The Urban Daily » Phonte

Phonte, “Dance In The Reign” [VIDEO PREMIERE]

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:41:17 +0000

Phonte Coleman of Little Brother and The Foreign Exchange drops some #newtigallo from his first solo project, Charity Starts At Home. Kenneth Price is on the lens for “Dance In The Reign” and Swiff D is on the beats. (props to Okayplayer.com)

What Do J.Cole, Pete Pablo and Little Brother Have In Common?

“I do this for hip-hop!…I’m lyin..I do this for my mortgage…my kids…”–Phonte

Charity Stripes: Phonte’s Hottest Lines

Phonte Feat. Elzhi “Not Here Anymore” [NEW MUSIC]

Pharoahe Monch F/ Styles & Phonte, “Black Hand Side” [VIDEO PREMIERE]

Soul Food: 10 Albums I’m Thankful For In 2011

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 22:44:40 +0000

Since you are what you eat, as a hip-hop junky in his 30s a lot of what is being served out there just isn’t palatable to me. But thankfully my position at TheUrbandaily brings me in contact with sounds and artists that may have otherwise gone overlooked. Following the relative drought of music in 2010, 2011 has brought a gorilla monsoon of rap and a tsunami of soul. With so many people driving home the misconception that hip-hop is dead, I’d like to share the ten albums that have helped keep me alive this year. Happy Thanksgiving.

Pharaohe Monch, W.A.R, We Are Renegades

I’ve been a fan of Monch since he was cussing people out for stealing his last piece of chicken. The irony is that if I heard about a song called “Who Stole My Last Piece Of Chicken” in 2011 I would probably throw my iPod against a wall. But since then Pharoahe Monch has proven to be one of the most thought-provoking artists I’ve ever heard (maybe there is hope for the Weezy after all.) This year he joined forces with Duck Down records to release his third solo album, W.A.R. We Are Renegades. After one listen the album impressed me so much that I constructed a making of the album, interviewing almost a dozen different people that contributed to it. While his previous project Desire showcased his wide range of abilities, Monch chose this time to constrict his focus and deliver the heavy-hitting linguistics and jaw-breaking production that earned him fans across the globe. Instead of raging against the machine Monch gave detailed instructions on how to break into it and dismantle it from the inside.

“If you are not performing fellatio for radio rotation /What’s the ratio for radio play at your station? /If you’re not paying to play, the record is dead /Puts a whole new spin on radio head/Radiohead”–The Hitmen

Steal this song: “Still Standing” /F Jill Scott

DJ Quik, The Book of David

While everyone played a game of “hurry-up-and-wait” with Dr. Dre’s Detox, another West Coast veteran laced us with his eighth studio album, The Book of David. Mr. Blake reinforced why he is one of the best rapping producers alive walking the line of being a gangsta (“So Compton”) and a gentleman (“Luv of My Life”). “Records like ‘Luv of My Life’ are reddish, greenish, orange,” he said in our interview. ” ‘Real Women’ is clear, it’s colorless. It’s a white diamond. I sampled that from Dave Grushen and Angela Bofill. Don’t you love my range and my diversity?” Yes, we do.

Steal this song: “Time Stands Still” f/ Dwele

Kendrick Lamar, Section 80

I literally discovered this brother by accident proving that word of mouth still matters. When I interviewed producer Wyldfyer he told me he’d done the track “Kush and Corinthians” for this album, so I downloaded the entire thing on GP and was not disappointed. I used to think every 80s babies had their life graded on a curve before listening to Section.80. However, Kendrick Lamar has a gift for making simple truths seem profound that I haven’t felt since Ice Cube’s Death Certificate, but with the musical sentiments that harken back to Bone Thugs N Harmony. “And then she started/ And then she started/Feeling herself like no on else in this apartment/Beg your pardon/Oh I rap baby, how old are you?/She say 22, I say 23/Ok then we are crack babies…”

Steal this song: “No Make Up” F/ Colin Munroe

Phonte Coleman, Charity Starts At Home

The subtitle of this album should be “Mind Of The Married Man” because I don’t think any hip-hop album has so dealt with the realities and challenges of matrimony so honestly before. We’ve had songs about relationships, sure. But this whole album is just over your head if you’re under 30 and never had to share bills under the same roof with somebody. There, I said it. When he rhymes on “Sending My Love” that he was “arguing about some shit rooted in some other shit/ long story short it was a night I ain’t feel like coming home…” every man in a long term relationship is going “chu’uch” and “tabernacle.” So I’m personally thankful that there is somebody addressing emotions from a man’s perspective that doesn’t drunk dial his exes.

Steal this song: “Who Loves You More”

Torae, For The Record

For the past five years or so New York hip-hop has endured slander of epic proportions. Nicki Minaj notwithstanding, MCs from the 5 boroughs have had to learn to subsist on a subterranean level like the folks in Demolition Man. And like that movie, much of what is being served on the surface is Taco Bell level filler. Thankfully MCs like Coney Island’s “Young Veteran” Torae have not rejected their city’s boom-bap DNA while still managing to evolve. After recording his collabo album with producer Marco Polo, Double Barrel, Torae has complete his first official solo album with production from DJ Premier, Large Professor, Diamond D and many more. But beyond the headphone friendly beats, Torae manipulates words like a Soul Train scramble board contestant cheating on their SATs: “I got the energy of Left Eye/ride through the Honduras like it’s Bed Stuy/The good die young so at 12 I got the double breast, a pair of steps and a neck tie…”

Steal this song: “Imagine”

Focus, Music Of The Misinterpreted

Most of you reading this probably don’t know how much Focus has impacted your musical life. The Grammy Award winning producer was once a staff producer for Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label and is responsible for laying the sonic foundations to Beyonce’s “Yes” , J.LO’s “Dear Ben”, Marsha Ambrosius’ “Tears” and Busta Rhymes’ “Respect My Conglomerate” just to name a microspic sample of his catalog. Not to mention that his father is former CHIC bassist, the late Bernard Edwards, so music is literally in his blood. But this year the producer has stepped from behind the boards to deliver his message on the mic with a little help from his friends. After having Music Of The Misinterpreted on repeat for several days I’m convinced this man should have been rapping way before this.
“Seems like I’m always gettin’ looked over, cold shoulder, but I bear with it–polar/Me and the industry was like lovers/put nothin above her/ but we’re growin apart as I get older/now I find a niche sink my teeth in–molar/I’m eatin and seen with the big stars–solar/I came a long way and taught a couple cats and now I’ ma force to be wreckoned with–Yoda.”

Music Of The Misinterpreted is what the 99% would sound like if they had…focus.
Occupy Beat Street, bitches.

Steal this song: “1ne” (feat. Embassy Music Board & Tez McClain)

Jill Scott, The Light Of The Sun

In an era when artists are churning out albums on an annual basis Jill Scott has mastered the art of making us wait. While I’m sure the contractual wranglings with her former label Hidden Beach contributed to the four year hiatus after The Real Thing: Words and Sounds Vol 3., it served to whet the collective appetites of her fans, stans and google images stalkers. Once I stopped staring at the album cover the music was every bit as confident, seductive and renewed as the front image led us to believe. Who do you know can craft a female empowerment anthem like “Womanifesto” then turn around and sing about diamond d*cks without sounding the least bit contradictory? Jill Scott, that’s who.

