Little Brother is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip hopHip hop music is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on concepts of loop, rapping, freestyle, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues...
group from
DurhamNot to be confused with the U.K. city Durham.Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake county. It is the fifth largest city in the state by population, with 223,284 residents as of July 1, 2008. Durham County as of July...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
that consists of
PhontePhonte Coleman, better known as Phonte, is an American rapper who is one-half of North Carolina duo Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. He has also recorded R&B-flavoured output as a singer...
and
Rapper Big PoohBig Pooh is an American rapper, who, along with fellow rap artist Phonte, is a member of the acclaimed North Carolina hip hop group Little Brother. In addition to numerous records and EP's by Little Brother, Pooh released a solo album in 2005 entitled Sleepers to positive critical review...
. Producer
9th WonderPatrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop producer from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Nas, Mary J. Blige, Jean Grae, Wale, Jay-Z, MURS, Buckshot, and Destiny's Child...
was a part of the group since its inception, but left before recording the album
GetbackGetback is the third studio album from Little Brother, released on October 23, 2007. On October 12, Phonte leaked the album himself to Okayplayer.com-Details:The group has confirmed the involvement of several outside producers, in addition to 9th Wonder...
. Their debut album
The Listening (2003) was highly acclaimed, and was followed by
The Chitlin Circuit 1.5 mixtapeA mixtape or mixed tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto a compact audio cassette.A mixtape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a theme...
in 2005 and the group's second album,
The Minstrel ShowThe Minstrel Show is the second studio album by hip hop trio, Little Brother. It followed the critical success of their 2003 debut, The Listening. The album was highly anticipated and touted as a probable breakthrough for the group, even before its release...
, also released in 2005 and received a "XL" from
XXL magazineXXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.Since 1997, XXL has competed with Hip-Hop powerhouse magazines such as The Source Magazine, and Vibe Magazine. It was founded by former Source staffer, Jules Winnfield, as well as others who wanted to create a more critically sound...
and 4.5 Mics from
The SourceThe Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988. The...
.
Little Brother is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hip hopHip hop music is a musical genre which developed alongside hip hop culture, and is commonly based on concepts of loop, rapping, freestyle, DJing, scratching, sampling and beatboxing. The music is used to express concerns of political, social, and personal issues...
group from
DurhamNot to be confused with the U.K. city Durham.Durham is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the county seat of Durham County and also extends into Wake county. It is the fifth largest city in the state by population, with 223,284 residents as of July 1, 2008. Durham County as of July...
,
North CarolinaNorth Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties...
that consists of
PhontePhonte Coleman, better known as Phonte, is an American rapper who is one-half of North Carolina duo Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. He has also recorded R&B-flavoured output as a singer...
and
Rapper Big PoohBig Pooh is an American rapper, who, along with fellow rap artist Phonte, is a member of the acclaimed North Carolina hip hop group Little Brother. In addition to numerous records and EP's by Little Brother, Pooh released a solo album in 2005 entitled Sleepers to positive critical review...
. Producer
9th WonderPatrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop producer from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Nas, Mary J. Blige, Jean Grae, Wale, Jay-Z, MURS, Buckshot, and Destiny's Child...
was a part of the group since its inception, but left before recording the album
GetbackGetback is the third studio album from Little Brother, released on October 23, 2007. On October 12, Phonte leaked the album himself to Okayplayer.com-Details:The group has confirmed the involvement of several outside producers, in addition to 9th Wonder...
. Their debut album
The Listening (2003) was highly acclaimed, and was followed by
The Chitlin Circuit 1.5 mixtapeA mixtape or mixed tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto a compact audio cassette.A mixtape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a theme...
in 2005 and the group's second album,
The Minstrel ShowThe Minstrel Show is the second studio album by hip hop trio, Little Brother. It followed the critical success of their 2003 debut, The Listening. The album was highly anticipated and touted as a probable breakthrough for the group, even before its release...
, also released in 2005 and received a "XL" from
XXL magazineXXL is a Hip-Hop magazine, published by Harris Publications.Since 1997, XXL has competed with Hip-Hop powerhouse magazines such as The Source Magazine, and Vibe Magazine. It was founded by former Source staffer, Jules Winnfield, as well as others who wanted to create a more critically sound...
and 4.5 Mics from
The SourceThe Source is a United States-based, monthly full-color magazine covering hip-hop music, politics, and culture, founded in 1988. It is the world's second longest running rap periodical, behind United Kingdom-based publication Hip Hop Connection. The Source was founded as a newsletter in 1988. The...
