Why aint Little Brother Blow?

[the cac mamba]

did this dude fukk with them? maybe im wrong

i musta bumped this for 3 weeks

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Lyrics too intelligent.

did this dude fukk with them? maybe im wrong

i musta bumped this for 3 weeks

Jozeemo signed with Hall of Justus (Little Brother's management team) in 2006, and was featured heavily on the Soldiers of Fortune album, as well as Little Brother's Getback and Leftback albums. He's a great artist from Durham NC, but he was never in the Justus League or the closely associated acts. He was mostly his own artist, that linked up with HOJ for management, and some dope music came out of it.

I remember this song in particular a lot of rappers had a tough time rapping over, and Jozee took it and crushed it.

 

[IllmaticDelta]

did they blow....they were huge from an underground POV

 

[IllmaticDelta]

Shoulda stayed independent

When their shyt came out, it was refreshing. I played the shyt out of The Listening and The Minstel Show. Then I remember folks saying 9th needs to switch up his drums. Then they fell out . On my fan shyt, I was mad at Phonte for a bit - felt like it was his fault. But I think that the situation got sticky when they signed to Atlantic. I still fukk w Foreign Exchange tho

this 100%

 

[IllmaticDelta]

LB had a nice run and found a good lane. They had a loyal fan-base and made a decent living out of their music. Phonte is still doing well and doing his thing. I don't see how they failed at all.

this

 

[Dilltastic VolWon(derful)]

They really should have been bigger and I'm a legit stan.
Still one of my favourite tracks to this day

These dudes even had a gangsta grillz and you only got one of those if you were a legit heavyweight in the game at that time.

 

[Dilltastic VolWon(derful)]

Double post

 

[TheDarceKnight]

These dudes even had a gangsta grillz and you only got one of those if you were a legit heavyweight in the game at that time.

Yep! And drama went to them with the idea.

That is one of the best gangsta grillz tapes ever IMO.

That was a hard tape too because they were passed at Atlantic about how they handled the album, and there was a lot of angry joints on there.

 

[Marlo Barksdale]

It ain't that complicated. They couldn't make appealing catchy songs and weren't "cool." They really gave off the "nerd backpackers who complain on the internet" vibe. The songs just weren't hitting and they couldn't compare or adapt to what was poppin. They had no commercial appeal.


I really tried my best to get into them but I never could and seeing them complain really didn't help at all. You can have skills but if you don't know how to present them, it's all for naught, especially if you're trying to be above underground.



And the concert incident happened 2006 in Fayetteville, NC (their home turf) when they performed at a radio station's summer jam concert and the whole crowd just stared at them. Here's a repost of what Phonte posted on Myspace when it happened back in 2006.


There were pictures from the stage showing the crowd literally just staring at them like
. Funniest thing ever

Phonte of Lil Brother: Reflection of a SummerJam Concert - Davey D's Hip Hop Political Palace

Sunday, July 16, 2006
This comes couresty of Phonte's myspace blog
www.myspace.com/littlebrother