Steal this song: “Rolling Hills”

Saigon, The Greatest Story Never Told

To say that I was happy this album dropped is an understatement. Back when I was the editor of Scratch magazine I’d featured Saigon and his producer Just Blaze on the cover in homage to Gang Starr. Sai played me several cuts back then that thoroughly impressed me and five years later the world finally got to hear what I did. For folks who were missing that aggressive, slap-your-chef-for-using-too-much-paprika level of sonic ignorance from Just Blaze GSNT had all you were waiting for. Then add Saigon’s sicker-than-your-average lyrics and this is one story you can tuck your wealth in at night to.

Steal this song: “Preacher”

Eric Roberson, Mr. Nice Guy

That line between love and hate isn’t always thin. There is a whole four-lane highway’s worth of experiences and emotions that singers like Eric Roberson tap into with ease. Ever since I was first introduced to erro via “Find A Way” and “Couldn’t Here Me Over The Music” and “Def Ears” from his The Vault vol 1 I’ve felt a kindred spirit with this brother. Some woman at some point in his life has jacked.him.up! And I’m man enough to say that I can relate. Whether it’s that one you had that didn’t quite work out or the one you didn’t have that never got a chance to fail, Eric paints those shades of gray with broad strokes. His latest collection, Mr. Nice Guy, is arguably his most complete album since The Vault and any fan should scoop this up immediately.

Steal this song: “Love’s Withdrawal” f/ Omari Hardwick

Killer Mike, PL3DGE

I’ve been an admirer of our Rhyme of The Week recipient since his days of rapping about “A.D.I.D.A.S” but I honestly haven’t consumed many of Killer Mike’s albums since then. As talented as he is on the mic (and articulate in person) I never felt like his beats did him justice. However, after hearing the high praise for his PLEDGE series I decided to take a listen to the third installment and Mike Bigga has truly evolved. From the political chin-check of “That’s Life II” to the unlicensed bravado of “Ric Flair” he’s more than found his groove and I was happy that I could find songs with substance with beats I wanna ride to. Word to PE.

Steal this song: “That’s Life II”

It’s no coincidence that several of these artists have collaborated with each other on their respective projects. I’m just tuned into a certain frequency I guess. If you like my list check out more of my selections on BlackplanetRadio.com. CLICK HERE

5 Ways To Get Rid Of An Old iPod

Jonathan Hailey — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:00:37 +0000

Apple seems to put a new product on the market every three weeks and one of their most popular selling items is the iPod. Technology fiends will spend hundreds of dollars to have the newest model, despite them having the model that dropped six months ago. With the 10th anniversary of the iPod upon us, The Urban Daily gives you five ways to dispose of an old iPod without throwing it in the trash.

Recycle through Apple’s recycling program.

In an effort to reduce the world’s carbon footprint, Apple introduced a recycling program with incentives for their customer. The company offers a 10% discount on a purchase of a new iPod if you choose to recycle the device at any store location. Don’t have time to hit the store? Go to their site, fill out the recycle form and get a gift certificate worth the iPod’s fair market value. The better the condition, the higher your gift certificate value.

Give it away.

Plenty of people forgo the whole gift card incentives in favor of more charitable avenues. The most common is to give it the iPod away. I chose to give mine to a teenage cousin. For him, getting my iPod was like digging through crates, looking for vinyl. Although familiar with today’s hip hop, he couldn’t identify the original sample heard in Jeezy’s track, “Shake Life.” Once he heard the Toto and Eric Benet versions, there was a new appreciation for Jeezy’s song. Remember when we were kids and our parents used to tell us we didn’t know what real music was? iPods will become the new shoebox full of tapes, digital time capsules for future generations to discover.

Trade with a friend.

Music trading is nothing new to the game. However, the internet has helped elevate music trading to a worldwide level. For example, Phonte of Little Brother and Nicolay, a producer from The Netherlands, released albums before they even met in person. They sent beats and tracks back and forth through email. Why not do the same? There are plenty of musicians outside of the United States you’ve never heard of. If you’re open to the idea, check out trading sites like Swap.com

Sell it.

Throwing away an old iPod is hustling backwards. You bought this electronic gadget for $300 and by throwing it away, you get nothing. If you sell it to someone for a reduced price, you’ll have a little bit of money in your pocket. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, right?

Keep it.

Honestly, this seems like the most sensible option to the music fanatic in me. As a person who has collected over a thousand cds and several thousand songs on the iPod, putting in all that work and letting someone else enjoy it is wack. Chalk the selfishness up to my only child syndrome. Ok, so you bought the freshest iPod and didn’t get the insurance. What happens if damage occurs to the fresh device? Pull out the old one and update the songs on it. Simple enough.

Happy 10th Anniversary To The iPod: The Day Mine’s Died…

5 Ways Steve Jobs Helped Hip-Hop And R&B [ORIGINAL]

10 Must-Have iPad Games

Rappers Pay Homage To Steve Jobs

Should Rappers Stop Singing & Singers Stop Rapping? [PHOTOS]

Darnella Dunham, Senior Producer — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 19:07:09 +0000

The line between hip-hop and R&B has been growing fuzzy, because both genres seem to be heavily influenced by the other. Rappers and singers cloud the issue by doing both, and being a double threat is becoming the norm. Should they stay in one lane? Check out some of our favorite R&B MCs in the photos below.

Best Legs In The Game [PHOTOS]

Reality TV Stars: So They Think They Can Sing [PHOTOS]

Charity Stripes: Phonte’s Hottest Lines

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 21:13:37 +0000

Phonte Coleman is one of the most underrated lyricists making hip-hop today. After a decade of recording as a member of Little Brother and The Foreign Exchange he has finally released his long-overdue solo project, Charity Starts At Home. The 12 track CD features everything fans have come to expect from Tigallo: witty wordplay, heartfelt vocals and lush, heavy-hitting beats. Te is best when he’s writing reality checks drawn on inspiration, so check out some of our favorite lines from the new project.

(snippets)

“Dance in the Reign”

“Flow so addictive/ it’s like habit forming/flow hair raising/it’s like rabbit farming…/Peter cottontail hoppin over beats and rockin acapells since the days of Akinyells..”

The title of the song alone sets up the many double entendres listeners will be treated to throughout the album. He could have stopped at the flip of hair and hare, but he literally and figuratively made it hip-hop by the next bar.

“Not Here Anymore”

“Yes Phontiga spit/Amazon flame/ watch 9th re-Kindle it/ cuz i-Pad verses with the wisdom of my innocence lost…/

Te is so subtle with this one that you could almost miss it if you’re not reading it. After not speaking for a few years 9th and Te literally rekindled their friendship earlier this year and this 21st century MC redefines a “book of rhymes.”