. The group tours frequently with their official DJ, Flash. In an interview with MVRemix.com, Phonte explained the origins of his group's name: "
TribeA Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985. The group is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but appears to have rejoined the group since 2006...
, De LaDe La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1987 in Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
, P.E....were like our big brothers in the game so now we are the little brothers of that movement...carrying on the tradition of good music."
Early career
Little Brother formed in Durham, NC at
North Carolina Central UniversityNorth Carolina Central University is a comprehensive university offering programs at the baccalaureate, master’s, professional and selected doctoral levels. It is the nation’s first public liberal arts institution founded for African-Americans.-History:...
in 1998. The group began as a trio, featuring members
Phonte (Phonte Coleman),
Big Pooh (Thomas Jones), and producer
9th Wonder (Pat Douthit). They are founding members of the North Carolina hip hop collective called The
Justus LeagueThe Justus League is a rap collective from North Carolina, that includes L.E.G.A.C.Y., The Away Team, Darien Brockington, Little Brother, Edgar Allen Floe, Median, Chaundon, Cesar Comanche, and Joe Scudda....
, under the umbrella music group Hall of Justus.
Their official debut came in August 2001 with their first recording, "Speed". They continued to work the local scene and were picked up by ABB Records. In 2002, they released the cult hit 7" single
Atari 2600The Atari 2600 is a video game console released in October 1977. It is credited with popularizing the use of microprocessor-based hardware and cartridges containing game code, instead of having non-microprocessor dedicated hardware with all games built in...
, with lyrics centering around video games. In 2003, the group released their first full length album,
The ListeningThe Listening is the debut album of North Carolina trio Little Brother. It was released in early 2003 on ABB Records. The album became a surprise word-of-mouth sensation among underground rap fans, despite its lack of promotion, guest appearances, or extensive distribution.- Overview :As the main...
. This record boosted the group to higher acclaim, but national recognition came when
Jay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name, Jay-Z is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $150 million, shipping over 30 million copies of his albums in the United...
tapped 9th Wonder for the song "Threat", off of his eighth studio album
The Black AlbumThe Black Album is the eighth studio album by American rapper Jay-Z, released November 14, 2003 on Roc-A-Fella Records. It was promoted as his final studio album, which also serves as its recurring theme, although Jay-Z subsequently announced a return to solo recording in 2006...
.
Success
That fall, they opened for the
HieroglyphicsHieroglyphics, also known as the Hieroglyphics Crew and Hiero, are an American underground hip hop collective based in Oakland, California. The collective was founded in the early-1990s by rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien....
on their
Full CircleFull Circle is the second album released by the Oakland, California-based, underground hip hop collective, Hieroglyphics. The album was released on October 7, 2003 by the group's own independent record label, Hieroglyphics Imperium Recordings....
national tour. Little Brother's second album,
The Minstrel ShowThe Minstrel Show is the second studio album by hip hop trio, Little Brother. It followed the critical success of their 2003 debut, The Listening. The album was highly anticipated and touted as a probable breakthrough for the group, even before its release...
, saw increased success due to their raised popularity. Its theme compares present day rap music and the music industry to the minstrel shows of the late 1800s.
In 2005, Little Brother became embroiled in a short-lived feud, when
Young JeezyJay Jenkins better known by his stage name Young Jeezy, is an American rapper and member of the Hip-Hop group USDA and a former member of Boyz N Da Hood. He began his career in 2001 under an independent label and joined Boyz N Da Hood in 2005, the same year his solo major label debut Let's Get It:...
's protege
Slick PullaSlick Pulla is an American rap artist from Atlanta, Georgia. He is signed to Young Jeezy's record label Corporate Thugz Entertainment. Slick Pulla, with Young Jeezy and Blood Raw, are the rap group United Streets Dopeboyz of America -Discography:...
challenged the group to a battle after hearing an interview in which Phonte voiced some disapproval concerning drug rap and the Young Jeezy's "snowman mascot". Little Brother did not respond, and instead, Phonte called Slick Pulla and the pair resolved the misunderstanding.
Outside of the group, Phonte collaborated with
producerIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
Nicolay as the The Foreign Exchange, and Rapper Big Pooh released a solo album entitled
SleepersSleepers is the solo album from Big Pooh of North Carolina's Little Brother. It followed on the heels of bandmate Phonte's album with The Foreign Exchange, Connected. The album features contributions and guest spots from Phonte, Nicolay, 9th Wonder and Los Angeles-based rapper MURS...
