Rap Is Not Pop: The Foreign Exchange and the Soul Revival

Earlier this year, the Foreign Exchange earned a Grammy nomination for “Daykeeper,” a dreamy ballad filled with soft percussion and cooed phrasings of “She Loves Me.” Cited for Best Urban/Alternative Performance, “Daykeeper,” the lead single from 2008’s Leave It All Behind, confirmed that this email correspondence between Durham, North Carolina vocalist Phonte Coleman and Dutch producer Matthijs “Nicolay” Rook has blossomed into a fruitful creative partnership. While it ascends, Phonte’s Little Brother, one of the more influential indie-rap groups of the past decade, lay in tatters. Having never truly recovered from the departure of producer 9^th Wonder – although its third and final studio album, 2007’s Getback, was a valiant effort – remaining members Phonte and Big Pooh quietly wound down operations, then officially marked its end with this year’s collection of outtakes, Leftback.

The “rapper-ternt-sanga” phenomenon is well-chronicled, as is the belief that singing offers a wider range of musical possibilities than rapping. (Whether it’s true or not is fodder for another column.) However, just because Phonte isn’t the first rapper – and definitely not the last – to become a soul singer doesn’t mean that he hasn’t brought new ideas to the genre. Far from homogenous, he and other indie-rap artists like Aloe Blacc and Mayer Hawthorne have distinct identities. Each sounds different from the other, and their artistic quirks are transforming our perceptions of hip-hop music.

Ironically, the Foreign Exchange may be the most traditional of the lot. With Little Brother, Phonte was a supremely talented and opinionated rapper. Unafraid to burn bridges, he helped turn the group’s major label bow into 2005’s The Minstrel Show, a scathing indictment of the black entertainment industry. And when he and Nicolay collaborated on the Foreign Exchange’s 2004 debut, Connected, it sounded like a Little Brother side project, with Big Pooh and various members of LB’s Justus League crew chipping in verses. Both projects centered on entrenched ideas about good MC’ing, hip-hop beats, and soul music. The shift from backpack rap dynamics to the smooth and jazzy blues of Leave It All Behind didn’t change that equation. Appropriately, their just-released third album is called Authenticity. Phonte added vocal choruses and adlibs to the LB catalog (often in tandem with Darien Brockington), but Leave It All Behind and Authenticity signal his maturation as a singer. The former found him carrying a strong albeit flat tone, while he adds texture and sonic variety to his performance on the latter. Meanwhile, Nicolay’s production evokes early 80s quiet storm and jazz fusion, from the Linn drum machine beat on the title track to the piano key swoops on “Fight for Love.”

Mayer Hawthorne, the nom de plume for Los Angeles musician Andrew Mayer Cohen, isn’t a natural singer, either, but his slight vocals and creamy falsetto is part of his charm. The most incredible aspect of 2009’s A Strange Arrangement is its fidelity to Philly soul and doo-wop. Its penultimate track, the wondrous “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out,” seems lifted from the Delfonics’ songbook. In fact, Mayer not only hearkens to soul’s golden age, but faithfully replicates it. When “Just Ain’t Gonna Work Out” was first released as a heart-shaped vinyl single in 2008, some assumed that it was a previously-unreleased artifact. He bolsters these production stunts with excellent songwriting. The doleful title track, for example, spins around this lovely chorus: “Darling, me and you, we had a strange arrangement/ But you broke all the rules and now I’m playing the fool for love/ Darling yes it’s true, we had a grand engagement/ But I can’t stand by while you break my heart in two.”

Aloe Blacc’s recently released Good Things also closely hews to the retro-soul playbook, thanks to the arrangements of Leon Michaels and Jeff “Dynamite” Silverman (also known as Truth & Soul). Aloe Blacc can’t help but sound contemporary, though, so even as the throwback horns pip on “I Need a Dollar” and gossamer strings swirl on “Take Me Back,” he sings with a strong yet strident voice. He’s also an excellent songwriter. On “I Need a Dollar,” he effortlessly treads a line between pathetic comedy and tragedy as he impersonates a homeless man looking for cash to buy liquor. Its desperate refrain – “I don’t know if I’m walking on solid ground/ ‘Cause everything around me is crumbling down” – holds a mirror to the Great Recession.