“Everything is falling down”

“I made a new lane for myself and said F8ck it/ Why rage against the machine when you could just unplug it?”

What’s telling about this project is that he’s put it out independently and has nearly as much buzz (if not more) than any of his releases on major labels. Matrix? What Matrix?

“Eternally”

No such thing as Te without bars/ that’s like Pixar with no cars/ or seeing a dark-skinned DeBarge..

Point blank, Te raises more bars than Willy Wonka pole vaulting in Rikers. Pause.

“Sendin My Love”

“But wifey wants a scholar and a traveler/hunter and a gatherer/ and after I capture her now I gotta put my spear up?/”

The classic dilemma of any man trained to pursue his woman is that once she’s “caught” the hunter must now change the practices that made him successful in the first place. It’s a d**k thing.

“Ball and Chain”

“…when the love flames burn out /now your house lookin Smokey like the teardrops of a clown…”

Flipping both the literal ‘smoky’ and Smokey Robinson, Te not only references the classic song “tears of a clown” on this lamentation of marriage, he acknowledges that smoke literally makes you tear up. Word to Andre Rison.

“We Go Off”

“They say Phonte is the incarnation of verbal murder/ pin it on me like prom night.”

No, you missed it. He didn’t just say pin the murder on him. That would be too easy. He’s the in-CARNATION of verbal murder, the damn flower. Pin THAT sh*t on him like it’s prom night or drop it in the casket cuz your career is dead.

“These young’s want all of the spoils, but none of the toils/ Got me climbin the walls/ too good to press olives but be the first squeaky wheel lookin for oil…” Phonte, “Who Loves You More”

This is a long overdue indictment of the Internet generation raised on instant gratification. Give em a rotary phone and some rabbit ears then see how much hustle they have in em.

BONUS: DJ Flash dropped “The Best Of Phonte Mixtape” in advance of the album so here are some of my all time favorite Tigallo lines.

“Light It Up”

“Got plans to shine /style 3 times dope like eastern standard time…”

“On The way”

“Man of all seasons/ used to have a fetish for weed, women and grapes and I like them all seedless”

“The Yo Yo”

“Deep down you know that I’m right/ man I’m about to kick some Trick Daddy next poetry night like “my Black Queen, don’t know na’an n*gga!”

“Life of the Party”

We on the same page, we all on one accord/ Little do they know we all came in one Accord

“I See Now”

Respect game when it comes to my ex things/I keep em in line like rollerblades at the X-Games

“Welcome To Durham”

You Ain’t Ernie Barnes…/ stop drawin attention”

“The Becoming”

I target you herbs/On some teleprompter shit I got you watchin ya words/ Te rhymes is real life, yours is so for instance/ taxin these niggas like no dependents/ 12 bar courtrooom drama with no codefendants/ don’t beat it off/ come to your senses…

“Lovin It”

Ya’ll niggas is borin me/I’m never gon’ change up/please join a sorority go step your game up.”

“Sinners”

Not a sex therapist lookin for inner peace/ I’mma sex terrorist invadin your middle east”

Phonte “Charity Starts At Home” Album Cover & Tracklisting

Pharoahe Monch F/ Styles & Phonte, “Black Hand Side” [VIDEO PREMIERE]

Phonte Feat. Elzhi “Not Here Anymore” [NEW MUSIC]

Darnella Dunham, Senior Producer — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 00:42:32 +0000

If you’re a fan of Phonte, Little Brother, or 9th Wonder, you’ll probably like this new song featuring Elzhi called “Not Here Anymore.” If you’re not a fan, you’ll at least be able to appreciate the way 9th flipped the sample of “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore” by Rose Royce on this track. Check it out below…

Pharoahe Monch Feat. Styles & Phonte, “Black Hand Side” [VIDEO PREMIERE]

Phonte & 9th Wonder On Their Reconcilation, Eating Pork & Lessons Learned

Phonte “Charity Starts At Home” Album Cover & Tracklisting

jazzyf — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:46:03 +0000

Phonte finally drops his debut solo album Charity Starts At Home. Little Brother’s frontman drops the long awaited album September 27th on +FE Music.

Check out the track list below.

01. Dance in the Reign
02. The Good Fight
03. Everything Is Falling Down
04. Not Here Anymore
05. Eternally
06. Sendin My Love
07. Ball and Chain
08. To Be Yours
09. Gonna Be A Beautiful Night
10. We Go Off
11. The Life of Kings
12. Who Loves You More

Pharoahe Monch F/ Styles & Phonte, “Black Hand Side” [VIDEO PREMIERE]

jlbarrow — Wed, 08 Jun 2011 03:43:08 +0000

Pharoahe Monch drops the second video from his third solo album W.A.R. (We Are Renegades). In the clip he imagines a world where we turn the other cheek and let it slide instead of getting caught up in the b.s. Monch told TheUrbandaily.com in our exclusive making of W.A.R. that this song was refreshing to him for a variety of reasons.

“But after all the rappity-rap sh*t I gave you in the beginning of the album I wanted the listener to say “ahh, water.” [laughs]. At some point I need a break. It’s not even about the consumer. I literally take a deep breath on Black Hand Side. The strings do that for me, the tempo, the content and the singing.”

Pharoahe Monch “We Are Renegades” (Album Review)

Pharoahe Monch “Clap (One Day)” Extended Music Video

The Art of “W.A.R”: Making Pharoahe Monch’s We Are Renegades (Part 1)

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:39:10 +0000

On a dry March night in New York City the basement at SOBS night club has been converted into a bomb shelter. Lil Fame from M.O.P. Jean Grae, Large Professor, Mr. Len, !llmind, Skyzoo, King Of Chill, Showtyme, Mela Machinko, Styles P, DJ Boogie Blind, Dru Ha, Shucky Ducky, Craig G, Immortal Technique and many more are huddled in the bunker. In one way or another they are here to support the war effort of one Troy Donald Jamerson, aka Pharoahe Monch.

The ceiling rumbles with sonic booms from Skyzoo’s opening set upstairs. Monch is dressed in a military jacket but the real fatigue is on his face. It’s been two days since his third solo album We Are Renegades has been in stores. But since its release W.A.R. has meant “working a record.” Tonight is Monch’s fourth performance in as many days. Monday he was in Boston. Tuesday he was in Philly shooting a video with Jill Scott. Then performed at Best Buy. 36 hours from now he’ll be at the Comedy Central Comedy Awards recording the “John Cryer Will Fuck You Up” routine. A week later he’ll be in Germany to begin his European stretch.

“It was amazing man,” he says of the tour weeks later. “We knew what we were up against in the industry right now with this type of record. We just set the bar high knowing we were going to have to work. In other countries the majority of the country was speaking a different language. When we got to London it was crazy. The entire crowd was singing the lyrics to all the new songs. I don’t want to say it took me by surprise but it did. I was blown away.”

But how did this all come together? No longer on a major label Monch and his manager Guy Routte partnered with Duck Down Records to bring this album to the masses. In this exclusive TheUrbandaily and Nodfactor.com speak to the many renegades–art directors, producers, engineers, singers, MCs and many more about their contributions to this album.

