Little Brother formed in Durham, NC at North Carolina Central University in 1998. The group began as a trio, featuring members Phonte (Phonte Coleman), Big Pooh (Thomas Jones), and producer 9th Wonder (Pat Douthit). They are founding members of the North Carolina hip-hop collective called The Justus League, under the umbrella music group The Hall of Justus.
Their official debut came in August 2001 with their first recording, Speed; the song talks about making it big in the music business while still dealing with the troubles and hardships of life and holding down a full-time job. They continued to work the local scene and were picked up by ABB Records. In 2002, they released the cult hit 7" single Atari 2600, with lyrics centering around video games. In 2003, the group released their first full length album, The Listening. This record boosted the group to higher acclaim, but national recognition came when Jay-Z tapped 9th Wonder for the song Threat, off of his eighth offering The Black Album.
That fall, they opened for the Hieroglyphics crew on their Full Circle national tour. Little Brotherβs sophomore album, The Minstrel Show, saw increased success due to their raised popularity. It's theme compares present day rap music and the music industry to the minstrel shows of the late 1800s.
In 2005, Little Brother became embroiled in a short-lived feud, when Young Jeezy's protege Slick Pulla challenged the group to a battle after hearing an interview in which Phonte voiced some disapprovments concerning drug rap and the "snowman mascot". Little Brother did not respond, and instead, Phonte called Slick Pulla and the pair resolved the misunderstanding.
Outside of the group, Phonte collaborated with producer Nicolay as The Foreign Exchange, on Connected. Rapper Big Pooh released a solo album entitled Sleepers. 9th Wonder has produced songs for major artists like De La Soul and Destiny's Child, as well as underground artists such as Sean Price, Hieroglyphics, Splash, and fellow members of The Justus League.
In addition, 9th has produced whole albums for Jean Grae (Jeanius), Murs (Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition), Buckshot (Chemistry) and a remix album of Nas' God's Son entitled God's Stepson. In this way he has helped to facilitate the return of albums done entirely by one MC and one producer, which have seen something of a resurgence (RJD2 and Aceyalone's Magnificent City, the upcoming DJ Premier and Royce da 5'9" joint album). He is also working on a second Buckshot/9th album, to be called The Formula.
In late 2006, Little Brother began recording their third album, and second for Atlantic Records, Getback. However, in a drastic turn of events, the group announced in January, 2007 that they would be parting ways with Atlantic. This move was likely due to the commercial failure of The Minstrel Show, and creative differences over their future material. Big Pooh was quoted as saying "We as a group just felt that it was not in our best interest to remain in a situation where our needs were constantly being overlooked. We didn't have an A&R for The Minstrel Show. We don't have any type of relationship with our current A&R. There are just a lot of internal issues that ended up working against us." Their manager Big Dho added that there were no "ill feelings towards their (Atlantic) company."
More of a surprise to fans was news that the group has also parted ways with their longtime producer 9th Wonder. Although 9th Wonder's role in the group was that of a producer, the group's tours only consisted of the other two members and his contribution to recent Little Brother releases such as Separate But Equal were less than before (although it is worth noting that this release was a mixtape and not an official album). Nonetheless, news that he would be playing a smaller role and contributing less to their third album indicated a divide between the members. Big Pooh stated that the decision was amicable on both sides, saying "This is just a decision that had to be made so all three of us could move forward and continue to provide the world with dope music."
Little Brother formally announced the group's breakup in 2010.
Producer DeAndre Keaton (DJ Flash) who is featured on The Chittlin Circuit 1.5 is the official tour DJ for Little Brother.
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There is also second artist called Little Brother who is based in Brighton, Sussex. Using guitars, keyboard and a range of other instruments, little brother creates a unique alternative 'electronic' sound
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There is a third artist called Little Brother
Little Brother is the Acoustic Emo project of Newcastle-based singer/songwriter John Floreani (Trophy Eyes).
Drawing inspiration from the stylistic sensibilities of Daniel Johnson, Owen and Right Away, Great Captain!, Little Brother is an exploration of love, loss and heartache.
The projectβs debut 6 track EP, 'Terrace' will be released late 2014.
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There is a fourth artist called Little Brother
Little Brother is a lo-fi singer/songwriter project, who released their first album ('Green for a While') on 18th August 2022.