.
9th WonderPatrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop producer from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Nas, Mary J. Blige, Jean Grae, Wale, Jay-Z, MURS, Buckshot, and Destiny's Child...
has produced songs for major artists like
Jay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name, Jay-Z is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $150 million, shipping over 30 million copies of his albums in the United...
,
De La SoulDe La Soul is an American hip hop group formed in 1987 in Long Island, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
and
Destiny's ChildDestiny's Child was a Grammy-Award winning American R&B girl group comprising lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. The group achieved four major studio albums and four US number-one singles, and sold over 50 million records worldwide becoming one of the...
, as well as underground artists such as
Sean PriceSean Price is an American rapper from Brooklyn, New York, a member of the Hip Hop supergroup Boot Camp Clik. He came to fame as one-half of the duo Heltah Skeltah , performing under the name Ruckus, or in short Ruck, along with partner Rock...
.
In addition, 9th has produced whole albums for
Jean GraeJean Grae is a hip hop artist from New York.- Early life :...
(
JeaniusJeanius is a collaboration album by female rapper Jean Grae and former Little Brother producer 9th Wonder. Scheduled for release as early as 2004, the album was delayed for unknown reasons and has since been heavily bootlegged on the internet. The album was released on July 8, 2008, on Talib...
),
MURSNick Carter, professionally known as MURS is an American rapper. His pseudonym is an acronym that stands for "Making Underground Raw Shit." He is signed to the independent label Record Collection and is a member of the hip hop groups Living Legends, Felt, and the 3 Melancholy Gypsys...
(
Murs 3:16: The 9th EditionMurs 3:16: The 9th Edition is an album by MURS, an American hip hop artist, released on March 23, 2004 on the Definitive Jux label...
),
BuckshotBlack Moon is an American hip hop group, consisting of members Buckshot, 5ft and DJ Evil Dee . The group is most well-known for their debut album Enta da Stage, and their affiliation with the Boot Camp Clik.-Biography:...
(
ChemistryChemistry is a 2005 collaboration album by Buckshot of the Boot Camp Clik and 9th Wonder of Little Brother. 9th provides all the production on the release, leaving the rapping to Buckshot, with guest appearances from members of the Boot Camp Clik and the Justus League...
) and a remix album of Nas'
God's SonGod's Son is the sixth studio album by hip hop rapper Nas, released December 13, 2002 on the Columbia-imprint label Ill Will Records. Production was handled by several hip hop producers, including Salaam Remi and The Alchemist...
entitled
God's StepsonGod's Stepson is an album by hip hop producer 9th Wonder . It was an unofficial remix of Nas's God's Son album of 2002.-Background:...
. He is also working on a second Buckshot/9th album, to be called
The Formula.
In late 2006, Little Brother began recording their third album, and second for Atlantic Records,
GetbackGetback is the third studio album from Little Brother, released on October 23, 2007. On October 12, Phonte leaked the album himself to Okayplayer.com-Details:The group has confirmed the involvement of several outside producers, in addition to 9th Wonder...
. However, in a drastic turn of events, the group announced in January, 2007 that they would be parting ways with Atlantic. The move from Atlantic was likely due to the commercial failure of
The Minstrel ShowThe Minstrel Show is the second studio album by hip hop trio, Little Brother. It followed the critical success of their 2003 debut, The Listening. The album was highly anticipated and touted as a probable breakthrough for the group, even before its release...
, and creative differences over their future material. Big Pooh was quoted as saying "We as a group just felt that it was not in our best interest to remain in a situation where our needs were constantly being overlooked. We
didn't have an
A&RArtists and repertoire is the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and the artistic development of recording artists. It also acts as a liaison between artists and the record label.- Finding talent :...
for
The Minstrel Show. We don't have any type of relationship with our current A&R. There are just a lot of internal issues that ended up working against us." Their manager Big Dho added that there were no "ill feelings towards their (Atlantic) company."
On October 23, 2007 Little Brother released "Getback," the long awaited follow-up to the Minstrel Show. With no major video or radio airplay, Getback moved about 9,600 copies during its first week in stores and will land at No. 89 on the Billboard 200 charts. The album consists of 11 songs, and features several guests, most notably New Orleans rapper
Lil WayneDwayne Michael Carter, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil Wayne, is an American Grammy Award-winning rapper. Formerly a member of the rap group the Hot Boys, he joined the Cash Money Records collective as a teenager...