“It was really people saying, I want to work with Pharoahe,” says Guy. “That’s what twenty years in the game will get you. I told him that he has to do an album for your core, that speaks directly to the Internal Affairs fan base, people that want to hear you spit. I don’t think you need to go and get Drake’s fans. You just need to re-awaken your own.”

Album Cover (front)

Ola Kudu (Art Director): This cat shot for a full day in a gas mask. It was my personal gas mask but the filters weren’t working. Monch was on a juice fast for three days before the shoot. I was worried. He was in a gas mask that didn’t function properly—with asthma. That’s dedication.

Pharoahe Monch: I was out of breath. I was getting my inhaler from time to time. We could dramatize it but I got this guy here, D-Nice is here, both are here because they heard some music that they felt excited about and moved them emotionally. Let’s work. Man up. Gotta nail the shot. We gotta nail the shot. That’s it.

Guy Routte: D-Nice came through, we gave him some turkey and cheese sandwiches and he was good. Ola is the father of the hip-hop the website. I called him to get advice on who I could get to do the graphics and he said “I’ll do it. We’ll work something out.” They shot it on the roof of Pharoahe’s apartment when he was living in Brooklyn.

Album Cover: (back)

Pharoahe Monch:

[The asthma inhalers]represent the one thing I haven’t defeated yet. I was paying monthly for private health insurance and got dropped by the carrier. We’re still trying to figure out why I was dropped from the carrier. Guy is still trying to figure it out. My lawyer is reading through the contracts. There’s been a discrepancy since I left the major label and now I’m independent.

1.) The Warning F/ Idris Elba

Produced by: Pharoahe Monch

Pharaohe Monch: I know not many people are on the same frequency [as me]. So we started there by saying that “if you’re on this frequency you’re a renegade” and that helps people feel like they’re part of the project and feel like hey “I’m a smart motherfucker too!”

In writing the intro I approached it as something to think about in terms of the future and the past. I spoke with Dr. Cornel West about the overall message of the album and whether it was a message in vein. A lot of the content was very KRS-One, PE, Black Star, Rakim…it’s been done before. King, Malcolm and Ghandi…Jesus tried to raise the consciousness of the people to another level. He said this message has already been inspired, you can’t be wrong in what you’re doing. That gave me the balls to write the intro.

Just like film you can have a great script and terrible actors, or great actors and terrible script. I thought what I wrote was pretty decent but it wasn’t coming across. So I was talking with Jean Grae about who could do this and we threw out some names of people who could get this across. We sent the script to Dris and not only did he do the one he sent, he did five other accents and characters. And they were all incredible, but this one was the most ominous.

2.) Calculated Amalgamation, Produced by: Lion’s Share Music Group

“One shot fired in hopes to inspire a nation…”

Nick (LSMG): It came out of left field. Pharoahe came by…we were playing some stuff for him and it was hours before the album went to mastering. He really liked this one, the drums, etc. He couldn’t decided if it was going to be the intro or the outro. We had 20 hours to recut the sample and get all the instruments he wanted, mix it and that’s what came out.

Pharoahe: Jazzie B from Soul II Soul was describing the group one time in his English accent and he said “Soul to soul is an amalgamation of…” and of course that was 20 years ago and I was like “amalga-what?” I looked it up. I’m a word person. In this era it’s like “google the shit.” My vocabulary is not expansive at all, contrary to the songs. I just gravitate towards words I don’t know, or phonetically have a rhythm to it. Like “Calculated Amalgamation.”

When I said “one shot fired to inspire a nation,” the whole Egyptian revolution was going on and to my accounts I heard that a guy who was selling goods in Syria had a stand but he didn’t have his proper license. The police came and knocked over his goods. He went to the place to protest and they disrespected him and kicked his fruit down the steps. Humiliated him. In protest he set himself on fire. This situation is said to be the one thing that made the people say “now that’s it.” Taking from that, what is the tipping point here?

3.) Evolve, Produced by Exile

Pharoahe Monch: I reused the verse I did on De la Soul’s “Ghostweed.” I’ve been on some time travel shit and science fiction shit since I can remember. In the original rhyme I said “Take a bullet for Malcolm X then vanish/ extinguish the sun/ When I’m through/play pool with the planets.” I meant literally go back in time and stop this assassination and disappear again and see what the occurrence is to see how things transpire. Those are where my thoughts have been. Now science is getting into moving things at light speed. That’s my character on “Assassins.” Known to move throughout time. So I’m being nerdy. Coltrane and those guys did revised records all the time. I even say in the song “I’m a sadomasochist MC, I bite myself.” If I’m gonna take from somebody take from yourself. How cocky is that?

4.)W.A.R. F/ Immortal Technique and Vernon Reid

Prod By Marco Polo, Mixed By Joe Nardone

Marco Polo: I’ve been trying to get beats to Pharoahe for a minute. I burned him a CD and we started working on that beat and another that didn’t make the album. Vernon Reid from Living Color is on this one and for me, having someone like that play on one of my beats is next level. He was just adding guitar parts to the beat that already existed. He sent us a bunch of material and Pharoahe and I sat in the studio on the MPC and chopped it up. We could have had 18 versions with different guitar parts. He just wanted to give us an abundance of options, God bless him.

Immortal Technique: I came to the studio and knocked it the f*ck out. Final product sounded real good. I heard the range of what it was going to be before any final mix and I could tell it would sound tough once it was really finished. Recording a song after all isn’t the end all be all, it has to undergo several other important phases, mixing, mastering…etc

Joe Nardone : Generally I went for hard hitting drums and extended low end. Of course I also try to preserve or enhance whatever it is that makes a song move. Clarity of the vocals was stressed by Pharoahe and I mostly stayed away from big or flashy vocal effects. The vocals stand up on their own.

Pharoahe Monch: “When The Gun Draws Got a million views/so that gave me permission to break the rules”

How are you going to say f*ck the radio, Viacom and BET on a record and then make a music video? You can only do that when you’re on that Malcolm X, MLK, not being fearful of industry repercussions. What do you have to lose in an industry that’s model is completely changing? If people like this black and white video that I did from the perspective of a bullet which direction are you going to go in? It’s not even as rebellious as it sounds. I can’t make a Rihanna-esque beat and pay major label type money without those people being in our circle.

5.) Clap (One Day) Featuring Showtyme and DJ Boogie Blind , Produced by M-Phazes

M-Phazes: That beat is real old, it’s one of the first beats I made when I moved to Cubase from Nuendo as a workstation. I found the sample and loved it, chopped it up and added some real hard drums. Young Cee laid some keyboards and extra sounds on there and it was one of the first beats Monch picked. Showtyme always amazes me and he fit the track perfectly, and the cuts!! Boogie came through with some crazy shit you don’t hear on records much any more, especially on lead singles. The whole track is crazy from the concept to the rhymes to the hook to the video!

