In the state of North Carolina, 3 dudes were united together from a university, coming out from the South, making underground and extremely underrated music. Most of their albums are still considered underrated, overlooked and slept-on by many listeners, with soulful and banging production.
That was Little Brother. They were a hip-hop group that originally consisted of: Phonte (the primary rapper, who was the most recognized out of the three), Rapper Big Pooh (the secondary and the most slept-on) and 9th Wonder (the breakout member of the group who made the beats, and is actually one of my Top 10 producers). I remember how I found out about the group, last year when I was just skimming through the Web, then coming across the BET controversy that happened later on in 2005 (hearing the song, Lovin It). I started to listen to more of their music, and musically fell in love with them. Coming out of Durham, they met at a university and actually bonded a relationship, forming as Little Brother in 2001. They recorded a few songs, getting them signed independently to ABB Records, which lead up to their debut, The Listening.
The Listening was their heavily slept-on debut, released on ABB in early 2003. Entirely produced by 9th Wonder, the group goes through the concept of focusing on the lyrics, instead of a "hot song" around a fictional radio station called WJLR, while rapping on soulful beats from 9th. Filling up with 18 songs, the group doesn't come along with features (only Median) and lead the album by themselves. The album made a lot of noise in the Blog World, mainly due to what they called a "decline" in hip-hop (and seriously, even rap music wasn't that bad to listen to back then) and was praised by underground fans, making the group much more recognized as they continued on, working with slightly popular people.
The album didn't even sell that much copies (especially being underground and having little promotion), but can be seen as an "instant" or "underrated classic" and was recognized by hip-hop figures like ?uestlove and Pete Rock, who heavily praised the album. The group would go on to do well in their career, especially when solo. Phonte would go on to form The Foreign Exchange with Nicolay, where he would be known for his singing work (although their debut album was him rapping with many features). Pooh, well... not much, but he did release the solo album, Sleepers, and has recently came out with a project called Words Paint Pictures [which was a really good listen]. And 9th would be the one who would breakout a lot more especially when Jay-Z got him up to produce the standout "Threat" on The Black Album.
So, let's get into the album and see why many people have praised it!
1. Morning
Just your typical rap album intro with a great beat (using the sample that would be later used in Wiz Khalifa's "Waken Baken").
2. Groupie (Part 2)
The album actually starts with a solo shot from Rapper Big Pooh, and he doesn't disappoint at all. I was feeling the concept and the soulful beat from 9th. Pooh's lyricism is accurate and the content comes around really great. It's not anything that special, to be honest, just a solid song to listen to and gets you pumped up for the whole album.
3. For You
I just LOVE this song. "Microsoft n****s say word and page up": that line was so witty from Phonte. The beat was hot and I liked a lot about the song. 'Te did his thing and comes out with some clever wordplay and great lyricism, with Pooh doing alright with some interesting lyrics that got me at some points. The chorus was catchy and this song gets me hyped and happy most of the times I've listened to this song. The lyricism and the flows are real on this one and it's something that really stood out to me on this album.
4. Speed
This was alright, and you can clearly see the Mobb Deep influence in it, especially with the beat banging out. It's not skippable though and is something I can listen to a lot, but it didn't stand out that much.
5. Whatever You Say
This smooth ass track is for the ladies, where Te & Pooh try to impress their girls with dates and where they wanna go. Pooh starts out alright with a smooth & chill voice, and does his best, while Phonte murders this song, without even rhyming. 9th's beat is on point, as he creates a great vibe, and is chill & really laidback for me. It's a really great song to relax to and it doesn't fail to impress. I love this song a lot! A standout on the album.
6. Make Me Hot
Just an interlude...
7. The Yo-Yo
One of my favourite songs on this album. Period! I love everything about it: the light atmosphere, the verses from Pooh & 'Te, the lovely hook, 9th['s] Wonderful beat. Come on, what else is there to say?
8. Shorty on the Lookout (feat. Median)
Like Rapsody being the only rap guest on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, Median is the only guest on here and he does well on this. The beat is relaxing to vibe to, the chorus is catchy, and the verses are on point. I liked the beat switch-up at the end aka "Shorty's Reprise" which had a much smoother vibe with some groovy ad-libs from the crew. A decent song on the album, and is something really nice to hear.
9. Love Joint Revisited
Another song which is really chill and relaxing. I liked how they presented this song like A Tribe Called Quest did in the "Scenario" remix, and the old school vibes are present here. Nice song and like "Speed", it's something I can listen to a lot, but nothing stood out that much apart from the beat. It does give a nice feel though.
10. So Fabulous
On this song, Te & Pooh does some old school impersonations from Rakim to Kool G Rap and they succeed, impressing me a lot. I always liked this song, it was very amusing and something to bump to. They were both good with their imitations, making me laugh & smile a little and Pooh was great with his Audio Two's "Top Billin" flip. I also always felt Phonte's flip of Doug E. Fresh (on "The Show"). Their impersonations were straight on point. The beat was nice to like to listen to and had a chill & smooth vibe. Another one of my favourites on the album!
