Monday, March 30, 2009

GETting BACK to Little Brother! Part Tres!!!









“Inside the lyrics of what some would call “commercial underground hip hop” are stories of soldiers who have fallen victim to beats that left them with their own souls spilled out across tracks that were presumed to be the “Next Big Thing”. Inside of these moments of exposed artistry lies a creativity that is left to not be duplicated or fully understood… just accepted and appreciated. These are the feelings that come over any emcee, singer, producer or artist when it comes to finishing a project. Inhibitions have been laid to tracks where masterpieces have been created more often than naught. So to deny the pulchritude of such a moment would almost be blasphemy.” -JwaStar

That’s what happens when I sit and listen to great hip hop reinvent itself over and over again. It’s something that I have to find and explain in words so that even the simplest of minds can understand what a winning moment looks like to Hip Hop. Not only Hip Hop but music and any form of artistry. The triumph of even writing these moments is not even something I’m sure I could ever truly explain in depth.

This year has already been one of an amazing stature. I was able to see Phonte perform twice in NYC last month which was wonderful. Missing moments with his other half left a slight damper on my mood but to know that Pooh is utterly busy in the studio should keep any fan of LB wanting more. The greatness of being able to see the evolution of what Hip Hop is a beautiful thing to witness (even if others aren’t totally accepting of it). Very similar to Kanye West, Phonte has picked up the emotion of soul music and crafted it into his new work. He co hosted a show in NYC at the beginning of last month called “Hip Hop 1942” it was a tribute to jazz and hip hop that was fused from the past and now. Great show and performance behind a fabulous 6 piece band along with special renditions you wouldn’t expect from the Phonte. He’s allowed himself to be totally immersed in what R&B means to him. The difference between rap music and soul music can be a huge one and a quite small one at the same time. Phonte has been able to merge his creativity and love of both sounds into something that is extremely appreciated on both levels of the game without going too far left away from either category. With the Foreign Exchange and Little Brother, his range of things to do in between the two is limitless. Here’s a little treat into what you missed in March!






This week with Little Brother I got a little bit more in depth with Phonte and got to get an extreme understanding of what it was to be in a relationship with any music artist. These are the things that woman would like to know. I also got to get deep to the core realizations of what juggling marriage, career and children look like inside of Hip Hop as well. Understanding the dynamic of men and their choices has always been difficult and there is definitely something to be learned from Phonte’s point of view of the subjects.

Pooh recently released “The Comeback” video and is working heavy on his next album release, Delightful Bars. You can call this album, the album in between the real album to come, Dirty Pretty Things. Pooh is hard at work traveling between Cali, NY, and North Carolina. His hustle and drive appear to never stop. The production on Delightful Bars comes from the familiars such as Khrysis , 9th Wonder and Illmind. He also gives some newbies a moment to shine such as The Co-op and Phonix and many others on this "in between" masterpiece. Check the video if you haven’t yet.



You can also check for a new mixtape coming out by Resevoir Dogs, which consist of Pooh, Chaundon, Jozeemo and Joe Scudda that will be mixed by DJ Warrior. You can find Pooh touring soon in the fall and don’t forget to get that mixtape Rapper’s Delight which is already out and ready to cop.

When speaking with Big Pooh I got down to the nitty gritty of what spectators really think about Pooh and his opinions on it. Who’s the better rapper? Why can’t I find a LB album when I want it? What’s up with the distribution? How is it with Phonte taking the lead? A ton of questions came up when it was time to speak with Pooh because at the end of the day, he’s a really down to earth guy who believes in his work and so do I!

Sooner than later we can start to look for a new album from LB that’s gonna be called LeftBack. It’s the songs that didn’t quite make it to GetBack and a couple of new pieces from the boys to hold us die hard fans over. As far as catching them out in your town, you can check for the guys on myspace at www.myspace.com/phontigallo and www.myspace.com/rapperbigpooh , Twitter @Phontigallo and @RapperBigPooh. You can also catch them on Facebook. This month also has a great interview up with Pooh on www.okayplayer.com. You can also find out more about Little Brother from their website www.hallofjustus.com. Don’t forget to check in with Phonte on www.gordongartrellradio.com. Peace.

-JwaStar


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