Little Brother Album: “Listening [Clean]”

I wrote the following review back in May '04 and I felt that I should revise a few things since my feeling toward this group has changed. Over the years, I found that LB take themselves way too seriously. While The Listening is a fun, laid back release, every release from LB after this one (Minstrel, random mixtapes, etc...) seems to sound like everything else on the radio. Just having fun is what made this album so appealing in the first place and now they don't do that anymore. A lot of my old review still holds true, but I simply don't find Pooh all that interesting now that he's on that "you can't see my team" bull and Phonte seems so heavily dependent on metaphors and similies now that it seems that's all he can do anymore. And 9th.....don't get me started on 9th. I love his work, but he hasn't shown this much versatility ever since this joint dropped (check "The Way You Do It", "Shorty On The Lookout", "Away From Me"....you can't front...he ain't the same -- just peep that Skyzoo album for proof). Oh well, no matter what they put out from this point forward, there will always be this gem from '02. Forget what you heard, if you listen closely, you'll be able to tell that The Minstrel Show doesn't even come close to this album. That's why I didn't bother reviewing that LP. You can tell that because they're being paid and are signed to a major label that they take it way too seriously now. You'll never EVER hear a song like "So Fabulous", "The Listening" (the hook and sample are ridiculous on this one if you pay attention), or "Nobody But You" from these guys again. They just need to go back their old college campus, burn a few, and just vibe until some dope material manifests itself without being forced...because that's exactly what The Listening sounds like -- the not-so-forced version of LB.

Anyway, enough ranting from me, here's the old review:

The Listening is an album that takes you back to the golden age of hip hop when lyrics actually mattered. 9th Wonder took me back a decade with this album. The beats have a Pete Rock feel to them and Phonte & Big Pooh bring them to life with their clever rhymes. The album isn't earth moving by any means. There are some shortcomings on the album (tracks like "For You" come to mind). Skits like "Make Me Hot" are pretty much pointless and constantly hearing "W J L RRRRRR... Bam" in between some songs is just plain annoying. But aside from that, the album is fire. Straight up. Phonte and Pooh have something to say. That's almost a forgotten part of being an MC nowadays. This album contains a certain nostalgic sound without coming off as dated or corny. If you weren't around to witness late 80's to mid 90's hip hop, then this will give you a small taste of what it was like. It was probably the peak of hip hop as we know it. I won't go as far as to say that they are the future of hip hop, but I certainly hope that hip hop goes in this direction again. This album falls just short of classic, but let's hope that their next couple of joints are just as good. Go get this CD while you can. The Listening is a great listen. And if you like this, check out Justus League Vol. 1 for more heat.

Personal Favorites: Shorty On The Lookout, The Yo Yo, Love Joint Revisited (my favorite), Speed, Far Away From Me, So Fabulous, & Whatever You Say

North Carolina's hip hop group Little Brother is one of those groups who rhyme seriously, but at the same time humorous. When you listen to Phonte and Big Rapper Pooh, they both have a sense of humor, and I think that is why people love them so much. What I like about thier rhymes is that some of the stuff I can relate to as well. "Shorty On The Lookout" is a jammin song about picking up the females. "The Yo-Yo" is another excellent song, along with the chorus that it carries, repeating "Yo" numorous times. 9th Wonder's production is excellent as well. Mostly because he uses heavy drums. "So Fabolous" has nice production from him. "The Get Up" has a dope beat as well. Most of the production on this album will make your head nod.

Although LB is an excellent group, they do have flaws. Not too often 9th swithes up his drums, and it shows. There are some tracks that are skippable as well, such as "Groupie Pt 2". Also I wasn't feeling the track "Nobody But You" as well. Also the interludes got a little old, especially "Make Me Hot". Other than that, this album is highly enjoyable. Little Brother shows their versitality on this album. This album dropped in early '03, and it took me a while to find it because of the place I was residing at the time this album came out. This album didn't get distributed widely like other albums did. They dropped "The Minstruel Show" in '05 (which was a little overrated in my opinion). But anyway, If you like some head nodding hip hop tracks and dope lyrics, you will like this album.

Lyrics: A-

Production: A-

Guest appearances: N/A

Musical Vibes: B

Overall: A-

My Favorite Tracks: For You, Speed, The Yo-Yo, Shorty On The Lookout, So Fabolous, The Get Up, The Listening

Peace Everyone!!!