jamla Records, the home of fellow North Carolinian Rapsody. Phonte has established himself as a rapper, singer and composer, having done everything from pop up on Kaytranada tracks to earning a Grammy nomination with The Foreign Exchange, his soul duo with Dutch producer Nicolay (the two actually found each other through the Okayplayer message boards). Big Pooh serves as a manager for Dreamville signee Lute, and has released a series of impressive solo projects.
To commemorate 20 years of The Listening, Phonte and Pooh are leading an event called Made in Durham: A Little Brother Block Party. Hosted by Sam Jay, the hip-hop legends will be supported by Big K.R.I.T. and The Cool Kids, and will also feature Zo! & Tall Black Guy, DJ Hourglass, and DJ Wally Sparks.
Ahead of the event, Little Brother spoke with Okayplayer on Zoom about their early days on the Okayplayer message boards, recording The Listening, their relationship with De La Soul, doing their Gangsta Grillz tape after the fallout of The Minstrel Show, and more.
To commemorate 20 years of 'The Listening,' Little Brother are leading an event called Made in Durham: A Little Brother Block Party.Photo by Antoine Lyers.
The interview below has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
You both were active on the Okayplayer boards in the early days. Can you share what those moments were like?
Phonte: It really was Black Twitter before Black Twitter. Okayplayer was patient zero for what we now know as social media. I was the one that was on it more than Pooh or 9th. We would be on there talking about music, a lot of times arguing about music. There were a lot of fights, arguing — but there was also a lot of creativity. We met a lot of people that are still a part of our journey to this day.
I remember those early days of making records and putting them online and it was like, “Yo, if this ain't right, we're gonna hear about it. The Player gon’ tell us.” The message boards didn’t care about nothing. If your shit was wack, motherfuckers would let you know immediately.
Did y’all get negative feedback?
Pooh: I got plenty. I definitely want to thank Okayplayer for the motivation, because I got plenty of negative feedback when we put The Listening out.
When you reflect on the past 20 years, did y’all ever consider that your influence would be as big as it is today?
Phonte: No, not all. I think we were just trying to make something that we liked, something that we were proud of. We never would have guessed that 20 years later, we’d be having a block party in our hometown. Looking back over the last 20 years from where we started to where we are now, it’s a very humbling feeling.
Pooh: It's one of those things where when you are starting out as a new artist, your only goal is to make it. You're not really thinking down the line. We weren’t even thinking a year ahead, let alone 20. We just wanted to make the best music we could at the moment and see what it could do. So, to be here 20 years later and still have relevance — still be, you know, “In fighting shape” as Phonte likes to say — still have people that care, and to still be celebrated, is definitely something that you don't take for granted.
What is your fondest memory of recording The Listening?
Phonte: When we started The Listening, I was working my first “real job” fresh out of college, and I would go to the studio after work to record. I remember being at work thinking, “I can’t do this. This can’t be my life.” You know, going to work, coming home, going to sleep, waking up, going to work, coming home. I was like, “Yeah, I'm not doing that.” The thing I was most excited about at the end of every day was leaving work and going to the studio to record. So, my mentality was, “For the rest of my life, I only want to do the thing that I'm excited about doing.” That’s what led me to write “Speed.”
Shortly after, I quit my job and decided to pursue music full time. I'm only interested in doing things that I'm really passionate about.
Pooh: Recording The Listening was like an age of discovery. For us, even though we had chemistry, we were still figuring each other out creatively. I think we were all learning. Learning how to put together an album, learning what we liked, learning what we didn't like, and just going for it. We were fortunate that a lot of it worked out the way it did. I was the youngest and a novice, so I probably had the most to learn. There were no less than four or five people in the room every time we recorded. In between recordings, we would talk about music, life, sports, and girls. What I remember the most about working on that project specifically, were those in between sessions conversations.
The Listening: The Story Behind Little Brother's Debut Albumwww.youtube.com
On The Listening, you describe hip-hop as a culture in a state of decay. Has your perspective on hip-hop changed since then?
