Looking Back: Your verdict on Little Brother's "The Listening" LP. I was listening to it the other day and remembered how it was a refreshing at the time to hear an album like that. Yes, I'm from NC so I was proud but I'm not bias. It's not the best LP of all time but a DOPE LP to me. I do believe it was like 4.5 mics though and that is my honest opinion. I believe it influenced a new generation of MC's and Producers. So my questions.. (It's good to know they were not here today and gone tomorrow...they are all still doing their thing) Young GURU hearing SPEED changed 9th's life it appears...

1. How do you view the LP now?
2. Is it one of the better LP's of the last decade?
3. Do you feel it influenced a new generation of MC's and Producers...even if on an underground level?
4. What is your favorite Song on the LP?
5. What was your favorite BEAT?

The fact these 3 guys put this together with what appeard to be little to no help was dope.

The Listening: Released February 25, 2003

Track listing# Title Producer(s) Performer(s) Time Samples

1 "Morning" 9th Wonder Chaundon 0:45
2 "Groupie, Pt. 2" 9th Wonder Rapper Big Pooh 2:58
3 "For You" 9th Wonder Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh 3:03
4 "Speed" 9th Wonder Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh 3:57
5 "Whatever You Say" 9th Wonder Rapper Big Pooh, Phonte 5:27
6 "Make Me Hot" 9th Wonder Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh 1:36
7 "The Yo-Yo" 9th Wonder Rapper Big Pooh, Phonte 3:35
8 "Shorty on the Lookout" 9th Wonder Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh, Median 5:24
9 "Love Joint Revisited" 9th Wonder Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh 4:25
10 "So Fabulous" 9th Wonder Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh 4:43
11 "The Way You Do It" 9th Wonder Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh 4:32
12 "Roy Lee, Producer Extraordinaire" 9th Wonder Phonte, 9th Wonder 0:58
13 "The Get-Up" Eccentric, 9th Wonder Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh 3:17
14 "Away from Me" 9th Wonder Rapper Big Pooh, Phonte 5:23
15 "Nobody But You" 9th Wonder Rapper Big Pooh, Phonte, Keisha Shontelle 3:01
16 "Home" 9th Wonder 9th Wonder 2:49
17 "Nighttime Maneuvers" 9th Wonder Phonte 3:03
18 "The Listening" 9th Wonder Rapper Big Pooh, Phonte 6:07

#PEACE

like you said, what was impressive was that these three friends from college did it themselves. But I think they found their true groove on Minstrel Show. The Listening was really good but pales in comparison, IMO.

I'm going to go back and listen to Minstrel Show again. I remember being in Raleigh & 9th played it for me in his truck. He was proud of The Minstrel Show and I did notice the advancement in the production. Especially "Hiding Place"...I feel you though..

That's wild you were hanging with 9th. I can imagine how pumped he'd be about that album. It's a near masterpiece.

oh yeah, we go back from like 4 years old. At the same time, me being proud of LB and even what he is doing with Jamla now for NC is not b/c I know him. We dont talk like we use to but the respect for the art is there. I'm excited for his label. But yeah, Hiding Place is one of the best beats he EVER did.

Great album.
One of the best of the early 00's
Definitely a big influence, not just on the underground. Kanye came out with elements of that everyman steez. Not that LB invented it, but we already know Kanye was a fan and was worried they would beat him to the punch.
Favorite song: Speed
Favorite beat: Whatever You Say

I'm sorry man, no shade, I'm just tired of hearing that story.

championed mediocrity for ulterior motives by "you know who" on this website.
he tried to repeat the process with that other okp group some of the moderators of GD were in to lesser results.

imo.
mediocre rappers, mediocre content, mediocre ideas.
contrarily, some interesting and relevant to the time sample digs/flips.
however, most ruined by poorly constructed amateurish beats.

the ultimate legacy of the act, which i'm sure will never be held in widespread belief because nobody important enough will bother saying it.
is that their failure ultimately destroyed the proverbial cracked window that was open in 2004/2005 for a "lane" for a certain type of act receiving any mainstream publicity.

they had a chance to represent the type of rap music they claimed they loved and very brazenly proclaimed themselves the "gatekeepers" to (even if they didn't even properly understand the origin of that type of rap music) and in their wake left it more polarized, marginalized, less relevant and viewed as commercially "worthless" to both executives and other major label rap acts alike.
any act that came along doing something remotely comparable at the time or after their failure would have met a locked door largely on the account of their contributions.

i usually refrain from bothering to comment on acts in this way nowadays, especially this particular act at this point in time.
i think the less anybody says about them the better.

using the energy to accurately describe and attribute events and your feelings in writing always looks like a massive personal investment.
you really can disregard everything but the last line.

did big pooh kick your dog or something?