The retro-soul phenomenon has been both praised and dismissed as a post-millennium fad, and it’s not hard to imagine that it will eventually sound as dated as the “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” swing revival of the 1970s. Yet it holds obvious appeal for onetime B-boys like Mayer, who was originally a DJ and producer in Detroit; and Aloe Blacc, a former rapper with the L.A. indie group Emanon. Crate-digging, or the art of digging for old records with rarely heard gems, is essential to hip-hop culture. Concurrently, there has been a decline of classical hip-hop values in rap. Stars like Gucci Mane, Waka Flocka Flame, and Nicki Minaj undoubtedly study Jay-Z’s The Blueprint and Beyonce’s Dangerously in Love, not the Treacherous Three’s “New Rap Language” and Afrika Bambaataa’s Death Mix. As the culture’s mainstream component narrows into a thin technological gloss, with little differentiation between R&B slickness and ringtone rap bounce, some of its innovators head to soul music’s less compromised environs.

Critics and fans often ignored Aloe Blacc’s group Emanon. He didn’t began receiving much deserved acclaim until he switched to singing vocals, first on his solo debut, 2006’s Shine Through, and then on Good Things. The throwback of Good Things’ is clearly indebted to hip-hop. It’s the product of someone who listens to great soul records and maybe samples from them, but didn’t actually perform during that era. But when Aloe Blacc sings, he communicates in a way that everyone can understand – or at least more than the tens of thousands (and I’m being generous here) that bought Emanon’s 2005 album The Waiting Room.

Meanwhile, many people still don’t believe that hip-hop is real music. Or, as Phonte puts it so cogently on “Tigallo from Dolo” from Leftback: “Rappin’ Tay, four-and-a-half mic honoree/ Or singin’ Tay, first-time Grammy nominee?/ N*gga you do the math.”

—————————

This essay was posted November 3 on the Rhapsody SoundBoard blog. I wrote it for my Rap Is Not Pop column.

Photo by Tobias Rose for Kompleks Creative Inc.

Next up on Hip-Hop Smackdown: 9th Wonder vs. Phonte Coleman.

Isn’t it interesting when rappers start beefing with other rappers, catching weapons/drugs/robbery charges, and dating R&B singers just months before their albums are released? It seems like this is the indie-rap version.

The controversy stems from “Star,” an old Little Brother track recorded while 9th Wonder was still in the group. Remaining members Phonte and Big Pooh planned to package it on the iTunes version of the group’s upcoming album, Leftback, which drops April 20. According to Phonte, 9th Wonder’s management team blocked LB’s Hall of Justus imprint and its distributor, Traffic Entertainment Group from selling the track. So Phonte leaked “Star” via Twitter.

From Phonte’s Twitter page:

Aiight folks, backstory on Star:

This was recorded back in ’05-06 at Young Guru’s crib sometime after the release of Minstrel Show.

This was intended for Leftback as an iTunes bonus track but we just got word today that @9thwondermusic doesn’t want us to use it for whatever reason, and that’s fine.

In any event, I’m not gonna let anything or anybody stop me from getting music to my fans. Fuck that.

Enjoy. And as always, thank you for listening

When 2dopeboyz.okayplayer.com posted the track and the explanation, the following appeared on 9th Wonder’s Twitter page:

@NexPerSanus let people talk bro….only if they knew the REAL story.. about 22 hours ago via web in reply to NexPerSanus

Well, tell your side of it or shut the fuck up. RT @9thWonderMusic: let people talk bro….only if they knew the REAL story.. about 20 hours ago via UberTwitter

@phontigallo you are NOT a tough guy…….none of us is…so KILL that noise….. about 20 hours ago via web in reply to phontigallo

@phontigallo and niggas aint shuttin up about 20 hours ago via web in reply to phontigallo

Then the following appeared on Phonte’s Twitter page:

@bigdho “The industry” didn’t destroy shit. Each of us just eventually became the people we were destined to be, @9thwondermusic included. about 19 hours ago via web in reply to bigdho

I’ll be back in a minute to lay this LB/@9thwondermusic shit to rest. In the meantime tho, I’m ROLLIN @ some of y’alls responses…..lol about 19 hours ago via web

@chowbelle I’d never do no shit like this for publicity. This aint about Tigallo and 9th. This is about Phonte Coleman and Patrick Douthit. about 15 hours ago via web in reply to chowbelle

Phonte then posted a 13-minute webcam video to Vimeo.com. I am not posting it here, but you can watch it at 2dopeboyz.okayplayer.com.