Phonte: I think our perception has changed as the culture has changed. 20 years ago, seeing rappers in their 40s and 50s still continuing to create and release compelling music, there wasn't really a model for that. Rap was always considered a young man’s game and that's not necessarily true anymore. Nas is still putting out records 30 years into his career. That was just something that we didn't really have a model for at that time. So, I think how our view of hip-hop changed was that we began to understand how it's possible to age gracefully in hip-hop, while still being able to meet your audience and serve them.
Pooh: As you grow, your perception should change. I think for us, we've had the fortunate thing of our audience growing with us.
De La Soul is one of your main influences. This year was bittersweet for them because they finally got their catalog on streaming, but Trugoy also passed. What was it like for you as a fan having to experience that, and what did Trugoy mean to you?
Pooh: I definitely was excited for them, and like you said it was a bittersweet moment, especially for me because Dave passed away on my birthday. Fortunately, I have formed a relationship with De La Soul. It still blows my mind that I can text Posdnuos or Maseo. I knew that their catalog would finally be available on streaming services before Dave passed, and I was just happy for them. You're seeing an iconic group that influenced us get their art back and be able to control their destiny. That's a major accomplishment. I’m not sure people understand how big of a deal it really is.
Phonte: Getting old is expensive, so to see those brothers get control of their catalog at this point in their lives is a blessing. I love to see our veteran artists reclaiming their catalogs and being able to eat off their work years later. It’s really important.
I think about that often because Pooh and I, we did the same thing. With the exception of The Minstrel Show, we were able to get control of our back catalog. Us having it now, 20 years later, we have a greater understanding of what it is and how to monetize it.
The music industry has a history of being exploitative toward young artists. If you could tell your younger selves one lesson that they should remember, what would that be?
Pooh: Believe in yourself is what I would say to my younger self. That applies to business decisions as well, not just the art of rap. My advice to myself would be to bet on yourself. Your understanding of what you are doing is better than you think.
Phonte: In the words of my brother Black Milk, ain't nobody coming down to save you. I think when you're younger and coming up, you kind of look for the magic wand in labels and managers. You have that thought in your mind like, “ I know I'm doing OK but if I could get with this person or this label, if I could sign with this person, then that'll take me to the table.” A lot of times that may not be the case. As an artist, you really have to be the visionary for your career. You can be signed to the biggest label, have the most powerful manager, and the biggest lawyer. But if you don't know who you are, where you want to go, and who you want to be, then none of that shit matters.
At 25, when we signed to a label, I was just like, “Yeah, they know what they're doing.” But once we got on the inside, we realized that they were just making shit up as they went along, too. In hindsight, I would just tell myself there is no magic wand, there is no savior. Save yourself.
No Wish (feat. Phonte & Raphael Saadiq)www.youtube.com
Speaking of Black Milk, Phonte, you contributed a standout verse on Black Milk's "No Wish," that tackled a very sensitive but necessary topic. Did Kendrick’s “Mother I Sober” happen to inspire you at all for that verse?
Phonte: No, I was just telling my story. That was my first verse written in 2023. Because we were busy working on the doc and the business of LB, I hadn't written anything in a while. He sent me the track and that was just some of the things I'd been working through at the time, so I put it on the record.
Can you imagine doing another LB album with one producer? And if so, who would that be?
Phonte and Pooh: I don’t think we’d do it again.
Pooh: That would be tough. With Little Brother you have to satisfy two people. We both know where the line to compromise is, but if you hear what he gets for him and then what I get for me, it’s night and day. I think for us, having one producer wouldn't get us to where we need to be, or it would take a very long time.
Phonte: The person that I think we both mutually trust is Focus. When we worked on May the Lord Watch, he produced ”Black Magic” and “Good Morning Sunshine,” and we've done countless other records prior to that. We call him the LB whisperer because he gets it. He's worked with us individually as solo artists and as a group. So, he is one of the few people who understands the spectrum of me versus Little Brother versus just Pooh. If we were to do that again, it would definitely be Focus.
Would or have you tried to do another 9th-produced project?
Phonte and Pooh: No.
