Shaun White/Little Brother Mix

Props to Showtime on this donation.

The Other LB Footage from 12.07.07

Jozeemo and Little Brother on stage performing “That Ain’t Love” off of “Getback” album.

Thoughts from Little Brother Concert 12.07.07 At Cat’s Cradle

1. Was feeling the dookie ropes rocked by Phonte and Big Pooh

2. Was feelin the “Durham Skyline” hat that Big Pooh was rockin.

3. Was surprised at the number of people (good 65% of those there) that raised their hands when asked who this was the first LB concert for.

4. LOVED that they came out to “Sirens” :

 

5. Wished they had done a couple more jams off of “The Listening”

6. Thought “Ai’nt Nobody Like Me” with D-Brock Solo was one of the best single song performances I have seen them do at any show, but was disappointed O-Dash wasn’t there for his verse.

7. Loved seeing Median in the WHITE “GetBack” tee on stage

8. Loved “The Way You Do It” :

 

9. Was sick as a dog, but still loved the show.

10. I also got vid of Jozeemo (dressed in UNC garb) doin his verse off “That Ain’t Love” but it somehow didn’t upload right. I’ll try to get that up later.

11. Loved the Joe Scudda verse from “Lovin’ It” over the Snoop Dogg/R.Kelly “That’s That Shit” beat

12. Butros and I missed Pretty Toney’s dumb dancin

13. LB is still the shit, and only getting better. This was my 10th time seeing them live I believe. Always worth every penny.

14. DEAD MIKE clowned and missed out on an LB show AGAIN!

15. Coop missed out on LB AGAIN!

 

 

Phonte talks Meeting with Lil Wayne

Check out the bizarro David Schwimmer in the background of this vid.

Phonte, Stat Quo, Kardinall Offishall hit the cipher

The Mixtape Monster’s GETBACK Review

 

Well, yesterday was the day. Little Brother dropped “Getback,” an album I’ve been looking forward too for a long time. I wasn’t disappointed. Now Phonte from LB leaked about 7 of the 11 songs himself with a “Getback Sampler” on the Little Brother MySpace about 2.5 weeks ago, and the whole album was on the Internet shortly after that. I was able to deter my temptations and “old school” this album. That means I waited until the day it came out like a true fan, and then bumped that shit from start to finish. In fact, had a little listening party at my place for the CD. Such guests as Stonewall Jackson, Dead Mike, Butta Butta Butros, and Benjibuls Goldman were in attendance. We had some IP3′s pizza, then took some shots, drank some brews, participated in some other activities, and then banged out “Getback”. Here, as one of LB’s biggest supporters, is my review:

 Track by Track:

1. Sirens (feat Carlitta Durand) – I think I speak for everyone who was at my place last night when I say that we were ALL feelin’ this song. Whatever the sample is (I need to look that up), shit is crazy. Reminds me of a nice rock-hop track that Pooh and Tay both kill on.

2. Can’t Win For Losing – Important message in this song, Tay’s verse about who he does music for really got at me. Also loved his shout out to DJ Jazzy Jeff (naturally). Pooh’s verse was more relevant on the group instead of his personal take, talking about “Minstrel Show” not living up to expectations sales wise. Stonewall was feelin’ this one, wasn’t one of my favs, but an incredibly honest song that I’m sure I’ll feel at a later date.

3. Breakin’ My Heart (feat Lil Wayne) – This is the track everyone was anticipating for two reasons. One, it has Weezy F. Baby on it, and for two, it’s the only 9th Wonder appearance. While Benjibuls felt that Wayne’s verse could have been hotter, and Dead Mike thought 9th’s beat could have been hotter….I personally loved this track. The drums are trademark 9th, but it’s not as soulful as you might expect from him. He def threw a little curveball, but the shit is hot.

4. Good Clothes – This is the single, and the one track I had heard before the listening party. Illmind on production, shit has a crazy beat, funny LB verses. Classic LB right here. I like it better than I liked “Lovin’ It”.

5. After the Party (feat Carlitta Durand) – Another light (meaning more humorous) track about trying to close the deal with the biddies. I didn’t think this track was bad, but it didn’t jump out at me as much as Sirens or Breakin’ My Heart.

6. Extrahard – I was looking forward to this song becasue I was interested to see how LB work twork over a Mr. Porter beat. The beat is crazy, but I’m not sure anyone could have killed it. In my opinion, this was the weakest song on the album (but after only 2 listens, you never know what I’ll think after 7). I found the hook to be too plain on this one, because the beat was crazy.