A brief summary of the video: Phonte claims he and Pooh requested a sit-down with 9th in early 2007. 9th refused to meet with them, responding that wanted to talk over the phone. Phonte believes this wasn’t the manly thing to do and adds that 9th Wonder is “passive-aggressive,” among other choice statements. He challenges 9th to either explain to the public what really went down, agree to a face-to-face healing session with him and Pooh regarding Little Brother, or never speak publicly about the breakup again.

From 9th’s page:

Twitterfolk…I have maintained silence on the matter for LONG time..for this reason. I apologize to yall for steppin outta character… about 19 hours ago via web

Please don’t feed into this madness yall…real talk….good music will still be made by all of us….. about 19 hours ago via web

A LOT of things have been said about me in the media for quite sometime, thats the game….so yall don’t feed into our back and forth about 19 hours ago via web

No matter what is said about me from now on, no sweat…Just support LB, 9th Wonder, all of us who make good music…. about 19 hours ago via web

Since 9th Wonder left Little Brother, he has refused to talk about the group, good or bad — at least until now. Phonte and Big Pooh have mostly done the same. However, it was clear that the split wasn’t amicable.

I suspect that 9th Wonder stopped touring with Little Brother in 2005 because he realized he could make more money producing album cuts for Jay-Z, Destiny’s Child, Mary J. Blige, et cetera. Acclaimed collaborations with Jean Grae, Buckshot and others confirmed he was a significant producer and artist in his own right. However, fans wondered why 9th wasn’t at the LB shows, and his lack of promotion for The Minstrel Show led to tensions within the group, particularly since the album didn’t sell.

Again, all speculation.

Artists are human, too. Sometimes close friends don’t get along anymore, grow distant from one another. Bonds fray and break, leading to dissension, arguments, and fights. Some people hate to see their favorite acts fall apart. I guess they prefer a quiet break up, and a gentle disappearance into memory, without exposing any dirty laundry. Personally, I like more information, not less. It helps me appreciate what they were able to achieve when they were together.

The cover of Little Brother’s Leftback features clippings and publicity photos from its career. However, 9th Wonder has been airbrushed out of all the material. What’s up with that?

Little Brother has announced the track listing for their final album Leftback, which drops April 20 on Hall of Justus/Traffic Entertainment Group:

With production from the likes of Khyrsis, Denaun Porter, Zo!, Symbolyc One, J. Bizness and King Karnov, LeftBack is poised to take listeners on an epic auditory adventure. Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh will also be extending invites for the farewell party to fellow emcees Torae, Truck North, Jozeemo, Chaundon and Median, while crooner Darien Brockington and chanteuse Yahzarah are on hand to add a touch of the melodious to the album.

As the momentum behind LeftBack continues to swell, Little Brother is proud to unveil the official artwork and the track listing for the album. Fans will be excited to learn that LeftBack features 13 tracks of unadulterated hip-hop, while the album artwork finds Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh standing tall amidst the ghosts of albums past, press coverage and other memories accumulated throughout Little Brother’s celebrated career. “We wanted the fans to have that moment of nostalgia when looking at this artwork” says Rapper Big Pooh. “You are able to take a quick journey from the beginning of our careers to the end as Little Brother by glancing at the artwork.”

