Product Description: Somewhere between the jazzy, feel-good grooves of A Tribe Called Quest and the yin-yang chemistry of Outkast lies Little Brother. The Durham, NC trio make music that brilliantly splits the line between art and commercialism, all while maintaining their fun-loving hip-hop purist stance. The group's members; MC's Phonte and Big Pooh, along with DJ/producer 9th Wonder met in 1998 while attending North Carolina Central University. Within a few short months of recording, the trio had gathered enough songs to grab the attention of local music lovers, radio DJ's, and club promoters. The group received frequent spins on college radio. They regularly headlined at local venues and opened for national acts such as Tha Liks and Defari. When the group made its music available for download on the Internet, a substantial buzz built far outside of North Carolina, and it eventually earned them a deal with the Oakland-based ABB Records in 2002. In early 2003, Little Brother released its full-length debut, The Listening, which won widespread critical praise.
Classic....5 Mics on 1996 Thesource rating system First of all, listen to the genius of this album...then slap yourself for not getting it back in 02!
Now redeem yourself by heading out and picking up the album @ the store. Rinse and repeat
Enjoy
This CD is RIDICULOUSLY NICE 9th Wonder just destroys this album with his AWESOME beats. Little Brother is a PERFECT addition with his true to life lyrics. A MUST HAVE for any REAL hip hop head.
The Listening With the way Hip Hop has fallen into a materialistic, crime-promoting rut, it's hard to not feel nostalgic for the thoughtful lyricism of years past. Little Brother's 2003 debut "The Listening" justifies this old school superiority by retaining the lyrical style of years past, while staying relevant with fresh production and song concepts. Part of what makes this album so appealing is the way they take a new approach to the old lyrical style. Instead of falling to the common limitations of older Hip-Hop (namely the gangster persona) it keeps what was good about that time (rhymes, delivery) and matches it with their sincere lyricism. The album's production takes a similar approach. Instead of mimicking the famous producers of the old, they merely revisit them, and mix the sound with distinct drum patterns and choppy sampling techniques to create something familiar yet refreshing.
4 Stars - So long as you can appreciate laid-back Dilla-esque production, you'll love "The Listening."
The closest they got to greatness There's something about a record where all the members of a group are peaking creatively, and here LB came as close to greatness that they might ever get. Simply put, here you find about three or four of the most powerful hip-hop songs since the 90's Golden Age, wrapped around 10 or so very strong songs and (as usual) some filler. But don't let the weak tracks hide the truth: "The Getup" is a true classic, pumping out a Pete Rock-ish slick riff and featuring a vocal hook that won't leave your head for weeks. I'm also a fan of the lowdown vibe of "Nighttime Maneuvers", a late-night treat with a spaced-out vibrato and strong lyrics from Phonte. But they save their best (maybe their best ever) for the title track, which dares to sample "They Reminisce Over You" over a thick, reverb echo and casual bump that is almost too good to be true. Halfway through the song to drive home their point, the lyrics disintegrate into pure bull, almost daring you to answer their question, "are you listenin'?" Like you can't.
Hip Hop Classic Definitely a Debut Hip Hop Classic... (which is defined by not having to skip tracks and the album flows with great material) There are a lot of good albums and good artists but few are true debut classics like Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt, Doggystyle, etc...
Anything Goes Trivia
Trevor
Megaton Man