Boogie Blind: He told me he wanted to use Eric B and Rakim for the “Clap” scratches and the first thing they came to my mind was Ice Cubes’ “JD’s Gafflin” from Kill At Will. A lot of people don’t’ have that on vinyl.

P. Monch: I got asked about the Novus Ordo Seclorum line. People see the gas mask and the eye and [make assumptions]. I say it was Egyptian before it was some Illuminati stuff. The Pyramids were the pyramids before that. My name is Pharoahe! Come on people. I’m not in the illuminati.

6.)Black Hand Side F/ Styles P and Phonte

Prod by Mike Leo

Phonte: P can sing and a lot of times cats send me a reference and they really don’t need me like that. His reference sounded cool to me. I just did it and added some things to make it more “me” and my own flavor on it. I sent it back and he hit me like “Yo you killed it.” I knew just the weight of that song, being that it was him and Styles and how big “My Life” was I knew I had to bring my” A” Game. I was just happy to be a part of it.

I did it back in ’09 early ’10. I remember it was one of the first jams I did when I set up my own studio recording in my crib. So I was even more nervous cuz I haven’t really mastered my sh*t yet. I turned my third bedroom into my studio/office. It’s real basic; the monitors are the KRK Rockit 8s. My pre-amp is a DBX 376 and that’s just my pre-amp/compressor that I run my mic through. My mic is a Rode NTK and I just run all of that into a little Yamaha USB mixer into my Macbook. I track and record everything in Garage Band. But I gotta good mix out of it. When I heard the finished version with the strings it took it to another emotional level.

Jean Grea: I did the string arrangements. I’m a huge fan of arranging strings and stacking harmonies. I sat down for a couple hours with Pro Tools. I’ve always enjoyed playing with placement and breaking the rules of song structure. So I was really happy that I got to do that, even though it took a big chunk out of my day and I wanted to go shopping.

Mike Loe: I bought the record we sampled downtown at Big City records. It used to be Sound Library. I took it home and looped it up and put some drums on it. I was playing it all day. I gave it to Pharoahe and he told me you got some joints. “BHS” was the second one we did.

Pharoahe Monch:I sing with a lot of soul but (Phonte) is a professional. I’m not a professional singer. There are some things I can carry. But after all the rappity-rap sh*t I gave you in the beginning of the album I wanted the listener to say “ahh, water.” [laughs]. At some point I need a break. It’s not even about the consumer. I literally take a deep breath on Black Hand Side. The strings do that for me, the tempo, the content and the singing.

Guy Routte: Mixing the songs the engineers wanted more dynamic on the bass side. But we couldn’t separate the bass in the sample. So we called my man Jeffrey Smith from Family Stand who lives around the corner and asked him if he could come play some bass. [laughs]

7) Let My People Go, Produced by Fatin

Fatin: Song started out basically…I played the beat for Monch in his car. He came up with chorus on the spot. It was originally supposed to be on Desire. The thing with Monch is that you have to trust his genius. The way things were going creatively…the way it fits on W.A.R. is perfect. I do all of my beats at home and I was still using the ASR-X at the time. It’s pretty straightforward. We had some stuff played over in post-production to give it a big feel and keep it hip-hop. Replayed organ. Those are live. We chopped up the sample and came back over and replayed it.

Pharoahe Monch: It’s a heavy record, but serves as a light moment for me. There’s deepness in the hilarity of the chorus. My name is Pharoahe and I’m saying “let my people go,” the irony is brilliant. And there’s history in the chorus. The character I’m playing, the pastor, is meant to be humorous. I felt like I had that on the last record. And I felt like it could stand alone and it could stand alone or be part of an album in the right place. Some people said they have problems with the name, but I looked at Pharoahe as something that was African and a dope prefix on some Grandmaster Melle Mel shit. So it lightens all of that up.

..READ PART TWO AT NODFACTOR.COM!

Pharoahe Monch “We Are Renegades” (Album Review)

BLACK MUSIC MOMENT #95: Little Brother Releases First Album

Alvin Blanco — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 12:06:11 +0000

Where: (click below to visit venue on Foursquare)

1801 Fayetteville St, Durham, NC 27707

When: February 25, 2003

What: Frustrated with the state of the rap game, Phonte, Big Pooh and 9th Wonder engaged their listeners on a deeper level on their critically acclaimed debut album, The Listening, venting about casual listeners who pay little attention to lyrics and simply want to hear a “hot song.”

« PREVIOUS

In celebration of Black Music Month, TheUrbanDaily’s “It’s All Black Music” presents100 Rewarding Black Music Moments, sponsored by Southwest Airlines.

Each Black Music Moment is associated with an actual place that you can visit. During the month of June, check in to at least three of these places on Foursquare to unlock TheUrbanDaily’s exclusive “It’s All Black Music” Badge. Check out the locations and details on our Foursquare page!

Phonte & 9th Wonder On Their Reconcilation, Eating Pork & Lessons Learned

The Urban Daily — Tue, 03 May 2011 18:36:06 +0000

In the early 2000s, Little Brother became one of the first hip-hop groups to rise to notoriety through internet buzz. The trio’s debut album, The Listening, is widely considered an underground classic.

After the release of the group’s follow up album, 2005′s The Minstrel Show, the group’s producer, 9th Wonder, left the group and went on to craft tracks for Mary J. Blige, Erykah Badu, Ludacris, David Banner, and many more. Little Brother’s remaining members, Phonte & Rapper Big Pooh, kept the group going until last year when the group officially called it quits after the release of their fourth album, Leftback. Phonte also spent time developing his Foreign Exchange project with producer Nicolay.

9th Wonder & Phonte were mostly tightlipped about their split, but very public about their reconciliation which took place at the top of 2011. We sat down with 9th & Tay and got them to open up about why 9th left the group, and what they learned from their time apart.

TUD: How did this reconciliation come about?

9th: We have a mutual friend, my man Fatin, that’s been wanting this to happen for a very long time. It was a new year, and there were things that, prior to us meeting, weren’t adding up to me. I always told people, “If I ever sit down and talk to him there’s gonna be a lot to come out and things that get cleared up.” [Fatin] reached out to Tay, and he gave me Tay’s number. I called him, and that was it. I talked to him all the way to his house. I let him talk straight without interruption for about 45 minutes on the phone. By the time I got to his house, we sat and talked for like 6 hours.

TUD: I understand there was some food involved…

Phonte: My wife had made some roast pork with black beans and rice and salad. That was the plate that saved –

9th: I didn’t know that was pork. I don’t even eat pork no more. That’s wild!

Phonte: Welcome back n*gga!

TUD: From the time you left the group how were long the lines of communication closed?

9th: We talked twice, The only angry confrontation we had for everyone to see was on Twitter. That was it.

TUD: What was the tipping point that made one of you say “I’m out the group” or “You’re out the group”

Phonte: There was a point where Little Brother was becoming, and I think it was Pooh that described it, it was becoming a charade of trios. We had three different trios that were Little Brother. In the studio, Little Brother was me, [producer, engineer] Khrysis, and Pooh. On tour little brother was Me, Pooh, and DJ Flash. Yet on contract, Little Brother was me, Pooh and 9th. It just got to a thing where, particularly when we were on Atlantic, they would ask us “What’s up with 9th” and this that and the third. Promoters were asking us “Where’s 9th?” He don’t tour with us! We been rocking for the past 4 years without him!