Here’s the track listing:

• 1. “Curtain Call”
• 2. “Table For Two” (feat. Jozeemo & Yahzarah)
• 3. “Tigallo For Dolo”
• 4. “Revenge” (feat. Truck North & Median)
• 5. “So Cold” (feat. Chaundon)
• 6. “Second Chances” (feat. Bilal & Darien Brockington)
• 7. “Go Off Go On”
• 8. “What We Are” (feat. Quiana)
• 9. “After The Party (S1 and Caleb’s Who Shot JR Ewing Remix)” (feat. Carlitta Durand)
• 10. “Two Step Blues (Zo’s Purple Suit With The Matching Gators Remix)” (feat. Darien Brockington)
• 11. “Get Enough Pt. 2″ (feat. Khrysis)
• 12. “Before The Night Is Over”
• 13. “24″ (feat. Torae)

Last week, Little Brother elaborated on its previously-announced plans for Leftback. It turns out that it won’t be an EP of leftovers from the Getback sessions, but a full-length album. After its release on April 20 via Hall of Justus (with distribution from Traffic), Phonte and Big Pooh will embark on a final set of tour dates.

Phonte revealed that Little Brother had effectively split up last June during an interview with 215mag.com. After the interviewer, Tayyib Smith, posted the story on Okayplayer.com’s message boards, Phonte confirmed the news in a response subsequent to comments. “It’s been 3 studio albums, a host of mixtape/mix-albums, a gang of label/internal group drama and we still survived through it all. For me it just feels like a ‘we came, we saw, we made our mark’ sorta thing. I don’t know if there’s anything left to prove,” he wrote.

Leftback was originally intended as a post-breakup addendum. Now, the group will give its fans a fourth and final album (not counting mixtapes and compilations such as The Chitlin Circuit and Separate But Equal) and a chance to say a proper farewell.

Here’s an excerpt from the official press release:

Little Brother members Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh worked through several versions of the album before locking in the final version of LeftBack. Close followers of Little Brother may already be familiar with the LeftBack title, however, any previously held notions of this album being an EP should be dismissed. Little Brother opted to scrap the EP concept and instead, crafted an albums worth of material for those who have been waiting patiently for Leftback. “I didn’t want our last record to be a bunch of second rate material,” says Phonte. “I wanted to walk away from Little Brother knowing that I gave our fans all that I had to give, and said everything I wanted to say. With LeftBack, I’ve done that.”

Continuing the tradition they set with the critically acclaimed GetBack, Big Pooh and Phonte have enlisted multiple producers for LeftBack, both from within and outside of the Justus League camp. Producers for this album include frequent collaborator Khrysis and GetBack producers Denaun Porter and Zo!, as well as efforts from Symbolyc One and first time Little Brother contributors, J. Bizness, and King Karnov.

In addition to production, Khyrsis will also be contributing guest vocals on the album. Joining the North Carolina producer/MC are Torae, Truck North, Jozeemo and fellow Justus League MC’s Chaundon and Median. Resident crooner Darien Brockington and songstress Yahzarah also supply vocals on the album.

Despite Little Brother’s dominating presence in the hip-hop world since the 2003 release of The Listening, LeftBack will mark the duo’s first album with a true multi-media experience. Accompanying LeftBack will be four official music videos, all shot and directed by Matt Koza, known for his previous work with Foreign Exchange, Rapper Big Pooh, Kam Moye, RJD2, and more. While not customary for a Little Brother release – the group has had only one previous official video, for The Minstrel Show’s “Lovin’ It” – with LeftBack, Little Brother is excited to offer loyal supporters a long-desired visual take on the group’s music. Says Big Pooh, “Three albums, three mixtapes, 1 video. It doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in this day and age. We have always lacked in the visual department, and I think it will be refreshing to finally offer the people those visuals.”

Building on the album’s multi-media offerings, the initial pressing of LeftBack will also feature a limited edition DVD full of exclusive bonus features. Compiled in a documentary format, the bonus DVD will include recent tour footage, as well as exclusive Little Brother footage shot and archived throughout their career. For fans that miss the initial run, a subsequent DVD-only release will also include all official music videos from LeftBack.

Little Brother
Getback
ABB

Rating: ★★★★☆ 

Like many forthright, independent-minded hip-hop acts, Durham, N.C.’s Little Brother didn’t survive the stress of being signed to a major label.