(Big hurt)

Well, that is your stance. In NC where I live, it gave Hip Hop a much needed boost. The underground scene here got exciting and has been every since. I can only speak for here. As for LB, they did the best they could do at the time. They dropped 3 LP's that were nice. The producer who you obviously feel is wack ended up working with Jay-z, Mary J, Badu, De La, Luda, Destiny Child etc..etc..so that was big for NC, LB, and underground here. If I'm not mistaken Kanye, Big Sean, Wale, DRAKE (especially as he has said many times before) are others got some influence from them. They are all mainstream stars so your theory is not all correct. Weak production to you was given props from Pete Rock, Premo, Questlove and Young Guru. This all came from The Listening. Everything I just typed. These are facts. Not mad you dont like them...I can respect that.

>If I'm not mistaken Kanye, Big Sean, Wale,
>DRAKE (especially as he has said many times before) are others
>got some influence from them.

you listen to kanye 2003-2005, drake 2003-2005, early wale, early big sean, early wiz khalifa, etc.
they all were doing things comparable to what little brother was doing in 2003-2005. they were all likely "fans" of 9th wonder too.
however, what's never acknowledged is that they all drastically changed their style post-major label flop of little brother/9th wonder to something that bore NO resemblance of what they had been doing previously.

as far as pete rock, dj premier and co. touting the release - you could argue the element of self-interest in trying to prop up a mediocre group they thought represented a style of rap music they viewed themselves a part of that was rapidly receding in mainstream clout 2002/2003/2004.

young guru, i don't believe even knows enough about music to lend credence to his opinions as evidenced on some the final mixes he turned in for mastering. but just my opinion...

>as far as pete rock, dj premier and co. touting the release -
>you could argue the element of self-interest in trying to prop
>up a mediocre group they thought represented a style of rap
>music they viewed themselves a part of that was rapidly
>receding in mainstream clout 2002/2003/2004.
>

you really be feelin yourself. lol.

I can respect your stance. I agree to disagree. I dont think they were this below average group you speak of. Kanye is a very pick artist so for him to vibe to LP and be influenced even a little is a good thing. Atlantic Records didnt know what to do with a group like LP when they had T.I. & Missy. Pete really like LB, that is no secret. Phonte over time has proven to be well respected from plenty larger named artist and his talent expanded more with Foreign Exchange. I would put Leave It All Behind up against any R&B in the last 10 years. Daykeeper should have won grammy. Thats just being honest. Minstrel Show was lyrically and production wise, a dope LP. It had meaning, focus and it flowed. LOL, I get it. You dont like LB. It's cool.

>they had a chance to represent the type of rap music they
>claimed they loved and very brazenly proclaimed themselves the
>"gatekeepers" to (even if they didn't even properly understand
>the origin of that type of rap music) and in their wake left
>it more polarized, marginalized, less relevant and viewed as
>commercially "worthless" to both executives and other major
>label rap acts alike.
>any act that came along doing something remotely comparable at
>the time or after their failure would have met a locked door
>largely on the account of their contributions.

but considering that this shit was pretty much an independent record that had a pretty shitty distribution if you went through traditional outlets (you basically had to cop at a mom and pop or on the Internet)... this right here seems super off base and off the rails, even.

I would understand if this record was released by a major distributor and the same happened (I think you have this confused w/the Minstrel Show actually by this description). but you might as well say the same shit re: Encore's Self-Preservation, Mykill Myers' shit, Cali Agents et al... shit that you'd only know if you were deep in the 12" bin in independent record stores and hitting up hip hop sites/stores on the Internet.

that particular criticism wasn't directed at this record but the group in general.

