Little Brother: Back in the Game
By Christopher H. WellsI was originally supposed to meet rapper and family man Phonte Coleman at Little Brother’s recording studio in Durham but due to circumstances, I met him at his house where he welcomed me in like an old friend. The first thing that struck me was how down to earth and real he was. A lot of emcees can be annoyingly cocky as hell and wear their egos on their shoulders, but not this brother. If he has an ego, it’s well in check. This man is a class act who is all about his music and keeping his game tight.
After recording two highly acclaimed albums for ABB/Atlantic Records (The Listening in 2003 and The Minstrel Show in 2005), touring the globe constantly, then breaking ties with founding member/producer 9th Wonder and then amicably parting ways with Atlantic Records, Phonte and Big Pooh are back with the goods in a
big way. I was lucky enough to be the first member of the media to hear Little Brothers new album, Getback, and believe me, it is banger. Getback starts with a vocal interlude and goes into a nice track called “Sirens” featuring Carlitta Durand. Between each song were a series of cool skit like funny interludes. It only has one track, “Breaking My Heart”, produced by 9th which happens to feature a hook by hip hop chart blazer, Lil Wayne. Phonte said that he and Pooh were at a radio station waiting to do an interview and Lil Wayne, who was being interviewed in the studio before them, was giving the group props on air. Later on during the recording of their record, they reached out to him; he rose to the challenge and delivered his hooks within days. This should satisfy the wolves until their next feeding. There is even a track, “Extra Hard”, produced by D-12 member Deshaun Porter which features Phonte crooning nicely on the background vocal tracks. Getback is hip hop masterpiece complete with continuity and flow within its 11 songs.I was curious about how they would fair without 9th Wonder’s golden touch and to be honest, the track they did with him was not weak, but it was also not one of the high moments of the album. This should silence the critics as to the hotness and credibility of Little Brother without their original producer. Phonte says that there were no hard feelings about the split. It was just one of those things. As they say, the show goes on and with a bang at that. But this time there are no minstrels. With this record being their final record of their 3 album deal with ABB, Little Brother will be free agents devoid of chains and poised to ascend to greater heights with their new found freedom.
What producers did you work with on this album?
Illmind, of course. Khrysis, Nottz, High-Tek, a bunch of cats that we have been working with for a while or have wanted to work with for awhile.
How long have you been working on the new album for?
We have been working on this one since 2006 maybe? Late 2006. We have a running joke that we can never get an album out on time. After we finished The Listening, there was a two year gap before we put out The Minstrel Show because we were trying to get on Atlantic Records. There was a two year gap between Minstrel Show and this one because now, we were trying to get off of Atlantic. Pretty much we have been working on this one for a year and in that time we‘ve gone through a bunch of revisions and some of the stuff we took off and ended up putting in on mix tapes. It is hands down the hardest I have ever worked on any project. It’s only 11 songs but what it took us to get there was something. We really wanted to make the album that we have yet to make. The Listening was a long concept kind of record. The Minstrel Show was following that same vain. So with this one, it was like, let’s give them the straight story, you know what I’m saying? This was the only logical place that was left to go.
Did you change any of your lyrical focus this time around?
With this one we had it in mind what Atlantic was looking for in this. We kind of had the record company in mind and then in the middle, the shit falls out and then there is no more record company so that shifted the focus a little bit. But lyrically, there was no difference as to how we approached our songs. We’ve never been a group to have big radio or video push. It was about us continuing to keep our core fan base in mind, the cats that have been supporting us, but at the same time continue to build on our own formula. It’s a gift and a curse because we are pretty much our own and only competition for the most part. We are only competing with ourselves. That can be a good and a bad thing.
It’s more positive, because the outside forces can taint the art.
Yeah, They can. They really can. It really is a struggle and that’s why I’m so glad that we’re no longer on Atlantic. It ultimately wasn’t the place for me. It’s not a knock on Atlantic; the story would be the same with any label. When you are an artist that knows who you are, they are certain boundaries that you are not going to cross and you know the stuff you are doing is not going to fit into that narrow spectrum that black artists are allowed to live in. A major label really isn’t a place for you and I would say that to anybody because of that I am glad I had a chance to experience it and get the hell out relatively unscathed. We left on a positive note. The last project was dope and cats are still behind it so it was a good thing but I am so glad it’s over. With this one, we know the second plane is about to hit the tower, so let it hit and wait and go and clean up. On September 25, the album comes out so we want to go out and tour and get this money and continue to build up our brand. At this point, records are pretty much a promotional expense anyway. As long as we get the record out and people know that there is a new Little Brother record out in stores and they know how to get it, that’s pretty much all you can ask for in today’s music business.
I predict in a couple of years that record labels might be obsolete.
It’s an old business model. It happens to every business. It happened with the telegraph when the telephone was created. It happened with the milkman when pasteurization was created. You can either go about one of two ways: you can be the bitter milkman screaming, I’ve got the real milk son! Or you can be a smart milk man and get a job at the pasteurization plant. The labels have to switch up their game. I don’t give it much longer because it can’t sustain itself.
Knowing that this is your last record with ABB, have you had any suitors try and get you to join them?
Not really. I wouldn’t be qualified to answer that. That’s mainly my management’s stuff and I ain’t looking, so… With Pooh it’s different, he‘s more open to do other stuff with another label but for me, I tell cats straight up, fuck a label. I made it out of Atlantic with the skin of my back in tact so, I’m like, fuck that! There’s nothing that could make me go back to that shit! You never could have told me 10 years ago that I would be happier to get of a label than to be on one. It’s modern day slavery, straight up and down. You have heard all the sob stories but in the back of your mind you think that I’m going to be different. But no, it wasn’t different. I am so, so glad that it’s over and I can’t stress it enough.