When it came down to it, LB’s first release on Atlantic Records, 2005′s The Minstrel Show, wasn’t an easy sell to a music buying public accustomed to consuming ringtone-ready raps. The album was a racially charged conceptual effort that defied music corporations for promoting stereotypes and the black hip-hop acts that played along. But while Atlantic may or may not have been stumped by how to handle the righteousness of Little Brother’s ideologies, their original label, ABB, seems to serve as a more apt home for their third album, Getback — a compact, filler-free return to soulful hip-hop with occasional hints of humor.

Just as Little Brother’s relationship with Atlantic failed after recording The Minstrel Show, so did MCs Phonte and Big Pooh’s chemistry with their producer 9th Wonder. Even though many assumed 9th’s Fruity Loops-born beats were the backbone of the LB sound, his production really isn’t missed on Getback. Of course, on 9th Wonder’s sole contribution, the Lil Wayne-assisted love joint “Breakin’ My Heart,” his chipmunk soul sound fits perfectly. Conversely, working with beatsmiths Denaun Porter, Nottz, and especially Illmind proves to be an inspiring step for Phonte and Pooh. The aforementioned producers’ work isn’t exactly revolutionary, but it does give the pair of MCs some needed sonic breathing room.

Since debuting in 2003 with The Listening, LB has steadily moved beyond just rapping about rapping to being able to capture the ups-and-downs of existing in the music industry and the repercussions it has on daily life. On “This Is Love,” Illmind’s relaxed, soul-inspired track sees Phonte and Pooh sit back and reflect on the stress family and friends have added to being recording artists. Then on the next cut, “Dreams,” atop Rashid Hadee’s horn-soaked production, the MCs further delve into explaining to everyone from their mom to dudes on the corner back home why they do this hip-hop shit. In an especially striking moment, Phonte captures the struggles of confronting the cats on the corner: “When I hang with them, they ask me if The Minstrel Show means I’m ashamed of them/Well, I can’t say that I’m proud/But on the same, can’t say I’m allowed to judge.”

There’s little doubt that Getback is Little Brother’s most reflective work to date. Even when Phonte and Pooh aren’t tackling their personal situations on wax, they’re heatedly defending hip-hop against the culture’s most misinformed critics on the hard-hitting opening track, “Sirens.” Thankfully, however, they don’t get completely caught up in weighty matters. On another Illmind produced joint, “Good Clothes,” LB creates an upbeat flashback anthem about doing whatever they could back in the day to ditch their hand-me-downs and cop the best name-brand gear. In typical Little Brother fashion, they throw in a few wisecracks, busting on ridiculously dressed club-goers. Another feel-good offering, the Darien Brockington-assisted “Two Step Blues,” is dedicated to the steppers and is the most R&B-flavored offering of the album.

In retrospect, seeing late-twentysomethings and even thirtysomethings at a Little Brother show is no surprise, because their music, particularly with Getback, deals with grown-man realities – and, in instances such as “Two Step Blues,” grown folks fun. Not to say that the “TRL” generation can’t get down, but with this album Phonte and Big Pooh prove that they are indeed today’s answer to the golden era groups like Pete Rock & CL Smooth that inspired them in the first place. Even with 9th Wonder off the squad, the rappers push forward and help lead mature hip-hop to new heights.

– Max Herman

In a MySpace post, Little Brother figurehead Phonte Coleman announced that his group’s third album, Getback, is being delayed from September 25 to October 23.

“I’m over this shit,” writes Coleman in a post titled “Oh well….whatever…..nevermind… (c) Kurt Cobain.” “All I ever wanted was for my music to be heard. If it was solely up to me I’d throw up a zshare laink for y’all to download tonight, rather than leave it in the hands of people seemingly hellbent on fucking up what many have called our best and most complete record to date. I never understood how animals could eat their young until now.”

Coleman may be getting overemotional, however. Having just announced the album’s release less than two months ago, the slight pushback allows ABB Records more setup time for an album that’s generating positive buzz among those who have heard it. “As an artist, I vow to keep creating, keep recording, and keep releasing new music, but I refuse to keep puttin my energy into Getback when we’re surrounded by lies, half-truths, and incompetence on the label’s end. Why keep nursing a stillborn baby?”