"Tigallo, mayne! Da fuck happened to you, mayne?" - bammer

>championed mediocrity for ulterior motives by "you know who"
>on this website.
>he tried to repeat the process with that other okp group some
>of the moderators of GD were in to lesser results.
>
>imo.
>mediocre rappers, mediocre content, mediocre ideas.
>contrarily, some interesting and relevant to the time sample
>digs/flips.
>however, most ruined by poorly constructed amateurish beats.
>
>the ultimate legacy of the act, which i'm sure will never be
>held in widespread belief because nobody important enough will
>bother saying it.
>is that their failure ultimately destroyed the proverbial
>cracked window that was open in 2004/2005 for a "lane" for a
>certain type of act receiving any mainstream publicity.
>
>they had a chance to represent the type of rap music they
>claimed they loved and very brazenly proclaimed themselves the
>"gatekeepers" to (even if they didn't even properly understand
>the origin of that type of rap music) and in their wake left
>it more polarized, marginalized, less relevant and viewed as
>commercially "worthless" to both executives and other major
>label rap acts alike.
>any act that came along doing something remotely comparable at
>the time or after their failure would have met a locked door
>largely on the account of their contributions.
>
>i usually refrain from bothering to comment on acts in this
>way nowadays, especially this particular act at this point in
>time.
>i think the less anybody says about them the better.





please, please, please tell me the other group you're referencing is The Chapter. remember them?


but i'm guessing it's SV.



Bammer is the best poster on here.

lulz

we just came back from Paris though im chillin



Tanya Morgan "Rock The Bells" Video
Produced by Aeon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wy8URpUFWeE&feature=youtu.be

i'm 99.9% certain it's SV. Tanya Morgan aren't relevant enough to cite.

Did you make music and not get an OKP co-sign that you were hoping for or something?

It's one thing to not be feeling some music, but this post came off mad bitter, like you got an axe to grind over something.

(2003 if you count the general release instead) if not all time.

I actually got this one in the mail late in '02, still living down South (my last "winter" there), and Median's verse hit home like shit.

I was still firmly in my "if you have ONE verse I really like, I'll buy your CD" stage and Phonte's hilarious "White Girls Like Caitlin/Trick Daddy at Poetry Night" verse was what made me cop the CD on sight.

it's such a nostalgic listen, worth sitting through end to end if anyone is really wondering what the hubub was about. Finally, we had some rappers from the Carolinas that reminded me of what cats that *I* knew and was around were really about. Sure you might have been reminded of Tribe, or Pete & CL, but IMO them dudes were straight original with it.

the release of this album also coincided with when I posted (on my old alias) rather heavily here.

To 2012 ears this might sound quaint, and if I'm honest it might have done the same in 2002. But that's what really put it over the top. Thinking of the albums that I internalized that year I think that the "DIY"-ness of the album is what really made it go. 9th had a very "professional" approach to beats, and both Pooh and Phonte were a lil different from what I was used to from rappers at the time.

I immediately called my homeboy and said "I haven't had that much fun listening to a rap CD since 'Buhloone Mindstate'". He simply said "shit". That's still the way I feel about it. "Minstrel Show" is a better album, IMO...but "The Listening" will forever be held in a special place for me personally.

I was on my 2nd last leg with hip hop
Slum and black star brought me back a few years before
This time there was something different about it
Lil bro kept me digging hip hop for a few more years
I knew these dudes weren't striving for mainstream success
But success amongst their peers
Like folks stated before it felt like dudes you knew made a damn good record
To me it still holds up almost 10 years later

Little Brother was all about nostalgia. Deviation from the norm was frowned upon up until a year or so ago. I think guys like Danny Brown and the Black Hippy crew have made "lyrical" backpack derived-hip hop look forward again.

That being said, I can't begrudge Phonte's continued success. He seems like a good dude (I just don't really want to hear him rap that much).

You didnt like Charity Starts At Home?

Yeah, Foreign Exchange is his meal ticket. He admits thats his retirement..lol..not rap even though him and 9th are doing a lot of tours and are actually in Africa right now. Cant knock the hustle.

Phonte has never done it for me as a rapper but I don't have an active dislike for his music as I do for 9th's.

I wouldn't say LB was even really "conservative" to tell the truth. Sure the beats were "backpack" friendly but not even that much. They straddled a bit. And Phonte and Pooh's lyrics weren't really on some "wack MCs" shit either.

This sort of criticism I think would be best leveled on an indie record (thinking about 2002-03) Edan's Primitive Plus, but even his shit seemed sort of "edgy" compared to what was in the mainstream.

LB seemed to be rather "middle class" in comparison.

was a group of NC cats (with one standout MC) that grew up on Tribe & De La then made an independent album, I didn't really feel anything forced or overwhelmingly nostalgic about their approach.

I much preferred that to dudes rapping over fake Premier beats about wack rappers, which there seemed to be a ton of in the early 2000s.

...their best work imo....came fresh out the box with heat.....Besides "Hiding Place", and a couple other tracks from that LP, I just don't think MS was very good...

n/m