Little Brother - The Minstrel Show

[Ripper 0]

I don't really know how to go into detail, but dammit, this could be the best hip hop album this year. And I loved Commons album, but you have got to hear this.

[ant_7000 0]

Man, I big up Little Brother on occasion on this site. Its good that people actually heard of them. So its that good? I thought the "Listening" was hot. So will I have a hard time finding a copy in a store? Because the last album was kinda hard to find.

[Ripper 0]

Tower Records here in Atlanta usually has everything. I had to pay 17.99 for it (new) but I got it the day it came out. And yes...it is that good. I loved Listening, but I think this one is a little better.

[ant_7000 0]

I just bought it Friday at Circuit City, and it only cost me 10 dollars. But yeah im feelin the album, don't know if its better than "Be" but its up there as far as rap album of year IMO. I even like listening to parodies and skits too, "Cheating" had me lmao because its so true about todays R&B songs that are about cheating. The "5th and Fashion" skit was funny too:

 

(Guy in minstrel voice) Where can we get left A1 shoe and Mon-no-no heals? You can pay your child support payments here. That skit sounds just like those fashion commericials of urban radio networks.

[Da Maintenance Man 0]

Yep, this album is excellent. One album that you have to listen to from start to finish because of how every track flows into the next one seamlessly. HIGHLY recommended.

[ant_7000 0]

Yeah, this album doesn't have skipable tracks besides skits (I liked them thou).

[Ripper 0]

It says something when a joke song like Cheatin still gets play more than once. And that shit had me laugh. And the Ron Isley impression had me rolling.

[ant_7000 0]

I bet you if the radio pushed "Cheatin" people who don't know LB would buy that as a real song. I mean if Ray J's "I Wish" can get some spins can't see why they wouldn't play "Cheatin." I thought that was Ron Isley really singing background,

 

Ron Isley: "I know she moved to her mama's house and maybe her number changed."

 

Percy: No, she got the two thousand minute plan, calling her minute man.

 

"One, two, three, four, five, really wanted you to be my wife, I said 7,8,9,10, I wanted you to be my friend. I said uh, 11, 12,13,14,15, Can't think of nothing that rhymes with 15!!!

 

Btw, There's a Little Brother interview at allhiphop.com that was pretty good. Check it out, I might just cut and paste it here if have time today.

[Black Lushus 0]

I listened to you guys about Common and it was the right way to go...I may just have to take your advice once again...I need to get some new tunes in the worst way...

 

oh and can anyone tell me about Paul Wall's new album? Sittin Sideways is alright, but something tells me the rest of the album is garbage...

[ant_7000 0]

Paul Wall to me is just popular because he's a white southern novelty, dude fucking sucks but I guess people haven't seen a white guy with gold grill fronts who does have some charisma, but he comes up with corny punchlines. He's everything that Bubba Sparxx and Haystack lacked and that is Paul has Charisma and they didn't.

[Black Lushus 0]

see that's just it, I like the guy's flow and delivery, but there's just something in the back of my mind telling me not to buy his album...

[Nighthawk 0]

Just got this. It is banging. I'll bet this will be my favorite hip hop album of the 00s so far after a few more listens.

 

Ripper will be dissapointed to know that that spot is currently held by the Ying Yang Twins Me & My Brother.

[Ripper 0]

Duuude....

[ant_7000 0]

Here a Little Brother Interview:

 

“Dope beats, dope rhymes/ What more do y’all want?” --Phonte, on Little Brother’s “Not Enough”

 

This straightforward question seems rather telltale for Little Brother’s current mood. In some ways, the North Carolina-based trio [MC’s Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh, and producer 9th Wonder] have reluctantly been cast as Hip-Hop’s “saviors.” Amidst an industry abundant in cash-out pressures, the underground darlings have made the transition to mainstream machine Atlantic Records without musical compromise. Their critically acclaimed, yet controversy-attracting, concept album The Minstrel Show, combines the everyman prose of Big Pooh and Phonte, sample-heavy 9th Wonder creations, and sharp humor to lambaste Hip-Hop’s present state-of-affairs.