7. Step It Up (feat Dion) – After getting by the similarities to another Hi-Tek produced song featuring Dion (“Let It Go” with Kweli on Hi-Teknology 2), I was able to really enjoy this track. Pooh killed the first verse, and I remember thinking just before the song that I thought maybe he had fallen off a bit this album. Boy was I wrong (he also kills the last track). Dope beats, dope rhymes, what more do y’all want?

8. Two Step Blues (feat Darien Brockington) – I know my boy Butta Butta Butros was lookin forward to the DBrock track. I loved this track too. Soulful and yet gulley at the same time. This is def a track you can sing along to in the whip or wherever youze at. Plus, what North Cack pimp CAN’T identify with Two Steppin’ away your blues at the bar/club.

9. That A’int Love (feat Jozeemo) – Now I must say I was disappointed with no Median or O-Dash appearance on this album. That being said, I was VERY disappointed with no Joe Scudda appearance, and I think this would have been the song to put him on. However, Jozeemo did NOT disappoint on this track. This is another banger on this cd in my opinion. All 3 MC’s get at it on this track and it has kind of an old “Never Let Me Down” Kanye type feel on the beat. Bang this.

10. Dreams – This is a hot track, but even after 2 listens, I don’t really feel one way or another about it. This is one I need to go back and listen to again before I really decide how I feel about it.

 11.  When Everything Is New – classic track to close with. LB is always on some “next” shit, and I wasn’t surprised to see them close an album with a “new beginning” theme. Because that’s what’s up on the plate next. Funny Tay monologue at the start, but I wish it was one of those hidden skits that only played when you were playing the album straight through. This track is def a gem that will get bumped.

Overall, after 2 listens, I would give the album an 8.5 out of 10. It’s hard to compare to “The Minstrel Show” or “The Listening” because they are all so different (or are they differently the same? ohhhhhh, think about it). It’s def a banger that is going to be in heavy rotation for a long time, that’s no question. I think a lot of LB fans may have a hard time accepting the departure of 9th, and I had that problem too shortly after the announcement. But when you think about the mainstays that LB has always worked with on the side, such as Nicolay (absent from GetBack though), Khrysis, and Illmind, you shouldn’t be discourage. Not to mention their wings spread a little bit and they managed to toe the main-stream line (tracks with Weezy and Denaun Porter) while still keeping it underground and making real music. Tay and Pooh’s formula is the same, they are just mixing it in a different pot. It’s like Tay says in one of the interludes when a friend of his said the album was great, but “something was different,” and Tay’s response is : “That’s the point.” You can’t make strides without change, and while this album had the potential to turn a lot of people away from LB, if anything I think it makes them more diverse and makes me have more respect for their hustle. This is real music from the heart, and I a’int mad at ‘em.

Cop this shit on iTunes, or go to your local store and buy it. Not enough people support the real shit these days. Turn off your radio and stop “supermanning hoes” for a minute and expand your mind.

LB Bidness baby. North Cack’s finest.

Cool As A Fan

Good Clothes

The first single off of “Getback”…..remember, GET IT.

GETBACK TODAY

Ladies and Gentlemen, today is the day. October 23rd. Little Brother’s “Getback” drops today, and if you have any idea what real hip hop is, or what it should be, you will get your ass to the store today and pick it up (REGARDLESS of if you downloaded the sampler that ‘Tay put out on the LB blog, REGARDLESS of if you downloaded the entire leaked version on the Internet, REGARDLESS of if you have to give a homeless guy a handjob for the extra change……okay well if you’re in that boat, let me know and I’ll let you a couple bucks), but the point is, GO GET THAT SHIT.

I feel it is my duty….

I feel it is my duty as a hardcore Little Brother fan to let you know that Phonte has put 7 of the 11 songs off of “GETBACK” up for free download. Visit http://www.myspace.com/littlebrother and click on the newest blog post to get the zshare link.

HOWEVER, I will say this. The CD drops on 10/23 and is apparently their tightest and most comprehensively close-knit album to date. I myself will NOT be downloading the 7 free songs. I’m “old schooling” this CD (i.e. waiting til the day it comes out to hear any of it, and listening to it start to finish, as ALBUMS are intended to be listened too [this seems like a lost art among the hip hop listener]), so if you do download it, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE refrain from telling me anything about it. I don’t want to know if Lil’ Wayne’s verse is hot, I don’t wan’t to know if the song “Sirens” is the next “Speed,” nada, nothing, I don’t wanna know!!!

But it woulda been wrong not to tell y’all that it’s available. So if you want it, it’s there, but I would recommend waiting. And if you DO download it, and you do like it, you better get your ass out to the store on 10/23 and cop that realness.