Initially we were trying to make things easier for everyone in the situation. For us and him. I didn’t think it was fair for him to be bound to a group as a producer. Producers eat differently than emcees. They make their money in the studio. We make ours on the road. To chain one person to that standard is not gonna work. Beyond that, when there are people in the group, me and Pooh are sweatin it out, and 9th’s making his beats, and we’re apart, there’s a natural distance that grows and it doesn’t make for a good group dynamic. So in my thinking it was just like “what’s the easiest way to dissolve Little Brother on paper yet Phonte, Pooh and [9th] remain friends?” We were able to dissolve it on paper, but the friends part… that didn’t quite turn over the way I thought it was going to turn over.

TUD: Now that the beef is squashed, is the friendship between the two of you different now, or is it just like old times?

9th: The clowning was all still the same. I think the focus is different now, and understanding how each of us is is different. There’d be a lot of times where Tay would ask me “Dog, I feel like you need to be more this way” and I’d be like “Well Tay, I think you need to be more this way” or whatever. Now it’s a situation where we respect each other’s space. That’s what it is. That just comes from growing up. I think it’s much better now because after not speaking, what else do we have to be mad about? Once we sat down and started talking, we figured out over half, 75 percent, 85 percent of what we were mad about had nothing to do with me and him. It was whatever it happened to be. But I think now, it’s good to see him and where he is and I believe, he’s told me many times, he’s happy to see where I am. We just respect each other in that space.

TUD: Where does Pooh fit in to all of this?

Phonte: That’s really a question you have to ask Pooh… That’s really all I can say…

TUD: So what’s the lesson learned from all of this?

9th: Things are not what they seem

Phonte: (laughs) N*gga…

9th: People are not who they say they are. I think in between not speaking for 4 years and all the beef is concerned, one thing I always knew about Phonte is I knew where he stood, and likewise. But the people in between, it’s just a grey area of…. And that’s one thing. The biggest thing is that I learned to talk, because I wasn’t a talker. I’d just be like “I don’t wanna talk about it…” And Phonte learned to listen. That’s the biggest thing we learned.

That first week we started talking, we talked that week on the phone and in person a total of about 20 hours. We’ve crossed a lot of the same people. We’ve seen a lot of the same people. A lot of people he’s encountered, I’ve never encountered, and vice versa. A lot of the same people we know…

Phonte: Saying one thing to him, and saying another to me.

9th: I swear every night we had a “What’s The Word On This N*gga?” meeting.

Phonte: (laughs) Right… right…

9th: We’d just name a person and it’d be like “yeah he’s good people…” or Tay would say “I mess with him” and I don’t, or vice versa…or it’d be “I don’t f*ck with that n*gga at all!” That “I Don’t F*ck With That N*gga At All” box got bigger and bigger!

Phonte: For me, it was the same. I learned to listen a lot. I learned the importance of keeping things private. Me doing the Vimeo video and going on Twitter and all that was not the smartest thing I could’ve done, but I see now how you can fix a problem in private as long as it stays private. But once it goes public, it has a snowball’s chance in hell of resolving itself. Luckily we were able to resolve it. That’s what I learned from it. I learned to communicate, and not be so reactionary. Everything someone says to you doesn’t warrant a response. Sometimes you gotta let that sh*t go.

—

Check out the first part of our interview with Phonte & 9th Wonder where Tigallo talks about his upcoming solo album, Charity Starts At Home.

Celebs React To Bin Laden’s Death

The Urban Daily — Mon, 02 May 2011 13:44:57 +0000

Last night, President Barack Obama announced that al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden had been killed as a result of a military operation in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The news spread like wildfire as many celebrated the death of Bin Laden, who had been on the FBI’s most wanted list since 1999.

Twitter became flooded with comments from its users expressing their opinions about Bin Laden’s death. The hip-hop community certainly made it’s voice heard as many rappers, producers, and writers shared their thoughts.

Lupe Fiasco: “Osama dead? Afghan Operation done now??? Now kill poverty, wack schools, and US imperialism…”

Chuck D: “USA is at it again , number one in the rankings of Killing Championships. Stealing the Gold in the Murder Olympics, and the crowd goes wild!”

?uestlove: “I hope those rejoicing can hear O’s words that to engage in anti Islam/Muslim rhetoric is missing the point”

Jermaine Dupri: “They are saying Bin Laden is dead, I need to see the body.”

Just Blaze: “So I just landed and heard this Bin Laden news.That’s cool and all but I feel like this is only gonna rile them al-Qaeda boys up crazy…Like ‘Oh you just killed the boss? OK check this out. We’s blown up evvvvverything! Hide ya kids hide ya wife!”

Royce Da 5’9: “Don’t nobody care about no Bin Laden death.”

Phonte: “Osama was Barksdale. Best believe a Marlo is already in place. In the immortal words of Butchie, ‘This ain’t over…’ On one hand, I’m glad Obama got him. On the other, it just feels like Daddy killed the imaginary monster in our closet so we can sleep.”

DJ Scratch: “Terrorists will strike back, that’s what war is about. Don’t get scared, just get ready for war.”

In case you missed it, watch President Obama’s announcement below!

Phonte To Release Debut Solo Album On 6th Anniversary Of “The Minstrel Show”

The Urban Daily — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 17:50:17 +0000

In the 8 years since Little Brother jumped on the scene, fans have been clamoring for a solo album from one of the group’s emcees, Phonte. In this exclusive TheUrbanDaily interview, Phonte sheds a little light on where he’s at with the project.

Phonte intends to drop the album on September 13th, which just happens to be the 6 year anniversary of Little Brother’s album, The Minstrel Show, which was the last album to feature 9th Wonder as a full-time member of the group.

Now that 9th and Phonte have patched up their differences, Phonte also revealed that 9th will be handling the bulk of the production duties on the album!

Stay tuned for more of our interview with Phonte and 9th Wonder, coming soon!

Zo! & Phonte “Greater Than The Sun” [MUSIC VIDEO]

Bill Johnson — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:15:48 +0000

You may know Zo! better as the musical director and keyboard player for The Foreign Exchange. His excellent solo project, SunStorm, was released last year and he just shot a video for the album’s opening track, “Greater Than The Sun,” featuring Phonte.

Check out the video below!

Phonte Explains How Collab With Lil’ B Happened

The Urban Daily — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 21:00:12 +0000

Yesterday evening, Phonte of the Foreign Exchange released his collaboration with Lil’ B The Based God, Jean Grae, and 9th Wonder, “Base For Your Face.” On the 20th episode of his Gordon Gartrell Radio podcast with DJ Brainchild, Phonte explains how the collaboration came to be.

