9th Wonder Says Without Phonte, There Is No Drake (Audio)

[Abstract83]

Phonte was always one of my favorites....he deserves so much more credit for just how talented he is

He has a really slept on catalog. If u think about it Artists like Drake, Kendrick, Logic, Childish Gambino, & J Cole is an expansion of Q-tip, OutKast, Little Brother, Lupe, & Kanye.

 

[thernbroom]

well damn looks like drake surpassed him after so far gone

 

[TenChambers]

He has a really slept on catalog. If u think about it Artists like Drake, Kendrick, Logic, Childish Gambino, & J Cole is an expansion of Q-tip, OutKast, Little Brother, Lupe, & Kanye.

Breh I used to play the shyt out of Listening, Minstrel Show and Get Back strictly for Phonte

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Breh I used to play the shyt out of Listening, Minstrel Show and Get Back strictly for Phonte

I have no idea why we can't get an LB reunion. On the Combat Jack interview in the first post of this thread, 9th says he's cool with Phonte and Pooh, and that he'd love to do something for the 10th anniversary of Minstrel Show next year.

Combat Jack gets excited, but 9th still insist that it's not going to happen, and says "I got my peace, and they're both good with me." I mean fukk, I feel like we're finally so close but so far away. On 9th's Jamla album this year, they're on song apart.

Look at tracks 4 and 5. Their names are right on top of each other. Someone please get these men to reconcile.

 

[tru_m.a.c]

They should've tried to capitalize more on this.

Pretty sure that Phonte had "Too Intelligent?" on the back of his shirt when he did the BET Cypher. I don't know if you can see it here or not. Cool cypher though.





I wondered about that too. I think they were back on ABB at the time. I always thought it was ironic that Getback was probably their most "radio friendly" album, yet it came after the major, and when 9th was gone, etc.

That joint with Wayne could've been pushed on the right label. Same with Good Clothes, Step It Up, Two Step Blues, or even Extra Hard.

It wasn't that they couldn't capitalize on the song, it's just that there wasn't strong support from the mainstream rap base.

Remember Get Back dropped in 2007. In Separate But Equal (2006), on the track Boondock Saints, Phonte mentions that The Minstrel Show hadn't even outsold the Listening!

Remember they were also touring and trying to bring that sound to the regular rap fans through Summer Jam concerts etc. I remember Phontigga writing on his blog about the reaction LB received when they performed at the same show as Waka Flocka.

 

[tru_m.a.c]

• Phonte doesn't have the "image" a record label would want to exploit as a Rapper/Singer

I think this statement is so underrated. It's soooooo sooooo underrated.

 

[Big Boss]

Drake has said this himself before..

In this interview he also said Little Brother influenced College Dropout and Late Registration Kanye even though they didn't get any credit for changing the landscape...

 

[Big Boss]

9th said Stephen Hill from BET told them their music was too smart for the audience...I can imagine they were getting the same type of feedback from the "HOT's" and "Power's" across the country who are all owned by the same corporations...


Plus they never had a cosign that was established in pop music.. Kanye West had Jay-Z..Drake had Lil Wayne as his "big brother"


Ironically Little Brother didn't have a big brother type in pop music to help them crossover...

that's a good point

 

[TenChambers]

I have no idea why we can't get an LB reunion. On the Combat Jack interview in the first post of this thread, 9th says he's cool with Phonte and Pooh, and that he'd love to do something for the 10th anniversary of Minstrel Show next year.

Combat Jack gets excited, but 9th still insist that it's not going to happen, and says "I got my peace, and they're both good with me." I mean fukk, I feel like we're finally so close but so far away. On 9th's Jamla album this year, they're on song apart.

Look at tracks 4 and 5. Their names are right on top of each other. Someone please get these men to reconcile.

Gotta be some money shyt or over a female...When 9th described what that closing trilogy album would have been The world needs that album

 

[TheDarceKnight]

It wasn't that they couldn't capitalize on the song, it's just that there wasn't strong support from the mainstream rap base.

Remember Get Back dropped in 2007. In Separate But Equal (2006), on the track Boondock Saints, Phonte mentions that The Minstrel Show hadn't even outsold the Listening!

Remember they were also touring and trying to bring that sound to the regular rap fans through Summer Jam concerts etc. I remember Phontigga writing on his blog about the reaction LB received when they performed at the same show as Waka Flocka.

That's true. They never had much mainstream support. Hell, even here in NC they didn't really have any support. None of the stations here showed any love until a couple albums in.

I was more saying in an ideal situation with more support from a major, it was the type of song that could have gotten a nice push. I was around at the time, and Boondock Saints was actually recorded pretty much right after Minstrel Show dropped, and it's one of my favorite Phonte verses. Sucks too. It was meant to be on an Embassy album (L.E.G.A.C.Y. and Chaundon) but the album never came out. Great album that won't ever get heard.

That's cool that you remember his blog. That shyt was hilarious and always had me laughing. I wish the posts were archived somewhere.

 

[labrokejames]

Glad LB is getting love on the Coli. I actually didn't know the tip about Drake and Phonte but it all makes sense.

LB has stayed on my playlist for the past 12 years.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Glad LB is getting love on the Coli. I actually didn't know the tip about Drake and Phonte but it all makes sense.

LB has stayed on my playlist for the past 12 years.

I'm glad too. There are a few good LB and Phonte/Pooh/9th appreciation posts here. LB gets love, Justus League gets some love here, and even 9th's new label Jamla gets love. Rapsody, GQ, Halo, and Add-2 especially have gotten some nice threads this year.

 

[Abstract83]

Breh I used to play the shyt out of Listening, Minstrel Show and Get Back strictly for Phonte

Word the fukk up breh. I dont give a fukk what no body says to me The Listening, The Chitilin Circuit 1.5, and The Minstrel Show are modern day classics. After Stillmatic dudes just stop rating albums. The 2,000's got some classic albums too.



EDIT: That first Foreign Exchange album is a classic too. Spawned all these spacey airy eclectic n1ggas. Along with a bunch of underground eclectic artists.

 

[TenChambers]

Word the fukk up breh. I dont give a fukk what no body says to me The Listening, The Chitilin Circuit 1.5, and The Minstrel Show are modern day classics. After Stillmatic dudes just stop rating albums. The 2,000's got some classic albums too.



EDIT: That first Foreign Exchange album is a classic too. Spawned all these spacey airy eclectic n1ggas. Along with a bunch of underground eclectic artists.

Dont forget that Gangsta Grillz they had too breh

That "Hiding Places" joint with Elzhi on the Minstrel Show was I used to rewind Phonte and Elzhi's verses non stop

 

[Kid Coli]

I love LB but Drake was going to blow up regardless brehs