Last night me and Pooh had our worst show EVER yo....
Summerjam in Fayetteville last night was, unquestionably, the worst LB show ever.
I'm talkin ICE COLD yo.....the 'WOAT'......I think a breakdancing midget woulda got a better response than we did.
Real @#%$, I was *this* close to rhyming with my back turned to them nikkas.
Imagine this lineup:
-Three Six Mafia
-Rick Ross
-Young Dro
-Young Joc
-Dem Franchize Boyz
-The Musicianz
-and....
-Little Brother?
It sounds like the setup to a bad '...so these guys walk into a bar' joke, I know...
NOW imagine a sea of 8,000 faces......completely still AND silent.
Don't get me wrong, once we accepted the gig I knew we were up against impossible odds, but I'm never one to back down from any challenge. The worst they can do is boo a nikka, right?
Wrong.
The worst they can do is look confused, and stare at you like you're the only boca burger at a steak buffet.
I thought nikkas would at least nod and act like they're *trying* to give us a chance, right?
Nope.
None.
Zilch.
Nada.
Its like I could hear Jamie Foxx's voice in my head, taunting me like ol' boy at that roast:
"Damn, I really don't belong in this @#%$.
I am your conscience.
Black people really don't like me.
I am your conscience.
Maybe you nikkas should do that 'Lovin It' song and wrap it up....yeah, that'll get 'em on your side.
I am your conscience."
I think me and Pooh looked at each other and burst out laughing mid-song at one point, cause we couldn't believe how badly we were bombing....lol
Don't get it twisted....I understand how the 'concept' of Little Brother and/or "Minstrel Show" can be off putting and even intimidating to today's mainstream Black audience (three college educated nikkas who ain't trappin and/or reppin one particular hood or housing project = The Cosby Show in the eyes of most nikkas....real talk)......
But c'mon, now....
The stage show is when all those notions are supposed to fall to the side cause that's the 'oh, noooow I get it!' moment. That's when you see me and Pooh jumping and bouncing and rocking and realize, 'oh, they some regular nikkas just like me.' Right?
Nope.
None.
Zilch.
Nada.
@#%$ like yesterday makes me wonder if the Black 'masses' and/or urban radio will EVER get what LB is trying to do.....
I know 9th doesn't make 808 beats.
I know me and Pooh don't have a 'leanwidditpeanutbutterandtaffy' song with its own accompanying dance.
I know HotFoxy9102.5 ain't runnin our joint every hour on the hour.
But damn....
I really wonder sometimes if my music is that 'intelligent' or are nikkas just that dumb? (Or 'conditioned' to be a little more PC about it?)
I'mma keep doin' me and sadly assume the latter.
Little Brother
Getback
Atlantic Records '07
We move on. Again.

Tay



Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Since nikkas wanna twist my words and @#%$: Worst Show Ever, Pt. 2....
I, apparently, got the innanet goin' nuts (c) P. Wall
When I decided to write about what me and Pooh experienced at Summerjam in Fayetteville, it wasn't in hopes of turning this @#%$ into a "Get Well, Phonte" party. It really wasn't THAT major. After the show, me and Pooh rode home bumpin "The Shining" advance and laughed about the whole @#%$....
I come to this site to share with my fans both my highlights and my lowlights, in hopes of giving people an honest look into the life of a blue collar, working-class musician. My blogs about porn, ******s, vegetarianism and cuddle buddies are all well and good, but the minute I wanna talk about the OTHER side of this rap @#%$ I'm a whiny bytch all of a sudden?
Y'all crackers ain't playin fair (c) Clipse
First off, I never said that nikkas who don't like LB are 'dumb.' Never would I EVER, ever, ever, ever, ever make such a pompous, arrogant, and polarizing statement. Noz at XXL is just looking for page hits, and we all know this.
But on the flipside, if y'all really think the vast majority of the listening audience makes choices on their own, and that LB's poor response has anything to do with our music being 'too backpack' and 'not southern enough' and 'not club enough' then YOU'RE dumb.
I've been called everything from 'backpack' to 'conscious' to 'uppity' to 'holier than thou.' Cool. I'll be that. Fact is, if I was HALF as uppity as nikkas thought I was, I woulda turned down the gig from jump and refused to play:
"@#%$ that @#%$.....I ain't playin in front of a buncha Clear Channel drone ass nikkas.....we walkin into certain death....."
That honestly was my first thought when we were presented with the gig.
But the thing with me is, I always give people a chance to either prove OR dispel my notions about 'em. Take it however you want, but I think there's something to be said about ANY person who would listen to the same 20 songs being programmed into their heads day in and day out without questioning anything. Still, I gave the audience a chance.
Point blank, my instincts were right: the majority of radio listeners are @#%$ drones.
They have to be told what TO like (i.e. the South's current dominination), as well as what NOT to like (i.e, post-50 era Ja Rule). Hence, no 'boos' at the show, which I woulda respected and appreciated a million times more. At least that woulda been a sign of independent thinking. But as you look at their faces in the pics, you can see that it wasn't hate, so much as it was apathy and indifference. All because they more than likely hadn't heard us before, which in their minds probably equated to us not being 'on.' I mean, they can't be any good if I ain't heard it before, right? If nikkas ain't quackin (i.e. heavy radio and video rotation) they must not be ducks, right? (c) Bun B
Not responding to LB because you simply don't like the music = fine by me.
Not responding to LB (or any other group)all because you haven't heard them on the radio before and it hasn't been drilled into your head 20x a day = dumbass follower.
Hell, one of my boys even told me that he saw an early Dem Franchize Boyz show where the audience just looked at 'em dumbfounded, but a few months later they came back to the same spot after "White Tee" went into heavy rotation and nikkas acted like it was the hottest @#%$ ever. Nevermind DFB had actually performed that same song 3 mos. earlier to crickets... Radio nikkas is drones, and I realize that now.
I hate to admit it, but Ahmir (?uest from the Roots) was right: us hip hop nikkas (on BOTH sides of the spectrum and all points in between) done drunk the kool-aid and don't even realize it. So much of what is considered a 'hit' record and who is considered a 'star' in hip-hop today ain't got JACK @#%$ to do with the music, so much as it has to do with:
How they dress....who they affiliated with....how rich they are or perceived to be....who they fukkin.....who gave 'em a 'cosign'......who their producer is.......are they a hustler/d-boy/baller/metro pretty boy or any other image.....what city they're from, what label they're on, etc....
The media outlets done tricked nikkas so good, that we as listeners don't even realize that we take all this bullshyt into account and 'accept' hit records, before we even hear ONE NOTE of actual music. (I know Ahmir, your royalty check is in the mail..)
So.....Take in the fact that LB are three nikkas from the South who stick out like sore thumbs against their southern contemporaries.......AND the fact that we solely push our music and aren't attached to any 'image'......AND the fact that we're on a label who looks at nikkas like red-headed stepchildren.....Add all that up and what do you get?
80,000 copies of "Minstrel Show" sold, and blank stares at any Summerjam in America, that's what. Am I making sense, or am I making TOO MUCH sense?
I realize that the road I've chosen to travel as an artist is alot less rewarding and alot more stressful at times, so I'm not complaining for what is ultimately my own choice. I am who I am. Of course, it gets frustrating at times just like any other job.....but overall......a nikka's blessed yo. I thank God for this life everyday.
I have no problem with cats disagreeing with my views, but at least come correct and have your @#%$ straight about me. Either way, I hope this conversation keeps going. There's nothing like free publicity.
LB will continue to hustle, elevate our formula, perfect our craft, stay on our grind, and show love to the cats who show love to us....but we ain't fitna change our @#%$ up and tapdance for nobody. No matter how slow the grind may be.
If you can't understand me FOR ME, then maybe I just ain't for you.
Peace and love to all those supporting the movement. We live, we learn, we move on.
Tay