Meanwhile, Coleman has other projects in the can, including an 80s-themed EP with Maryland artist Zo! and the follow-up to his acclaimed Foreign Exchange project with Dutch-born producer Nicolay. His LB partner Big Pooh has another solo album coming next year as well.

But first comes Getback…eventually. The group has announced its first round of tour dates as well, many with Evidence from Dilated Peoples. The track listing and itinerary are below. (October 18 update: The tour itinerary has been updated.)

• 1. “Sirens” (feat. Carlita Durand)
• 2. “Can’t Win For Losing”
• 3. “Breakin My Heart” (feat. Lil Wayne)
• 4. “Good Clothes”
• 5. “After the Party” (feat. Carlitta Durand)
• 6. “Extra Hard”
• 7. “Step It Up” (feat. Dion)
• 8. “Two Step Blues” (feat. Darien Brockington)
• 9. “That Ain’t Love” (feat. Jozeemo)
• 10. “Dreams”
• 11. “When Everything is New”

And here’s the tour schedule:

• 10/17: Paradise Club, Boston, MA
• 10/18: The Station, Portland, ME
• 10/19: Pearl Street, North Hampton, MA
• 10/20: Highline Ballroom, New York, NY
• 10/22: Babylon, Ottawa, ON
• 10/23: The Mod Club, Toronto, ON
• 10/24: St. Andrew’s Hall, Detroit, MI
• 10/25: The Abbey, Chicago, IL
• 10/26: High Noon, Madison, WS
• 10/27: Waiting Room, Omaha, NE
• 10/29: Fox Theater, Boulder, CO
• 10/30: Bluebird Theatre, Denver, CO
• 10/31: Big Deluxe, Salt Lake City, UT
• 11/03: Chop Suey, Seattle, WA
• 11/04: Richard’s on Richards, Vancouver, BC
• 11/05: Nightlight Lounge, Bellingham, WA
• 11/06: Doug Fir Lounge, Portland, OR
• 11/08: The Independent, San Francisco, CA
• 11/09: Williams College, Williamstown, MA
• 11/10: Canes Bar and Grill, San Diego, CA
• 11/12: El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
• 11/14: Club Congress, Tucson, AZ
• 11/15: The Brickhouse, Phoenix, AZ
• 11/17: Stubb’s, Austin, TX
• 11/18: Numbers, Houston, TX
• 11/19: Prophet Bar, Dallas, TX
• 11/20: The Parish, New Orleans, LA
• 11/21: Soul Kitchen, Mobile, AL
• 11/24: The Social, Orlando, FL
• 11/25: PS 14, Miami, FL
• 11/27: The Earl, Atlanta, GA
• 11/28: Mercy Lounge, Nashville, TN
• 11/29: The Dame, Lexington, KY
• 11/30: Bogart’s, Cincinnati, OH
• 12/01: Black Cat, Washington, DC
• 12/03: Paradise Lounge, Boston, MA
• 12/05: Toad’s Place, Richmond, VA
• 12/06: Soapbox Laundrolounge, Wilmington, SC
• 12/07: Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC

10/17-10/31, 11/08, 11/10-12/07: w/Evidence
10/20: w/Brother Ali
10/24-11/12: w/The Away Team
11/05: w/Ghostface Killah
11/24-11/25, 11/29-12/01: w/Reef the Lost Cauze

www.myspace.com/littlebrother

Somewhere in the midst of a typical MySpace “Tigallo” rant about the NAACP’s mock funeral of the N-word, Little Brother figurehead Phonte Coleman managed to share news on the group’s third album, Getback. He writes that it’s scheduled to drop September 25 on ABB Records.

“Anyway, for all the people who’s been askin, “Getback” is droppin 9/25 on ABB Records, and don’t worry, me and Pooh gon be sayin ‘nigga’ all thew that shit,” he writes.

Unlike 2005′s The Minstrel Show, the new Little Brother epic will not be released via Atlantic, since the group and the label parted ways earlier this year. More updates soon.