 

However, making such a bold statement has been anything but drama-free. From inspiring staff alterations at The Source magazine to receiving airplay denial from BET, these rap lovers from N.C. have endured quite a rollercoaster ride of a record release. ‘Te, Pooh, and 9th aren’t phased, though. Firm believers in putting the music above all else priority-wise, the members of Little Brother are sticking to their genuine script. As AllHipHop.com toted the album with an ultra-rare five star review, we deemed it fit to show off our two-part feature with the other LB Fam…

 

AllHipHop.com: The past month or so leading up to The Minstrel Show’s release date has been a rollercoaster for the group, between The Source fiasco and the BET video situation. Were you prepared for any of this?

 

Phonte: I made it up in my mind, as soon as we finished recording the album and decided to name it The Minstrel Show that we’d have to be willing to accept what comes with those decisions. You can’t expect to come out at a time when Hip-Hop is in the state it’s in, name your album The Minstrel Show, and not feel any repercussions. I was ready for whatever. Whether it led to us getting blackballed, or stations not playing us, or n***as beefing, or whatever the f**k it could lead to. This is the stance we’re taking. I know it’s not a popular stance, so I’m willing to live and die by the things that I say. As far as everything that has happened, I’m not surprised by anything. Our situation is somewhat of an anomaly to a lot of people. To just be some unknown n***as who came out of nowhere, under nobody’s wing, and we come out talking about what’s wrong with this industry, it’s like, “What? Who the hell is Little Brother? F**k them!”

 

Big Pooh: I don’t know what’s in store for us after all this controversy, but hopefully it can result in a lot of people following us. It can hopefully bring some change and balance back to the music.

 

9th Wonder: My thing about this album is that I really want to let people know that we can say what we want and do what we want on record, as long as the music is hot. Don’t be scared to tell the truth and be yourself. Hip-Hop artists need to be leaders, not followers.

 

AllHipHop.com: Songs like the fatherhood reflection, “All For You” find you guys really opening up. Why do you think it’s so rare to hear songs like that on a wider scale, rather than just as album cuts?

 

Big Pooh: Songs like that are easy for people to relate to. A lot of people grew up without their daddies, so I don’t know why it isn’t addressed openly that much.

 

Phonte: A lot of times, these artists that are out now just aren’t that talented. That’s not to say that Pooh and I are super lyricists, but I think it has to do with A: A lot of these n***as just aren’t that talented, and B: Their scopes are so limited. They just want to rap about A and B. “Sometimes, I’ll rap about B, and then A. I might even get crazy and go B, A, B. C? Whoa, that’s too much! Let’s stick to A and B.”

 

Big Pooh: Also, you have to be willing to reveal that part of yourself. A lot of people only want you to know what’s popping for them. “I got money! I got cars! I’m good.” Nah motherf**ker, your life really ain’t that good! You got problems just like the next man does, and a lot of people aren’t willing to reveal that side, but Phonte and I are. You can see our good and our bad.

 

9th Wonder: Hip-Hop used to be an art form to speak for the people who couldn’t normally speak for themselves, from the hood or whatever. It told the troubles of the hood. Just ‘cause you may have made it and now have all this wealth, that doesn’t mean that people in your hood have made it, or will ever make it. A lot of people in your hood are having hard times with life and struggling. They want their story told to. What’s wrong with that?

 

AllHipHop.com: What makes the album so effective at speaking for the everyday Hip-Hop fan is its humor. One great example of that is the faux R&B song, “Cheatin’.” What was the thought process while making that track?

 

9th Wonder: It’s crazy, actually, because people think “Cheatin’” is a real serious song. [laughs]

 

Phonte: [laughs] Pretty much, when I did that song, I was thinking about all of the minstrelsy that appears in R&B, too. Doing that record, I was thinking, “What is the worst R&B song I can write?” It kind of put me in the mind frame of the Masta Ace Slaughtahouse approach, with that, “Murder, murder! Kill, kill!” I remember in interviews, Ace was saying that when he did that record, he played it in Germany and n***as thought that was a real song. It was so far gone that the joke went over peoples’ heads. They didn’t even realize that it was a joke, because that’s how bad the music was at the time. “Cheatin’” is along those same lines. I wanted to write the worst f**king song, but one that, if I didn’t tell people it was a joke, could be a hit. You would be surprised, though. I’m in record companies trying to tell these people, “Your audience isn’t as dumb as y’all think they are.” But, then people take “Cheatin’” serious, and I’m thinking, “Hmmm, maybe people are stupid.” [laughs]

 

AllHipHop.com: Something that seems really stupid is this whole BET situation with your video. Can you explain what exactly happened?

