Classic Shiit: Foreign Exchange - Connected

[Lurking Class Hero]

Not a classic, but a dope album nonetheless. Raw Life, The Answer, Sincere, Brave New World, FE End Theme are the standouts for me. It's funny how this ties to so many memories for so many people. It's almost mystical the way some albums just do that like no others do.

My favorite joint on the entire project though? Always takes me back to 2003. It's crazy how my life at the time mirrored what was happening on that cover.

Man, this is so real. That album cover and that song combined put me in a damn trance. I played this today for the first time in a few years, and got completely lost in a haze of nostalgia. So many old girls come back to mind, so many memories

I really wanna get a poster of that album cover, I could spend hours just staring at it reminiscing.

 

[Motife43]

Bump

Album dropped today in 2004. This a damn classic. Lyrics, features, singing, production, sequencing. Shoutout to OKP and the power of the Internet

 

[Monoblock]

Lord knows...I pull this album out every summer and it has aged like fine wine. I actually put this in my top 3 albums of the last decade and my top 10 of all time. Come Around is still amazing. Those b side remixes Nicolay did were on point too.
This and City Lights Vol. 1 (and 1.5) are my summer themes.

Still love this album like the day it first dropped. I even have the vinyl now.

 

[RAW_SPK]

didnt appreciate it fully when it first dropped because I wanted a phonte solo album with him rapping his ass off but as I got older and after I revisited the album after “Leave It All Behind” this shyt sits firmly in my chill/adult hip hop collection

 

[Tetris v2.0]

Classic album

 

[Motife43]

didnt appreciate it fully when it first dropped because I wanted a phonte solo album with him rapping his ass off but as I got older and after I revisited the album after “Leave It All Behind” this shyt sits firmly in my chill/adult hip hop collection

I was heavy on the Justus League message board when LIAB dropped, folks were mad that there wasn’t any rapping on there lol

And this was shortly after they had the Wayne feature on Getback. I knew Tay was focused on the singing when I heard him on this



But I didn’t get on Connected until 2008. Stays in rotation. FWMJ’s design was A-1

 

[Monoblock]

I was heavy on the Justus League message board when LIAB dropped, folks were mad that there wasn’t any rapping on there lol

And this was shortly after they had the Wayne feature on Getback. I knew Tay was focused on the singing when I heard him on this



But I didn’t get on Connected until 2008. Stays in rotation. FWMJ’s design was A-1

Yea man I know the conversation has been had many times on this board but Phonte was truly responsible for the transition of the rapper/singer and was doing it seamlessly back then. No autotune needed just pure singing ability with crazy lyrics to match. At first I felt like everyone else and was a little upset but then I sat with this and was hearing snippets of these songs and remixes on those Justus League tapes made me appreciate these more.
It was crazy that the two never even met and did this album online back in 04 and sounded like they had better chemistry than most rappers in clicks.
Leave It All Behind is great as well but this one spoke to me back in the day especially the relationship I was in back then. It was the soundtrack to my life back in 04-05.

 

[Motife43]

@Monoblock

Yep Phonte influenced the current generation for sure but I’m sure he was emboldened by what Cee-Lo did as an elite lyricist and a good singer once he “left” Goodie Mob and made solo albums.

This might be fodder for a new thread but what other rappers have really made the transition from rapping to singing? I’m not really talkin about the Drake lane and what we know him for (Rap&B)

But real deal R&B singing that we know and love

I don’t know how to categorize Pharrell. I view Nate Dogg as a singer. Maybe I’m drawing a blank

 

[aceboon]

Still remember when this album leaked WAY before it actually released, most likely due to the nature of this being created thru the internet. Everyone on the okayplayer boards was giving Phonte props for "Come Around" before he had to log on and tell folks it wasn't him singing the main vocals.

 

[Easy-E]

 

[steadyrighteous]

Ran back Oddisee's Rock Creek Park yesterday for its anniversary, running Connected back today

I played the fukk out of this, as well as Nicolay's Dutch Masters Vol.1 and Here on a trip to Paris as a teenager. This sound was a big part of my evolution as a music listener.

 

[EA]

This album might be one the most influential albums for me. I was a LB/JL stan as a kid and when I first heard this album, it literally changed my ears.

When the beat for Von Sees first dropped, I literally did this

Phonte & Nicolay will forever be in my GOAT lists

 

[TheDarceKnight]

This album might be one the most influential albums for me. I was a LB/JL stan as a kid and when I first heard this album, it literally changed my ears.

When the beat for Von Sees first dropped, I literally did this

Phonte & Nicolay will forever be in my GOAT lists

All facts

 

[BuckFilly]

 

[MasterThought]

Discovering Little Brother and all of their affiliated acts , so to speak, was the first time in life I recognized the concept of "relatable" music.

This album spoke to the type of person I really was.
"Nic's Groove" is in my personal top 20 songs ever.