Phonte: We talk about it in our documentary May The Lord Watch. When the doc comes out, it’ll clear the air.
Made in Durham: A Little Brother Block Party is less than a month away. What are y’all most excited about?
Pooh: I’m really looking forward to being back in Durham. We view Durham as an honorary group member. I’m looking forward to being in the place where it all started. This is the perfect opportunity for us to not only celebrate Little Brother, but also celebrate the city of Durham. The best part is we get to celebrate with our city and thousands of people who have probably never been to Durham a day in their life.
Phonte: I'm just mainly looking forward to the fellowship. Having all of our people in one space. With losing Dave [Trugoy] and losing Phife [Dawg] a couple of years ago, I think it becomes more important for us to celebrate each other. For me, the block party represents a celebration of hip-hop, Little Brother, Durham, and life. It almost feels like a family reunion.
Little Brother ft. Lil Wayne- Breakin' My Heartwww.youtube.com
A notable but often undiscussed moment for y’all is that you got a Lil Wayne feature arguably at his most prolific for Getback. How did that come about and do you remember how y’all felt learning that Wayne was a fan?
Pooh: We met Wayne a year prior at Allstar Weekend in Houston. We were all at the radio station. They were running artists in and out doing interviews, and Wayne happened to go in for his interview before we did. He actually said our name while he was doing his interview. When he came out, we introduced ourselves and he told us he was a fan.
While we were working on Getback and that particular track came up, I was like, “Yo, Wayne gotta be on this.” He was on tour at the time and he was like, “Yo, if I don't get a chance to slide through when I leave North Carolina, give me a week. I'll be back in Miami and I’ll get it done.” He sent the track back less than a week later with vocals, stems, everything.
Phonte: It was very professional.
Pooh: I’ve always been a fan of Wayne and I tell people all the time ‘til this day, he’ll always have my respect for that. He was at the height of his career and he didn't have to do that at all. The fact that he did it and did it in a timely manner is admirable.
Amid Gangsta Grillz having a resurgence with Tyler, the Creator's Call Me If You Get Lost, fans have revisited some of DJ Drama's previous tapes, including yours with him. What led to y’all wanting to do one, especially considering most were done with more trap-leaning and mainstream rappers?
Phonte:Separate but Equal, that was ‘06. We had finished The Minstrel Show and we met Dram at Apache Cafe. We were doing a show in Atlanta. I knew Dram from his earlier tapes like the Afromentals, and his early stuff that was really leaning heavy on the underground hip-hop and neo-soul vibes. A lot of people don’t realize but Dram is a music head just like us. We talked to him about doing a tape and he was like, “Word, let’s do it.”
For us, it didn't make sense to write new rhymes just to spit over old beats. I'm like, “Why am I wasting time writing new verses to spit over old beats or other people's instrumentals, when I can just put those new raps over new beats and it just be a whole new song?” That approach was more interesting in my opinion. When we went in to record, we treated it like we were making another record. At that time, DJ Drama was doing tapes for Wayne, Jeezy and Tip. So, our mentality going in was, “Yo, we gotta come with it.” Also, I think we were both really frustrated with the fallout of The Minstrel Show, so we just went in and did us. We were like, “We just gon’ fucking rap.” And that’s how the tape came about.
Let It Go - Little Brother and DJ Drama Featuring Mos Defwww.youtube.com
With the energy Phonte just described, did y’all feel like y’all had something to prove?
Pooh: I don't know if it was more something to prove, or more of our frustration with how The Minstrel Show played out. We just had a ball of energy and we put it all into Gangsta Grillz. We also understood what the moment meant and what the importance of Gangsta Grillz was. It was the perfect storm for us to go in there and, as the young boys say, “Pull the chopper out and do what we do.” It was also the first time where — even though we had little skits in there because that's what we do — the Gangsta Grillz project was the first time we didn't have a concept. We were just in their rapping. I think people got to see a different side of Little Brother.
Besides celebrating 20 years of The Listening with the block party, what's next for Little Brother? When can we hear a new project?