Phonte says he was at work on his upcoming solo rap record and wanted to have a feature that would make people say “WTF?” Lil’ B the Based God was one of the first people that came to mind. Fast forward awhile later, and Phonte gets a call from 9th Wonder after they reconciled. 9th said he’d been talking with Lil’ B about working on a song.

“I was thinking about guests for my solo record, and I went through some of the usual suspects, cats that I usually f*ck with,” Phonte said. “But I was like ‘Man, I need that one wild card feature. That one feature that just comes out of nowhere.’ So I was thinking about Lil’ B.

“Top of the year comes and me and 9th reconcile. So we’re on the horn the other day and he’s like ‘I talked to Lil’ B today.’ I said ‘N*gga you talked to Lil’ B the Based God???’ He said ‘Yes! I rapped with the Based God himself.’ We started talking, and he said that Lil’ B wanted to do some work and get it in. I said ‘Well let’s see what he’s talking about.’ Originally the track was just Lil’ B and 9th. 9th hit me two nights ago and said “I got the joint! What’s up?’ He sent it to me. I listened to it and said ‘If you really wanna do this, I should drop a verse on it.’”

Listen to the full explanation, plus an exclusive mix from DJ Brainchild at www.gordongartrellradio.com!

Lil’ B The Based God, Phonte, Jean Grae “Base For Your Face” (Produced By 9th Wonder) [NEW MUSIC]

The Urban Daily — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:05:45 +0000

Wow. We didn’t see this coming.

That’s not a typo up there. This is really a song by Lil’ B the Based God featuring Phonte and Jean Grae, produced by 9th freakin’ Wonder.

This is pretty amazing for several reasons. One, it’s Lil’ B doing a song with Phonte and Jean Grae. Two, it’s Lil’ B over a 9th Wonder track. Three, it’s post-beef Phonte rapping over a 9th Wonder track. Four, it’s Lil’ B, Phonte, and Jean Grae over a 9th Wonder track.

Even though we’ve already listened to it, and it’s that fire… We still can’t believe that this actually exists.

#ThankYouBasedGod?

Phonte & ?uestlove Co-Sign Female L.A. Trio, King [MUSIC VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 18:45:45 +0000

In the early 1970s, four men from London formed one of the greatest rock bands ever, Queen. A few decades later, three women in Los Angeles formed a group called King, and they just might be the next big thing in soul music.

Comprised of twins Paris and Amber Strother and Anita Bias, the trio have been the talk of Twitter over the last 24 hours earning cosigns from ?uestlove, Phonte of The Foreign Exchange, Smirnoff Master of The Mix runner-up Vikter Duplaix, and legendary Philadelphia DJ King Britt. (Click their names to read their tweets about the trio!)

Their debut EP, The Story, was completely written and performed by the trio and produced by Paris.

Check out their handmade (?!??!!) video for the EP’s title track below, and listen to their EP on their website, www.weareking.com.

The Foreign Exchange “Authenticity” [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:30:10 +0000

The Foreign Exchange‘s Phonte & Nicolay take some time off in their new video for “Authenticity,” which doesn’t feature the pair at all, save for a brief cameo from Phonte.

The video, directed by Matthew Cherry, follows a rather busy man who is juggling a few women on a night on the town. He gets caught by one, nearly hooks up with another, and returns home to his wife the next morning.

Top 9 All-White Sitcoms Loved By Black People

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Pretty cool video. Check it out!

The duo’s new album, Authenticity, is in stores now!

Phonte & 9th Wonder Squash 4 Year Beef

The Urban Daily — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 16:37:27 +0000

In the years since 9th Wonder split from hip-hop trio Little Brother, a lot has happened on both sides of the coin.

9th went on to produce tracks for Erykah Badu, Ludacris, and David Banner, start his own record label, and teach a few college courses at North Carolina Central University.

Phonte developed his The Foreign Exchange project with Nicolay, released two more Little Brother albums with Rapper Big Pooh before dissolving the group, and was nominated for a Grammy.

But while both 9th Wonder and Phonte were finding success without each other, fans wanted the two to patch up their beef and make Little Brother a trio again.

The two managed to keep details about their beef private, but according to a recent tweet from Phonte, that beef may be a thing of a past, though Little Brother will remain in the past.

Phonte posted the above photo of he and 9th on twitter along with these words:

Took 4 years, 2 plates of food and 6 hrs. of convo, but we squashed it. #brotherhood.

I appreciate the love for me and @9thwondermusic, but us mending our rift had nothing to do with music and everything to do with manhood.

We may collaborate in time, but this is not the start of a LB reunion as neither of us have interest in doing so. Sorry to disappoint.

Our friendship began as Phonte Coleman and Patrick Douthit long before a ‘LB’ or ’9th Wonder’ existed. This was about rebuilding that bond.

So in closing, happy new year to all our supporters past and present. Feels great to start the year on a positive note. One love.”

Glad to hear that they were able to work things out!

The Foreign Exchange “Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me” [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:48:24 +0000

“Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me,” the lead single from The Foreign Exchange’s third album, Authenticity, finally gets the video treatment.

Director Matt Koza gives the video an appropriately dream-like feel as Phonte travels through his dreams searching for a woman.

Check out the video below!

Authenticity is in stores now!

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[from TheBVX.com]

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Kanye West’s 50 Greatest Beats [from Vibe.com ]

Vanessa Williams: 47 & Nude On Cover Of Ebony [PHOTO] [from TheBoxHouston.com]

The Foreign Exchange Release New Album & Documentary [VIDEO]

The Urban Daily — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:44:04 +0000

Phonte and Nicolay of the Foreign Exchange dropped their third album, Authenticity, this week. In celebration of the album’s release, they have also released a three-part documentary online.

Thank You For Listening tells the story behind the group and the work they have been putting in since the release of their debut album, Connected, in 2004.

We definitely suggest giving this documentary some of your time, especially if you are already fans of The Foreign Exchange!

Friends and Fam,
To coincide with the release of our new album “Authenticity,” we hope you will enjoy the short film “Thank You For Listening;” shot and directed by Sandrine Orabona (videographer for Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’) and Anke Thommen.

This short piece sums up the story of +FE, as well as incorporating live show footage, candid interviews and behind the scenes footage of Phonte, Nicolay, YahZarah, and the rest of the +FE Music family. For anyone wanting to get hip to the music and story of The Foreign Exchange, this video is the perfect entry point.

Thanks so much for your support.
Peace,
Phonte

Authenticity Is In Stores Now!

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Wu-Tang Clan Bumps Biggie In VIBE Tournament [from Vibe.com ]

Miami Dolphins Deny Ownership Deal With Birdman [from TheBoombox.com ]

Phonte Says He Hasn’t Met Drake, But Would Work With Him Again

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 17:00:33 +0000

On Drake’s “Fear” the rapper/singer/actor went out of his way to shout out “Little Bruh” and “Slum Vill” leaving some to wonder what the connection was.

In 2007 the Degrassi alumnus recorded a song with Little Brother and Dwele called “Don’t You Have A Man” for his mixtape Comeback Season. While he was in town to play the new Foreign Exchange album, Authenticity, Phonte of Little Brother spoke to TheUrbanDaily.com about working with Drake, the shout out on “Fear” and if there is a chance that they’ll work together again.

