Phonte Sends message To Fans & ABB Records - "We Havent Seen a Dollar | Update : IGTV vid

[TheDarceKnight]

9th was getting paid though, lol.

Dude said he built a whole studio and started a label from funds he got from those albums, and thanked the fans. The Listening is a classic though. I copped that immediately after it dropped, and have a few copies on vinyl too. That's how much I love that album. But it seems like 9th was working privately with ABB to cut Pooh and Phonte out of bread, and that's never cool. So it's a shame they couldn't keep working together and building on that legacy. LB was a breath of fresh air for Hip Hop. Money really did them in. It's fukked up.

@FunkDoc1112 made a good point too about producers getting more royalties. And just to add...9th Wonder got a big old check from Jay-Z and Def Jam about 6 months after The Listening dropped, and then was immediately getting placements with Destiny's Child and Mary J Blige, while full albums for Murs, Buckshot, Jean Grae, Skyzoo, etc.

9th was making good producer money in an era where there were still true super producers, big album budgets, and producers like him could make five-figures per beat (and sometimes healthy five-figures). People can not like 9th for various reasons, but that's not really his fault.

Gotta be honest. I don't think 9th even would've cared enough to work to cut them out of anything. I have virtually no personal reasons to say anything positive about 9th Wonder on here, and if anything I feel a bit dissed by him. And I have nothing but love and positivity for Pooh and Phonte. But Phonte and Pooh didn't get screwed out of early LB money by 9th Wonder.

 

[Motife43]

Yeah, I don’t think Pooh was ever in a situation where he was starving and was driving Uber out of desperation or anything, but yeah. The Listening and Minstrel Show didn’t sell a ton of records (although for their time and for the marketing dollars put it, they actually performed quite well.) I think Phonte always made more money from Foreign Exchange and FE Records than he did from Little Brother. Pooh eventually moved into managing a few artists and some more executive/behind-the-scenes work. But I don’t think it’s an insult or a stretch to say that his solo rap career didn’t pay as well as Phonte’s signing and producing career.

People gotta realize that LB broke up in 2010 and didn't reunite until 2019. So there was 9 years there where Pooh was working as a solo artist for most of those years, as the strreaming era was kicking off. I imagine that's when the Uber driving happened, etc. I think both of these guys are situated decently here in 2021, although ABB has been not paying them for the better part of 20 years now

Tucker aka T-Hug (LB fans IYKYK) coming through with the details as always #LawnFambly

 

[FunkDoc1112]

Yeah, I don’t think Pooh was ever in a situation where he was starving and was driving Uber out of desperation or anything, but yeah. The Listening and Minstrel Show didn’t sell a ton of records (although for their time and for the marketing dollars put it, they actually performed quite well.) I think Phonte always made more money from Foreign Exchange and FE Records than he did from Little Brother. Pooh eventually moved into managing a few artists and some more executive/behind-the-scenes work. But I don’t think it’s an insult or a stretch to say that his solo rap career didn’t pay as well as Phonte’s signing and producing career.

People gotta realize that LB broke up in 2010 and didn't reunite until 2019. So there was 9 years there where Pooh was working as a solo artist for most of those years, as the strreaming era was kicking off. I imagine that's when the Uber driving happened, etc. I think both of these guys are situated decently here in 2021, although ABB has been not paying them for the better part of 20 years now

The 2000s were really the absolute worst time to be a non-mainstream artist signed to a major label. 90s CD era, or 2010's streaming they would've been eating, but in the 00s, ESPECIALLY on Atlantic records, with the music sales dropping if you weren't making radio records you were fukked on the business side.

 

[Mindfield333]

Yeah, I don’t think Pooh was ever in a situation where he was starving and was driving Uber out of desperation or anything, but yeah. The Listening and Minstrel Show didn’t sell a ton of records (although for their time and for the marketing dollars put it, they actually performed quite well.) I think Phonte always made more money from Foreign Exchange and FE Records than he did from Little Brother. Pooh eventually moved into managing a few artists and some more executive/behind-the-scenes work. But I don’t think it’s an insult or a stretch to say that his solo rap career didn’t pay as well as Phonte’s signing and producing career.

People gotta realize that LB broke up in 2010 and didn't reunite until 2019. So there was 9 years there where Pooh was working as a solo artist for most of those years, as the strreaming era was kicking off. I imagine that's when the Uber driving happened, etc. I think both of these guys are situated decently here in 2021, although ABB has been not paying them for the better part of 20 years now

Pooh got into tour managing and some other stuff for Lute right? As well as other artists if I’m not mistaken

 

[TheDarceKnight]

It's hilarious how they don't even acknowledge 9th anymore

I'm being a bit of a Pooh and Phonte apologist on this, but to be fair, 9th was only in the studio with them on their first album, and only toured with them on their first album. LB has existed way way longer without 9th being involved than with 9th involved. I think it'd be more weird if they did still talk about 9th all the time.