Pooh: Shit, the next project is going to be this Little Brother documentary. I know for a lot of people their introduction to Little Brother was an album, and we definitely see a lot of people asking for it. But we want people to understand that while we always work on music, we definitely have other things that we're developing. When you see us together, you see Little Brother. The documentary, block party, us working on another artist's album — whatever it is, you see Little Brother. It’s just not always going to be in the format that fans were introduced to Little Brother.
You gotta make time for sitting down and doing music, and it's tough when you’re curating a block party and producing a documentary. We're doing it all. It's not like we went out and hired a production company, and they’re taking care of it and we can just check in to review footage. We are in the trenches with both of these projects and it’s a lot of detail.
Going to a show or festival and just pulling up to rap, versus putting on a block party — two total different things. Interviewing for a documentary versus actually being on the production side — two different things. So, we are working. It's not always the creative format people may want but we are working. And, of course, we look forward to seeing all of our supporters, old and new, pull up on us in Durham on October 7.
Little Brother Has Come a Long Way From the Okayplayer Boards
Ahead of their block party, Little Brother spoke with Okayplayer about celebrating their debut album The Listening, De La Soul, working with Lil Wayne, and more.
KYESHA JENNINGS
2 DAYS AGO
Beloved rap group Little Brother released their debut album The Listening 20 years ago. Rappers Phonte and Big Pooh, along with producer 9th Wonder, delivered a critically acclaimed project influenced by traditional hip-hop production techniques, soulful samples, and an emphasis on lyricism that was in complete opposition to not only rap music coming out of their North Carolina home state, but Southern rap music as a whole.
The Listening came about during the early 2000s, as the internet became a space for people to talk about music with each other. Little Brother found camaraderie — and feedback for early tracks and The Listening (whether they wanted it or not) — and built a fanbase for themselves thanks to their participation on Okayplayer. A place where fans could engage directly with artists, Little Brother's active involvement on the platform allowed their music to expand beyond Durham, NC, foreshadowing how the internet could and would play a crucial part in an artist’s rise in the digital age.
Fast-forward and each member has found success carving their own lane and putting on for North Carolina rap. 9th has since become a Grammy-nominated producer and the genius behind Jamla Records, the home of fellow North Carolinian Rapsody. Phonte has established himself as a rapper, singer and composer, having done everything from pop up on Kaytranada tracks to earning a Grammy nomination with The Foreign Exchange, his soul duo with Dutch producer Nicolay (the two actually found each other through the Okayplayer message boards). Big Pooh serves as a manager for Dreamville signee Lute, and has released a series of impressive solo projects.
To commemorate 20 years of The Listening, Phonte and Pooh are leading an event called Made in Durham: A Little Brother Block Party. Hosted by Sam Jay, the hip-hop legends will be supported by Big K.R.I.T. and The Cool Kids, and will also feature Zo! & Tall Black Guy, DJ Hourglass, and DJ Wally Sparks.
Ahead of the event, Little Brother spoke with Okayplayer on Zoom about their early days on the Okayplayer message boards, recording The Listening, their relationship with De La Soul, doing their Gangsta Grillz tape after the fallout of The Minstrel Show, and more.
To commemorate 20 years of 'The Listening,' Little Brother are leading an event called Made in Durham: A Little Brother Block Party.Photo by Antoine Lyers.
The interview below has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
You both were active on the Okayplayer boards in the early days. Can you share what those moments were like?
Phonte: It really was Black Twitter before Black Twitter. Okayplayer was patient zero for what we now know as social media. I was the one that was on it more than Pooh or 9th. We would be on there talking about music, a lot of times arguing about music. There were a lot of fights, arguing — but there was also a lot of creativity. We met a lot of people that are still a part of our journey to this day.
I remember those early days of making records and putting them online and it was like, “Yo, if this ain't right, we're gonna hear about it. The Player gon’ tell us.” The message boards didn’t care about nothing. If your shit was wack, motherfuckers would let you know immediately.
Did y’all get negative feedback?
Pooh: I got plenty. I definitely want to thank Okayplayer for the motivation, because I got plenty of negative feedback when we put The Listening out.
When you reflect on the past 20 years, did y’all ever consider that your influence would be as big as it is today?