. Lil Wayne had been long time fan of the group's work and was invited to spit the third verse for "Breakin My Heart".
Little Brother is currently on a promotional tour along with L.A.- based hip hop artist Evidence.
Little Brother is currently working on becoming completely independent artists and putting out records on their own. Big Pooh is quoted as telling
L.A. RecordL.A. RECORD is an independent music magazine originally published weekly as a broadsheet poster. The poster usually depicts a local Los Angeles musicians and according to the magazine editors is meant to recreate an iconic album cover. In March 2008, it began publishing as a monthly magazine with a...
in an April 2008 interview that "For the next record, we definitely want ownership—the first record we’ll have 100% ownership of."
shit raer
...and Justus For All
After releasing "Getback" Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh decided to officially release their 2007 mixtape "...and Justus For All" This time it will be released through Hall of Justus and they will have 100% ownership of the project. "We decided to officially release And Justus For All for the fans. Since all of our mixtapes are more like actual albums, many people have been requesting us for deejay free versions of these mixtapes. So to all of the fans out there that's been asking for it, you're welcome," Rapper Big Pooh told HipHopDX. "...and Justus For All will feature 5 new songs as well as enhanced mastered versions of songs on their 2007 mixtape with DJ Mick Boogie. The Cd Version will have 5 New songs for the album and the iTunes version will have 7 new songs. The iTunes version will link former groupmate 9th Wonder with the group with "Black Light Special". Now slated as an official album it is scheduled for release on June 10, 2008.
2008
Phonte and Big Pooh are scheduled to release about 5 albums in 2008 but only one as Little Brother (
And Justus for All). Phonte Plans to release the follow-up to his album with Nicolay as "The Foreign Exchange" titled "Leave It All Behind". Phonte then plans to release an album of 80's covers with Detroit Producer Zo! Titled "Zo! & Tigallo Love The 80's".
Rapper Big Pooh is planning his second solo album "Dirty Pretty Things" due in fall 2008. He is also planning an album with another Detroit based producer Young RJ with their collaboration "The Recipe". Then, Big Pooh is planning a mixtape with DJ Mick Boogie in promotion of "Dirty Pretty Things". The mixtape is still untitiled but Pooh held a contest on his myspace page for his fans to name the project. Then he plans to record an album with Virginia producer Nottz Called "Home Sweet Home" sometime in late 2008 or early 2009.
Future of Little Brother
During a May 2008 interview with hiphopgame.com, Rapper Big Pooh hinted that he and Phonte may never record another album together. "That's so far in the future. We don't know if we are even gonna do another Little Brother album at this point. We are working on our personal projects right now. Next year sometime, after we went through and had time to do our thing, we're gonna come together and sit and try to figure some things to as making or putting out another Little Brother Album". After this report, Phonte did announce another album--
Leftback--but he also announced that the group would subsequently take a
Black StarBlack Star is a hip hop group formed by MCs Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Affiliated with the group is DJ Hi-Tek, who formed producer/MC duo Reflection Eternal with Kweli for the album Train of Thought and produced a portion of Black Star's debut album....
-esque hiatus, wherein he and Big Pooh will collaborate, but another group album will not be released for a long while. Recently, former group member 9th Wonder mentioned through his Twitter that "A Little Brother album doesn't sound like a bad idea these days man, people are leaving, you just don't know..", stemming from the passing of the former member of Slum Village Baatin.
Discography
- 2003: The Listening
The Listening is the debut album of North Carolina trio Little Brother. It was released in early 2003 on ABB Records. The album became a surprise word-of-mouth sensation among underground rap fans, despite its lack of promotion, guest appearances, or extensive distribution.- Overview :As the main...
- 2005: The Minstrel Show
The Minstrel Show is the second studio album by hip hop trio, Little Brother. It followed the critical success of their 2003 debut, The Listening. The album was highly anticipated and touted as a probable breakthrough for the group, even before its release...
- 2007: Getback
Getback is the third studio album from Little Brother, released on October 23, 2007. On October 12, Phonte leaked the album himself to Okayplayer.com-Details:The group has confirmed the involvement of several outside producers, in addition to 9th Wonder...
- 2008: And Justus For All official mixtape
External links