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The Foreign Exchange “Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me”

The Urban Daily — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:08:45 +0000

The Grammy nominated duo of Phonte and Nicolay, aka The Foreign Exchange just released the debut single from their third album, Authenticity.

“Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me” continues in the tradition of Phonte’s heartfelt lyrics over Nicolay’s smooth production. We’re certainly looking forward to the release of Authenticity in October!

Get a free download of “Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me” at theforeignexchangemusic.com

Phonte & Nicolay Reveal Cover & Tracklist For New Foreign Exchange Album

The Urban Daily — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 18:26:53 +0000

Phonte and Nicolay of the Foreign Exchange will release their third album, Authenticity, in October of this year.

Picking up where their 2008 Grammy-nominated “Leave It All Behind” set left off, “Authenticity” is the group’s most diverse work to date, with a tight, 11-track song cycle spanning the duo’s trademark brand of lush electronic soul, to stripped down acoustic pieces that recall the heyday of 70′s singer-songwriter driven folk.

Lead single “Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me” is a playful, synth-driven hip-hop groove featuring a rapped verse from Phonte that evokes the band’s “Connected” era, while the epic opener “The Last Fall” finds Phonte singing some of his most cynical lyrics to date (“Love is at worst an excuse/at best it’s a truce…”) over a frenzied Nicolay production jammed with layers of strings, guitars, and dense choral harmonies.

“I think every band reaches that point when they come into their own and find a sound that is distinctively theirs,” says Phonte in reference to the album’s title. “The title refers to me and Nic’s journey to find our own unique space within this vast musical landscape. The biggest challenge as a musician is to find that ‘thing’ that makes you who you are. But I think we’re getting there, and we’re finding our way more and more with each record.”

Featuring guest appearances from longtime contributors YahZarah, Darien Brockington, Zo! and Median, and also relative newcomers Chantae Cann and Jesse Boykins III, “Authenticity” hits stores 10/12 on +FE Music.

Tracklisting
1. The Last Fall
2. Authenticity
3. Eyes To The Sky
4. All Roads
5. Fight For Love
6. Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me
7. Don’t Wait
8. Make Me A Fool
9. Everything Must Go
10. Laughing At Your Plans
11. This City Ain’t The Same Without You

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The Foreign Exchange Promises “Authenticity” On New Album

The Urban Daily — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:45:51 +0000

It’s been two quick years since The Foreign Exchange dropped their sophomore album, Leave It All Behind, and they are preparing to drop their third record, Authenticity, in a couple of months.

Garth Trinidad, tastemaker extraordinaire and DJ on Los Angeles’ KCRW, recently spoke with Phonte and Nicolay and got them to speak on Authenticity and what it was like being nominated for a Grammy award.

SOURCE

Phonte Speaks On Hypocrisy Of “Conscious” Rappers

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 18:15:29 +0000

It’s never easy standing up for anything. Just look at the debacle Talib Kweli has tangled himself in just for recording a song with Gucci Mane. It seems that rappers get labeled as “conscious” depending on what they are against more so than what they are for. In our conversation with Phonte of Little Brother we asked him to reminisce about one of his earlier verses from Little Brother’s “The Yo-Yo.” The verse from their debut The Listening earned him a Hip-Hop Quotable in The Source magazine and shed light on the hypocrisy of rappers who claim to be “positive” and “righteous” while “at the end of the night you still trying to f*ck like me…”

For that reason Te has resisted being labeled a “conscious” rapper despite having album titles like The Minstrel Show.

“Just because I don’t rap about guns or pimpin’ doesn’t necessarily make me a better choice for your children to listen to,” says Te who has some verses that would make Trina and Plies blush. “That’s why the whole conscious rap thing we just kind of wanted to keep ourselves out of it. It didn’t represent the full scope of who we were.”

It’s a subject I broached with dead prez some time ago. If you choose to speak out against one wrong in your music, like racism, does that mean you must walk the line and never do music about sex or drinking?

“Obviously people have more of an assumption and expectation from dead prez than from someone they don’t know,” M-1 told TheUrbandaily. “I’m sure it happens with other celebrities–not to say I’m a celebrity. But people do have a preconceived notion of where I should be and how I should act. I love breaking those stereotypes all the time.”

So Little Brother kept it “real” in the literal sense. Their rhymes centered on everyday life issues like relationships, broken homes and what to do after blowing your paycheck on a Friday night. However, with his group Little Brother deciding to disband Phonte had to admit that their blue-collar “everyman” ethos didn’t appeal to a generation that is popping bottles to “Maybach Music.” But why? Watch the clip for his explanation.

“We got the respect but we didn’t get the love…” – Phonte Coleman

VIDEO: Phonte Remembers Making “Hiding Place” With Elzhi

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 20:14:04 +0000

For many fans of Little Brother, “Hiding Place” was one of the shining moments of their critically acclaimed sophomore LP, The Minstrel Show. You had Phonte and Big Pooh teaming up with a lyrical juggernaut like Slum Village’s Elzhi making it one of the most anticipated team-ups since Marvel Vs. Capcom.

Elzhi’s battle-tested, double-time flow going back and forth with Phonte’s seasoned wit was indeed one for the history books. While it wasn’t a competition per se, the internet debates raged as to who took who on the track.

“It was like iron sharpening iron,” Phonte recalls. “It was one MC making the other one better. It was one of my favorite moments of all the albums.”

Most fans will remember Pooh whispering “Dilla” at the beginning of the track, leading some to think that he had produced it. Rather, the late MC/Producer was supposed to appear on the 9th Wonder produced song but things didn’t work out as planned.

In the clip below Te takes another look back (shout out to Seandammit!) about one of the hottest records he’s ever made and what it means to do a collab live in the studio verse passing tracks over the internet.

BONUS :
“Hiding Place” from the Minstrel Show

Sample source: “Jealous Love” By Bobby Womack (go to 4:34 to go “oh sh*t”)

Rhymefest Makes Hip-Hop’s First 3-D Video

jlbarrow — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 19:44:57 +0000

Break out your old school red and blue 3-D glasses to get the full effect of Rhymfest’s latest video, “Say Wassup” featuring Phonte of The Foreign Exchange/Little Brother singing the hook.

Rhymfest’s album “El Che” is in stores now.

Capone-N-Nore Say They Treat The Music Biz Like Prison

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Wed, 26 May 2010 17:02:56 +0000

In part three of Phonte’s interview with Capone-N-Noreaga he asks the duo, who met in prison, how that experience shaped their careers and their interactions in the music industry.

Watch Part 2 HERE

Watch Part 1 HERE

Capone-N-Noreaga Say Getting Jerked Is Part Of The Business

Jerry Barrow, Senior Editor — Thu, 20 May 2010 21:00:59 +0000

In part two of Phonte’s interview with Capone-N-Noreaga, the duo give advice to up-coming rappers and make the case for older rappers being able to have careers into their 50s.

WATCH PART 1 HERE!!