Phonte: No, not all. I think we were just trying to make something that we liked, something that we were proud of. We never would have guessed that 20 years later, we’d be having a block party in our hometown. Looking back over the last 20 years from where we started to where we are now, it’s a very humbling feeling.
Pooh: It's one of those things where when you are starting out as a new artist, your only goal is to make it. You're not really thinking down the line. We weren’t even thinking a year ahead, let alone 20. We just wanted to make the best music we could at the moment and see what it could do. So, to be here 20 years later and still have relevance — still be, you know, “In fighting shape” as Phonte likes to say — still have people that care, and to still be celebrated, is definitely something that you don't take for granted.
What is your fondest memory of recording The Listening?
Phonte: When we started The Listening, I was working my first “real job” fresh out of college, and I would go to the studio after work to record. I remember being at work thinking, “I can’t do this. This can’t be my life.” You know, going to work, coming home, going to sleep, waking up, going to work, coming home. I was like, “Yeah, I'm not doing that.” The thing I was most excited about at the end of every day was leaving work and going to the studio to record. So, my mentality was, “For the rest of my life, I only want to do the thing that I'm excited about doing.” That’s what led me to write “Speed.”
Shortly after, I quit my job and decided to pursue music full time. I'm only interested in doing things that I'm really passionate about.
Pooh: Recording The Listening was like an age of discovery. For us, even though we had chemistry, we were still figuring each other out creatively. I think we were all learning. Learning how to put together an album, learning what we liked, learning what we didn't like, and just going for it. We were fortunate that a lot of it worked out the way it did. I was the youngest and a novice, so I probably had the most to learn. There were no less than four or five people in the room every time we recorded. In between recordings, we would talk about music, life, sports, and girls. What I remember the most about working on that project specifically, were those in between sessions conversations.
The Listening: The Story Behind Little Brother's Debut Albumwww.youtube.com
On The Listening, you describe hip-hop as a culture in a state of decay. Has your perspective on hip-hop changed since then?
Phonte: I think our perception has changed as the culture has changed. 20 years ago, seeing rappers in their 40s and 50s still continuing to create and release compelling music, there wasn't really a model for that. Rap was always considered a young man’s game and that's not necessarily true anymore. Nas is still putting out records 30 years into his career. That was just something that we didn't really have a model for at that time. So, I think how our view of hip-hop changed was that we began to understand how it's possible to age gracefully in hip-hop, while still being able to meet your audience and serve them.
Pooh: As you grow, your perception should change. I think for us, we've had the fortunate thing of our audience growing with us.
De La Soul is one of your main influences. This year was bittersweet for them because they finally got their catalog on streaming, but Trugoy also passed. What was it like for you as a fan having to experience that, and what did Trugoy mean to you?
Pooh: I definitely was excited for them, and like you said it was a bittersweet moment, especially for me because Dave passed away on my birthday. Fortunately, I have formed a relationship with De La Soul. It still blows my mind that I can text Posdnuos or Maseo. I knew that their catalog would finally be available on streaming services before Dave passed, and I was just happy for them. You're seeing an iconic group that influenced us get their art back and be able to control their destiny. That's a major accomplishment. I’m not sure people understand how big of a deal it really is.
Phonte: Getting old is expensive, so to see those brothers get control of their catalog at this point in their lives is a blessing. I love to see our veteran artists reclaiming their catalogs and being able to eat off their work years later. It’s really important.
I think about that often because Pooh and I, we did the same thing. With the exception of The Minstrel Show, we were able to get control of our back catalog. Us having it now, 20 years later, we have a greater understanding of what it is and how to monetize it.
The music industry has a history of being exploitative toward young artists. If you could tell your younger selves one lesson that they should remember, what would that be?
Pooh: Believe in yourself is what I would say to my younger self. That applies to business decisions as well, not just the art of rap. My advice to myself would be to bet on yourself. Your understanding of what you are doing is better than you think.