This morning, Cleveland DJ Mick Boogie and Durham, North Carolina’s finest Little Brother posted And Justus For All for free on the Internet. It’s the first offering from the group since producer 9th Wonder left the group. In fact, he only appears on two of the disc’s 27 tracks. Instead, Phonte and Big Pooh enlist RJD2, Oddisee, DJ Babu, Khrysis and Midi Mafia to kick down beats. Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Kardinal Offishal, Skillz, Chaundon, Rhymefest, Supastition, Cormega, AZ and others contribute guest shots.

“I worked more closely with Mick on this mixtape than I have with any ‘A&R’ on any album I’ve ever done,” says Phonte in a joint interview with Mick Boogie for popular blog Nah Right.

Mick Boogie adds, “I met Little Brother a couple years ago when they did a show in Cleveland, then I saw them last summer. They were familiar with my CDs so we discussed doing something together. We worked very hand in hand on this. Hundreds of emails back and forth discussing beats, concepts, ideas, skits, promotion, guests? you name it. Definitely the most hands on I’ve ever been on any project.”

You can download And Justus for All through several websites, including here, here and here.

In related news, Phonte posted a bulletin on Little Brother’s MySpace page about 9th Wonder’s defection from the group. “Just know that Pooh and I will be as committed as we always were to delivering top notch material,” he writes. “I was making music long before I had a record deal, and will continue to do so afterwards. I’m an artist, not an act.” Still no word on Get Back, though.

www.myspace.com/littlebrother
www.myspace.com/mickboogie

Little Brother, the acclaimed Raleigh, North Carolina trio, is now down to two members. In a January 27 story on HipHopGame.com, Big Pooh and Little Brother manager Big Dho revealed that rising producer 9th Wonder is no longer in the group.

“Little Brother has decided, in the best interest of the group, for Little Brother and 9th Wonder to part ways,” said Big Pooh, who shares the group with Phonte Coleman. “There are no hard feelings and no beef. This is just a decision that had to be made so all three of us could move forward and continue to provide the world with dope music.”

Big Pooh and Big Dho also revealed that they are trying to leave Atlantic Records. “First, I want to say that Little Brother has not been dropped from Atlantic,” he told the hip-hop website. “At this time we are in the process of negotiating our release from the label due to a difference in philosophies.”

Since late last year the group has talked up its forthcoming third album, Get Back. The title is a reference to the mixed reception their second album, The Minstel Show received upon its release in fall 2005. Big Dho said it may come out on another Warner Bros.-affiliated label: “I think we may just put the album out on Asylum to close our deal, but it’s definitely a wrap for us at Atlantic.”

Rumors surrounding Little Brother’s status have swirled for months. When The Minstrel Show came out with less-than-robust promotion from Atlantic, many assumed the group would be dropped. Concurrently, when Big Pooh and Phonte Coleman completed several tours without 9th Wonder on the wheels of steel, many speculated that the producer was leaving the group. Talk intensified when Phonte told HipHopDx.com that 9th Wonder was only producing one track on Get Back. The outspoken Phonte, who set off several Internet storms with his MySpace blog posts last year, will undoubtedly say more about all this in the weeks ahead.

Little Brother will release a mixtape with DJ Mick Boogie, And Justus For All, on February 13. As a result of the recent police raid on DJ Drama and his Aphilliates Music Group (who put out a Little Brother mixtape, Separate but Equal, last year), And Justus for All will be a free download on the Internet. “Although outlets for mixtapes are scarce in the wake of the RIAA/DJ Drama drama, we are moving forward and will still make our music available for you to enjoy,” writes Phonte on his MySpace page.

While the fate of Get Back remains uncertain, the members of Little Brother are working on separate projects. Big Pooh is recording his second solo album, which is tentatively titled Dirty Pretty Things. Phonte remains a popular guest vocalist. He appeared on DJ Shadow and Darien Brockington’s albums last fall, and is featured on 4hero’s forthcoming Play with the Changes.

www.myspace.com/littlebrother
www.myspace.com/rapperbigpooh