 

9th Wonder: BET is doing a great job!

 

Phonte: [laughs] Pretty much, the whole thing about BET saying the video is “too intelligent” got started on the Internet. To this day, we truly don’t know where that came from. We can’t say that BET did say that. Truthfully, we really don’t know. The fact of the matter is, up until this point, the video hasn’t been played on that station, but we got Atlantic working on that now. Hopefully, BET will come around and start playing the video. If they don’t, we still have the support of FUSE TV, big support from MTV and VH1. We’re just going to keep doing our thing regardless. Whatever happens with BET is whatever.

 

AllHipHop.com: The video for “Lovin’ It” is basic, just showing what a real club atmosphere looks like, not the typical extravagance that most videos include but Hip-Hop listeners rarely experience. Why do you think such a simple video isn’t getting airplay?

 

Phonte: Funny thing is, our original idea for that video would have made more sense, as far as not being played for controversial reasons. The original concept was crazy, but budgets were not allowing it. We were going to be playing off The Minstrel Show theme, and it was us on a sitcom. Like a fake Cosby Show set, and we were going to take all the old fonts from that show. We were going to play up the Minstrel Show characters. 9th was going to be a backpack dude named John Jansport.

 

Big Pooh: I was going to be the iced-out rapper, named Ice Stout. [laughs]

 

9th Wonder: I was John Jansport, the backpack dude. [laughs] And Joe Scudda was Murder Rob Stab, the gangsta who just kills people before he even raps.

 

Phonte: I was Brother Earth Seed, the conscious brother. That was our original plan, but once we found out what our budget was, it was like, “Damn. Okay, so the club scene, huh.”

 

AllHipHop.com: A song like “Slow It Down” definitely has hit-single potential, but with no video exposure, that most likely could never happen. Do you agree?

 

Phonte: Definitely, you’re right. It’s sad, but that’s the world we live in. Bottom line, it’s all about numbers and delivering labels a demographic.

 

AllHipHop.com: Right, but why do think that’s the case? Why is it so difficult for good hip-hop to be seen and heard?

 

Big Pooh: That’s because the kids run this business. They may not be in the offices making moves, but they run things.

 

9th Wonder: The industry isn’t giving kids what they think they need to hear. They letting kids dictate what the industry plays, and that’s messed up. That’s really backwards.

 

Phonte: An example of what’s going on is when dinnertime comes at the crib. Your momma brings you out a plate of vegetables, and is like, “It’s time to eat dinner.” “Nah, I don’t want that broccoli. I want a Kit Kat!” “F**k you, n***a! Eat these Goddamn vegetables! You aren’t getting no Kit Kat.” So, you either have one or two choices. Like, I know this is the only meal that I can have. Ain’t no meals coming from nowhere else. Either, I got to eat this healthy food or starve. More than likely, you’ll eat the healthy food, and you’ll learn to love it, but still have a Kit Kat here and there. You need that balance. With a lot of these labels and radio stations, they let kids dictate this market. It’s on some tail wagging the dog stuff. We’re grown-ups. We’re supposed to set the trends. I know teenagers are the biggest market, but I’m sure part of the reason for that is that adults who spend money don’t feel like there is anything out there worth spending money on. If you got 35 year-olds singing to 12 year-olds, then what gives? The average 30 year-old fan of Hip-Hop is like, “I still like Hip-Hop, but give me something that I can at least relate to!” It’s really our society’s fixation on the youth.

[ant_7000 0]

Part 2: of the interview:

AllHipHop.com: One of the big issues surrounding The Minstrel Show has been magazine’s album ratings. What are your opinions on the reviews?

 

9th Wonder: Regardless of what people feel, those magazine ratings definitely help record sales. Credible or not, they help.

 

Big Pooh: When you go into a bookstore, you may not even buy the magazine. You pick it up, and what’s the first thing you do? You flip to the back, and you find out who got what rating. No matter how you feel about ratings, that’s the first thing you do when you see a new magazine issue has dropped.

 

9th Wonder: It’s talk for weeks. If you get a 2.5 or a 2, they’ll be talking about you for a long time!