Phonte: In the words of my brother Black Milk, ain't nobody coming down to save you. I think when you're younger and coming up, you kind of look for the magic wand in labels and managers. You have that thought in your mind like, “ I know I'm doing OK but if I could get with this person or this label, if I could sign with this person, then that'll take me to the table.” A lot of times that may not be the case. As an artist, you really have to be the visionary for your career. You can be signed to the biggest label, have the most powerful manager, and the biggest lawyer. But if you don't know who you are, where you want to go, and who you want to be, then none of that shit matters.
At 25, when we signed to a label, I was just like, “Yeah, they know what they're doing.” But once we got on the inside, we realized that they were just making shit up as they went along, too. In hindsight, I would just tell myself there is no magic wand, there is no savior. Save yourself.
No Wish (feat. Phonte & Raphael Saadiq)www.youtube.com
Speaking of Black Milk, Phonte, you contributed a standout verse on Black Milk's "No Wish," that tackled a very sensitive but necessary topic. Did Kendrick’s “Mother I Sober” happen to inspire you at all for that verse?
Phonte: No, I was just telling my story. That was my first verse written in 2023. Because we were busy working on the doc and the business of LB, I hadn't written anything in a while. He sent me the track and that was just some of the things I'd been working through at the time, so I put it on the record.
Can you imagine doing another LB album with one producer? And if so, who would that be?
Phonte and Pooh: I don’t think we’d do it again.
Pooh: That would be tough. With Little Brother you have to satisfy two people. We both know where the line to compromise is, but if you hear what he gets for him and then what I get for me, it’s night and day. I think for us, having one producer wouldn't get us to where we need to be, or it would take a very long time.
Phonte: The person that I think we both mutually trust is Focus. When we worked on May the Lord Watch, he produced ”Black Magic” and “Good Morning Sunshine,” and we've done countless other records prior to that. We call him the LB whisperer because he gets it. He's worked with us individually as solo artists and as a group. So, he is one of the few people who understands the spectrum of me versus Little Brother versus just Pooh. If we were to do that again, it would definitely be Focus.
Would or have you tried to do another 9th-produced project?
Phonte and Pooh: No.
Phonte: We talk about it in our documentary May The Lord Watch. When the doc comes out, it’ll clear the air.
Made in Durham: A Little Brother Block Party is less than a month away. What are y’all most excited about?
Pooh: I’m really looking forward to being back in Durham. We view Durham as an honorary group member. I’m looking forward to being in the place where it all started. This is the perfect opportunity for us to not only celebrate Little Brother, but also celebrate the city of Durham. The best part is we get to celebrate with our city and thousands of people who have probably never been to Durham a day in their life.
Phonte: I'm just mainly looking forward to the fellowship. Having all of our people in one space. With losing Dave [Trugoy] and losing Phife [Dawg] a couple of years ago, I think it becomes more important for us to celebrate each other. For me, the block party represents a celebration of hip-hop, Little Brother, Durham, and life. It almost feels like a family reunion.
Little Brother ft. Lil Wayne- Breakin' My Heartwww.youtube.com
A notable but often undiscussed moment for y’all is that you got a Lil Wayne feature arguably at his most prolific for Getback. How did that come about and do you remember how y’all felt learning that Wayne was a fan?
Pooh: We met Wayne a year prior at Allstar Weekend in Houston. We were all at the radio station. They were running artists in and out doing interviews, and Wayne happened to go in for his interview before we did. He actually said our name while he was doing his interview. When he came out, we introduced ourselves and he told us he was a fan.
While we were working on Getback and that particular track came up, I was like, “Yo, Wayne gotta be on this.” He was on tour at the time and he was like, “Yo, if I don't get a chance to slide through when I leave North Carolina, give me a week. I'll be back in Miami and I’ll get it done.” He sent the track back less than a week later with vocals, stems, everything.
Phonte: It was very professional.
Pooh: I’ve always been a fan of Wayne and I tell people all the time ‘til this day, he’ll always have my respect for that. He was at the height of his career and he didn't have to do that at all. The fact that he did it and did it in a timely manner is admirable.