This has been a Real nikka PSA (R), sponsored by the Percy Miracles Foundation.

 

[GPBear]

The Listening was the Radio show

The Minstrel Show was the the TV show

The third album was going to be the
Movie

that's actually genius

 

[ZEB WALTON]

Wrong era. They had the underground/internet scene before that scene translated to outside the web. Also Atlantic fumbled their major debut and it fell on deaf ears cause it was right in the dumbest period in rap (snapping, dancing, trapping).

THIS

While today whats hot on the internet is translating to whats hot period, back then the rappers who were popular on the internet were considered "underground" or the opposite of the maknstream acts.

Little brother was possibly the most accessible "popular internet" act (cunnylnguists another group that shoulda blown) but they broke up before they could reallu take advantage of the situation

 

[Flywin Lannister]

Overhyped Producer, very similar sounding beats, dusty *ss sounding beats.

Saw them live and was like 'yeah.. this is aight'

Dudes seemed to fall right in the middle of conscious-soulful and backpack. Which could be a niche.. if it all didn't sound so dusty.

IMHO.

Update: timing, their timing just wasn't right.

 

[Marlo Barksdale]

THIS

While today whats hot on the internet is translating to whats hot period, back then the rappers who were popular on the internet were considered "underground" or the opposite of the maknstream acts.

Little brother was possibly the most accessible "popular internet" act (cunnylnguists another group that shoulda blown) but they broke up before they could reallu take advantage of the situation

No what happened was "cool" people started being on the internet more. Back then the internet consisted of majority nerds before Myspace & smartphones really got popin. Popular on the internet wasn't "cool" until around 2009 when other "cool" people were on it and it was acceptable to be on the net alot.

 

[BocaRear]

I mean dope beats, dope rhymes, what else did the people want?

 

[SirBiatch]

They were never that good - y'all ever consider that? They weren't trash, and had a couple good songs, but they never did anything mind-blowing as a unit nor had charisma like that.

9th gave better beats to anyone not called Little Brother and Phonte made his best music with Nicolay. Big Pooh was always bin sauce