 

AllHipHop.com: Sounds like you’ve seen the 2.5 rating that Rolling Stone gave The Minstrel Show. Why do you think they reviewed the album so low?

 

9th Wonder: They just don’t get it!

 

Phonte: To me, they don’t get it, and I don’t even think they listened to the album. The review read like they didn’t even hear the album, just as their review for The Listening read. So, that magazine just doesn’t seem to get Hip-Hop.

 

AllHipHop.com: In the magazines that specialize in Hip-Hop, the album has received nothing but critical acclaim. The word “classic” has even been used, but how do you feel about albums being hailed as “classics” before being given time to age? It seems like 2005 has had a series of “classic” albums.

 

9th Wonder: I think it’s because the music today is so bad, that people really want something that they can latch on to and call a “classic” real quick.

 

Phonte: This generation never had an Illmatic. So, they’re really looking hard for one.

 

9th Wonder: A lot of the kids who are calling albums “classics” are the ones on the Internet. That’s because a lot of these kids are born in 1988, 1987. They weren’t around to experience the day that Illmatic came out. They are really trying to re-live that, badly, but they’ll never be able to have that feeling. They were like four years old when that came out. Big Pooh: You can’t really call something a classic until after awhile. After you see if it stands the test of time. If you can listen to it the same way years later that you did when you first bought it, then that’s a classic. Like me personally, I give albums awhile, and then I’ll go back and see if I can still bump it the same. I can do that with Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt. That’s a damn classic.

 

9th Wonder: A lot of albums that people call “instant classics” just don’t age well. It happens all of the time.

 

AllHipHop.com: One album that came out to “instant classic” talk was Common’s Be, but a lot of people admitted to hailing it prematurely as time has gone on.

 

9th Wonder: People are just happy to hear Common rapping again, without all of the extra stuff. I don’t think the “classic” talk for his album has anything to do with the actual music. No offense to any of these artists, but Common, The Roots, Mos Def, Talib Kweli…for these new Hip-Hoppers on the net, those are their heroes. They don’t want to see them go down. They want something to believe in, whether their new music is good or not. On the same page, some of them have a hard time believing that three dudes who used to be on these Internet sites chatting with them are on a major label now. For some of them, it’s a hard pill to swallow.

 

AllHipHop.com: In what ways do these people address you?

 

9th Wonder: Everybody got opinions, and some people know how to express their opinions in the proper way. But if you say, “I don’t like Little Brother ‘cause they’re wack,” or if you say, “I don’t like their music because of the following reasons,” don’t do no nitpicking, man! You can tell when somebody is being an a**hole. Somebody had made a post the other day, a friend of mine, saying, “Y’all just mad because it isn’t you. You didn’t have the idea that they had, and you’re just mad about it.” After that, nobody replied. Usually, somebody will copy and paste the quote, and then comment negatively. The following posts were like, “Real talk,” and “True.”

 

Phonte: In this culture now, there are very few “just fans” left. The age of the Internet has changed that. I remember going to see A Tribe Called Quest in 1996, when Beats, Rhymes, & Life came out. Tribe, Outkast, Busta Rhymes, and The Fugees. Even then, I knew I wanted to MC, but I was still just a fan of the music. I wasn’t going to the concert and saying, “Ahh, Tip f**ked up that verse.” “Lauryn was off for that note.” I just went to enjoy the show, and when I got home, I couldn’t log on to a website and be like, “That show sucked!” I couldn’t type, [email protected] [and say,] “Lauryn Hill, you f**king suck! I hate your guts, and that was the worst show I’ve ever seen. P.S. Check my beats at That Producer So-N-So on myspace.com.” [laughs]

 

AllHipHop.com: So do you think the Internet is indirectly hurting Hip-Hop?

 

9th Wonder: Really, man, the Internet is a place where everyone can be somebody. Outside of the computer, they’re nobody, so the net is their chance to stand up on that podium and be somebody.

 

Phonte: It’s definitely not a bad thing, because it helps a lot of music to be heard. But I think, with the Internet now, that fans have lost that knee-jerk reaction to the music, like simply saying, “That’s hot!” People now log on to message boards and write thesis statements about the music. If you like it, you like it. If not, cool. Let it be what it is. It’s just Hip-Hop.