 

[Motife43]

Pooh got into tour managing and some other stuff for Lute right? As well as other artists if I’m not mistaken

Him and Big Dho (LB's former manager) are managing Lute, Blakksoul and T Smith. He sounds like he's found his lane as a manager and comfortable droppin verses here and there

 

[dizzy4111]

OT but what happened to Median?

 

[OGBobbyJohnson]

I'm being a bit of a Pooh and Phonte apologist on this, but to be fair, 9th was only in the studio with them on their first album, and only toured with them on their first album. LB has existed way way longer without 9th being involved than with 9th involved. I think it'd be more weird if they did still talk about 9th all the time.

I know..from the outset people think 9th is more responsible for what the group is because he probably has the bigger name over those 2 tbh because of his producer placements..I still think it's funny because he's clearly on the album cover lol..9th strikes me as one of those industry egomaniacs so I agree with Phonte & Pooh's approach

 

[Motife43]

I just listened to their Questlove Supreme Episode again last week, it was recorded last year. A lot of questions and things we're talking about in the thread they discussed on there.

Probably the most in-depth interview they've done. They talk about ABB, 9th, how they formed the group, indy vs major, etc etc


Little Brother

 

[Awesome Wells]

That may have been the case, but in general producers get a WAY bigger cut of royalties than the artists. That's how Scott Storch got so much money to eventually blow.

Their deal was supposed to be a 1/3 split. Tribe had a deal like that too. Same way De La's was, even with them making their own beats, also while Paul was with them. 9th was in the group, so he wouldn't be paid separately as the producer. You're just an artist, at that point. His royalties would only be greater outside of LB. But when it comes to their releases, all three of them should've been seeing equal share. Word is, after '05, it became clear that he was the only one seeing bread from the actual albums.

Scott Storch is for hire. So as a producer, he's not tied to an artist or group dynamic, contractually. So he can charge whatever he wants, and get paid. When you're in a group, you're seen as "talent" on a contract. So 9th wouldn't be able to pull more bread from the label, either without Pooh and Phonte agreeing to that, or unless they were being cut out entirely.

 

[KingsOfKings]

Yep. ABB screwed Dilated Peoples too

What happened with that?

 

[Awesome Wells]

9th Wonder got a big old check from Jay-Z and Def Jam about 6 months after The Listening dropped, and then was immediately getting placements with Destiny's Child and Mary J Blige, while full albums for Murs, Buckshot, Jean Grae, Skyzoo, etc.

9th was making good producer money in an era where there were still true super producers, big album budgets, and producers like him could make five-figures per beat (and sometimes healthy five-figures). People can not like 9th for various reasons, but that's not really his fault.

When you're in a group, even if you're the producer, you're still just an artist, on any contract in the business. You're not going to be paid more for making the beats, unless you're distributing the album on your own label, or heading up the pressing, away from the group. 9th would definitely make bread away from LB, but this is about the money that was made from their albums. All three of them should've been seeing the same returns. 9th was the only one getting paid. Which he was aware of. So it's not so much about saying something negative about him, as much as it is about him willingly working with ABB to cut his people out of their bread they worked for on those joints.

I was around to kinda see what Pooh was going through with this, while he was working on getting Sleepers out. Dude had to take out personal loans to fund his project. It was mostly old shyt, but he needed money. He wasn't seeing a dime from any of his LB shyt.

 

[OGBobbyJohnson]

9th was getting paid though, lol.

Dude said he built a whole studio and started a label from funds he got from those albums, and thanked the fans. The Listening is a classic though. I copped that immediately after it dropped, and have a few copies on vinyl too. That's how much I love that album. But it seems like 9th was working privately with ABB to cut Pooh and Phonte out of bread, and that's never cool. So it's a shame they couldn't keep working together and building on that legacy. LB was a breath of fresh air for Hip Hop. Money really did them in. It's fukked up.

9th always been moving funny..Jamla could've been special

 

[spliz]

I know..from the outset people think 9th is more responsible for what the group is because he probably has the bigger name over those 2 tbh because of his producer placements..I still think it's funny because he's clearly on the album cover lol..9th strikes me as one of those industry egomaniacs so I agree with Phonte & Pooh's approach

9th can’t even accept being wrong about shyt. Bink was even tryna school him when it came to his Blueprint anniversary post but the nikka was in there going back n forth with Bink. Lol. He was also going back n forth with fans as well cause they was checkin him on his post.

 

[OGBobbyJohnson]

9th can’t even accept being wrong about shyt. Bink was even tryna school him when it came to his Blueprint anniversary post but the nikka was in there going back n forth with Bink. Lol. He was also going back n forth with fans as well cause they was checkin him on his post.

What was it?