Amid Gangsta Grillz having a resurgence with Tyler, the Creator's Call Me If You Get Lost, fans have revisited some of DJ Drama's previous tapes, including yours with him. What led to y’all wanting to do one, especially considering most were done with more trap-leaning and mainstream rappers?
Phonte:Separate but Equal, that was ‘06. We had finished The Minstrel Show and we met Dram at Apache Cafe. We were doing a show in Atlanta. I knew Dram from his earlier tapes like the Afromentals, and his early stuff that was really leaning heavy on the underground hip-hop and neo-soul vibes. A lot of people don’t realize but Dram is a music head just like us. We talked to him about doing a tape and he was like, “Word, let’s do it.”
For us, it didn't make sense to write new rhymes just to spit over old beats. I'm like, “Why am I wasting time writing new verses to spit over old beats or other people's instrumentals, when I can just put those new raps over new beats and it just be a whole new song?” That approach was more interesting in my opinion. When we went in to record, we treated it like we were making another record. At that time, DJ Drama was doing tapes for Wayne, Jeezy and Tip. So, our mentality going in was, “Yo, we gotta come with it.” Also, I think we were both really frustrated with the fallout of The Minstrel Show, so we just went in and did us. We were like, “We just gon’ fucking rap.” And that’s how the tape came about.
Let It Go - Little Brother and DJ Drama Featuring Mos Defwww.youtube.com
With the energy Phonte just described, did y’all feel like y’all had something to prove?
Pooh: I don't know if it was more something to prove, or more of our frustration with how The Minstrel Show played out. We just had a ball of energy and we put it all into Gangsta Grillz. We also understood what the moment meant and what the importance of Gangsta Grillz was. It was the perfect storm for us to go in there and, as the young boys say, “Pull the chopper out and do what we do.” It was also the first time where — even though we had little skits in there because that's what we do — the Gangsta Grillz project was the first time we didn't have a concept. We were just in their rapping. I think people got to see a different side of Little Brother.
Besides celebrating 20 years of The Listening with the block party, what's next for Little Brother? When can we hear a new project?
Pooh: Shit, the next project is going to be this Little Brother documentary. I know for a lot of people their introduction to Little Brother was an album, and we definitely see a lot of people asking for it. But we want people to understand that while we always work on music, we definitely have other things that we're developing. When you see us together, you see Little Brother. The documentary, block party, us working on another artist's album — whatever it is, you see Little Brother. It’s just not always going to be in the format that fans were introduced to Little Brother.
You gotta make time for sitting down and doing music, and it's tough when you’re curating a block party and producing a documentary. We're doing it all. It's not like we went out and hired a production company, and they’re taking care of it and we can just check in to review footage. We are in the trenches with both of these projects and it’s a lot of detail.
Going to a show or festival and just pulling up to rap, versus putting on a block party — two total different things. Interviewing for a documentary versus actually being on the production side — two different things. So, we are working. It's not always the creative format people may want but we are working. And, of course, we look forward to seeing all of our supporters, old and new, pull up on us in Durham on October 7.
Justus League - Wikipedia
Still catching up on back episodes of this podcast.
Listening to the Little Brother episode below while cooking lunch at the moment ...
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Listening to the Little Brother episode below while cooking lunch at the moment ...
Episodes
196 podcast episodes from The Vault: Classic Music Reviews Podcast. Listen to the latest episode: Usher: Confessions (2004). Lightning In a Bottle
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Little Brother: The Listening (2003). They Called Next...
B. Cox is joined by Chris Mitchell ( Kinetik ) of the Breaking Atoms Podcast to review Little Brother 's classic debut studio album The Listening as it t…
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Little Brother: The Listening (2003). They Called Next... (feat. Chris "Kinetik" Mitchell) from The Vault: Classic Music Reviews Podcast | Podcast Episode on Podbay
Listen to Little Brother: The Listening (2003). They Called Next... (feat. Chris "Kinetik" Mitchell), an episode of The Vault: Classic Music Reviews Podcast, easily on Podbay - the best podcast player on the web.
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9th Wonder details the history of hip-hop during master’s course - WS Chronicle
9th Wonder details the history of hip-hop during master’s course
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