11. The Way You Do It
Another standout here and is one of my personal favourites. I really like the song here, and it has the chillest and most laidback sample on the album. The verses are great & on point, and 9th manages to fit in the "Inhale" sample from Q-Tip's (oh... I mean A Tribe Called Quest) "Sucka N****", which suits in. The instrumental is so awesome, and I just love the hook. Phonte was great, Pooh was just excellent and everything about it was so brilliant. You could just see me rocking to this song in public. That's how much I love this freaking song!
12. Roy Lee, Producer Extraordinaire
Skit...
13. The Get-Up
This was alright. It was good hearing the beat (where 9th is not that present) and the funky vibe is present here. It does, however, mostly feels like a Phonte track (with Pooh) than an actual LB track. This was something I could vibe and rock to, but at the end of the day, it's just decent and something that didn't stand out much, apart from the vibe I feel while listening to it.
14. Away From Me
From the many times I've listened to this song when it plays, I never cared for it. I never really payed attention and most of the time, it played when I was mostly distracted by my friends on the way back home. But as I write this, have my thoughts changed? Yup! This song is really great. I liked the laidback vibe I got from this. 9th's beat was nice and really sombre to the content, and I liked how heartfelt and emotional this song was. Pooh was rapping to his brother called Reese, who helped him a lot, while Phonte was speaking to his son through one of the best verses I ever heard, especially from him. One of Te's lines actually got me a lot: "Hearing you laugh is like music to my ears but the song ended". That has always been something nice to hear. and it was interesting how they brought up their life, memories and how they're far from their family, cos of maturity and age. Heck, even hearing 9th speaking to his daughter at the end was just so... it got me in the feels. This is my absolute favourite. Forget everything else (apart from For You and Whatever You Say)!
15. Nobody But You
Meh... I never really cared for this!
16. Home
A chill R&B beat interlude from 9th, which is really decent to me. The singing is nice and I get a very laidback feel from this. It's not skippable, and it's a very good interlude.
17. Nighttime Maneuvers
I always liked this solo shot from Phonte. It was really great, and it has a smooth feel for me. The singing, 'Te's chill rapping and the instrumental from 9th. However, the remix found on the Chittlin Circuit compilation, I found better than this one. This song is still good though.
18. The Listening
Ladies & Gentlemen, I present you one of the best concluding tracks ever. Forget about J Cole's "Note to Self" or Kanye West's "Last Call". Heck, even forget about Kendrick's Mortal... ok, maybe not that one, but for me, this song tops a lot of concluding tracks. Enough with the overexaggerations, this song is actually great. The title track on the album concludes the album as they get with the whole concept of the album, where they want people to listen instead of pay attention to the "hot beats" (which is a main reason why a lot of people didn't like To Pimp A Butterfly). I actually liked the content for the third verse, which tries to see if people are listening, and I liked how they were saying some funny stuff there, but it came out so lyrical and hardcore (when it wasn't). Even hearing Phonte say "Madagascar titties" made me chuckle. The hook was good and pretty much described the whole album, and what it was about, and the content was really great for me. A really fantastic way to end an album!
Now as I think about it, The Listening is a very decent album. Maybe not a classic like critics and bloggers had said, but it's damn sure good. Te and Pooh were (and still are) really talented rappers at the time and they were giving old school and groovy vibes during the album, which really made me like this album. The group had a very big chemistry when they were together, with great songs to listen to. That was what made The Listening a really overwhelming album. Phonte still remains as one of my top 5 slept on artists, and hearing him on the album made me really happy and I can get goosebumps at many points. Big Pooh is nice, and was a good secondary member in the group, making a lot of songs feel very complete. Yes, maybe on some songs he was mediocre, but most songs, I thought that he gave it his all, and actually came out really strong. And last but not least, 9th Wonder! Oh man, oh man, what have I gotta say about him? His beats were on freakin point, with the soulful ass samples and booming beats which I love to "air drum" to on my way to school. But at some minor points, even if 9th still remains one of my favourite producers, he did come off a bit weak, especially on "Speed", maybe "Shorty on the Lookout" and especially "Nobody But You". So at many points, I did wish he switched up a bit. But still, I always liked the vibe that I've been feeling in this album. It was a really feelgood one and it's a very good thing. Little Brother had that magic in them which I liked and you could see the old school influence in this, especially from artists like ATCQ and De La Soul. If you like something new, refreshing and laidback, then this is for you. This album was a really overwhelming and comfortable listen and it's a flawless effort from the group, The Minstrel Show would be better though!
The Furious 5ive
For You
Whatever You Say
Away From Me
So Fabulous
The Way You Do It
Honourable Mentions
The Listening
Nighttime Maneuvers
The Yo-Yo
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