The Yo-Yo
Little Brother Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Let's talk about friends and define that
Let's talk about us never mind that
Let's talk about trust where your mind at
So you looking for a man won't find that
Had a good thing here let's rewind facts
Believe me I know all about them other cats
How they all played the game just to get to you
Tickled your fancy who you would invite to
Be yours, I penned verses
Quote verses, with purpose, so nervous
I wrote urgence I spoke shy you spoke lie
We spoke "bye", up until this year
When I saw you, you saw me, we walked on by
Til you found out I emceed, now you on it like
Yo yo yo
Yee yee yee yo yo
Yo yo yo
Yee yee yee yo yo
Why you all up in my face like
Yo yo yo
Yee yee yee yo yo
Yo yo yo
Yee yee yee yo yo
Yo yo yo
Yee yee yee yo yo
Yo yo yo
Yee yee yee yo yo
Yea, yea, ok, alright
Ya'll know them niggas that I'm talking bout
The ones that y'all be seeing at the coffee house
Soon as they get the mic I start walking out
And swear that they skill's the most talked about
It's time to bring the emcees on, I'm sick of niggas looking
Bitch trying to read poems and try to battle
Me with sandals and capris on, come on dog
I'm about to get hyped with this, shed some light to this
So called black righteousness
Even though y'all niggas might not cuss like me
End of the night y'all just trying to fuck like me
So what's the reason for the hating, niggas with dreads
Calling they self gods with white girls named Caitlin
And I'm cool with interracial dating, but I ain't about
To hear no fucking speeches cause I wanna have some bacon
I've rocked Antwerp, that's why I can't fuck with
Coffee houses man, get on my god damn nerves
And deep down y'all know that I'm right, man shit I'm bout
To kick some Trick Daddy next poetry night like
"My black queen
Don't know none nigga!"
Yo yo yo
Yee yee yee yo yo
Yo yo yo
Yee yee yee yo yo
Niggas wanna come to my face
Mad cause I'm making moves and they running in place
In my face like
Yo yo yo
Yee yee yee yo yo
Yo yo yo
Yee yee yee yo yo
Niggas wanna come to my face
Fuck that tofu I need a pork chop on my plate
Like this nigga
The lyrics to Little Brother's song "The Yo-Yo" touch on a few different themes, namely relationships and the rap community. The first stanza is directed towards a woman that the singer used to be with. He tells her that they need to have a talk about what it means to be friends and what their relationship was really about. He acknowledges that they had a good thing going but that he knows about other guys who tried to come between them. He asserts that he was always the one who truly cared for her and that he wrote lyrics for her with purpose and urgency. The woman seems to have moved on from the relationship until she found out that he was an emcee. Suddenly, she wants him again and is all up in his face, hence the repeated refrain of "yo yo yo."
The second stanza shifts gears and is more directed towards the rap community. The singer is sick of fake emcees who try to pass themselves off as profound poets when really all they want to do is hook up with girls. He specifically calls out guys who are trying to front like gods but who have white girlfriends named Caitlin. He doesn't have an issue with interracial dating but finds the hypocrisy of these emcees to be frustrating. He then references his own success as an emcee, having rocked shows in Antwerp, and scoffs at the idea of performing at coffee houses. The refrain repeats, with the added line "niggas wanna come to my face, mad 'cause I'm making moves and they running in place." The verse ends with a reference to Trick Daddy and a playful jab at him.
Overall, the song is a commentary on the struggles of maintaining relationships and the pitfalls of the rap industry. The singer values honesty and authenticity and calls out those who don't share those values. The "yo yo yo" refrain is a catchy way of expressing frustration with people who come on strong when they want something.
Line by Line Meaning
We need to sit down, me and you have a chit chat
Let's have a conversation, just the two of us.
Let's talk about friends and define that
Let's talk about what friendship means to us.
Let's talk about us never mind that
Let's not focus on our relationship right now.
Let's talk about trust where your mind at
Let's discuss how much we trust each other.
So you looking for a man won't find that
I'm not interested in a romantic relationship with you.
Had a good thing here let's rewind facts
We had a good friendship before, let's remember that.
Believe me I know all about them other cats
I know about the other men who have pursued you.
How they all played the game just to get to you
They were all just trying to get with you.
Spitting all in my ear which you liked who
They were telling me who you were interested in.
Tickled your fancy who you would invite to
They were telling me who you would want to be with.
Be yours, I penned verses
I wrote songs for you.
Quote verses, with purpose, so nervous
I wrote those songs with a lot of thought and emotion.
I wrote urgence I spoke shy you spoke lie
I wrote songs expressing my urgent feelings, but you lied to me.
We spoke "bye", up until this year
We stopped talking until recently.
When I saw you, you saw me, we walked on by
We saw each other but pretended not to.
Til you found out I emceed, now you on it like
But now that you know I'm a rapper, you're interested again.
Yo yo yo
Hey, hey, hey.
Yee yee yee yo yo
Just a catchy phrase.
Why you all up in my face like
Why are you bothering me?
Yea, yea, ok, alright
Just an affirmation.
Ya'll know them niggas that I'm talking bout
You know the guys I'm referring to.
The ones that y'all be seeing at the coffee house
The guys who perform at coffee shops.
Soon as they get the mic I start walking out
Their performances aren't worth listening to.
And swear that they skill's the most talked about
But they act like they're the best rappers around.
It's time to bring the emcees on, I'm sick of niggas looking
Let's have real rappers perform, not just spoken word artists.
Bitch trying to read poems and try to battle
Some artists only read from a book, they're not true freestylers.
Me with sandals and capris on, come on dog
Some of these performers don't even dress the part.
I'm about to get hyped with this, shed some light to this
I'm about to get excited and show them how it's done.
So called black righteousness
Some performers act like they're better than others because they're black.
Even though y'all niggas might not cuss like me
Even if they don't curse like I do.
End of the night y'all just trying to fuck like me
They still just want to have sex at the end of the day.
So what's the reason for the hating, niggas with dreads
Why do they hate on others with dreadlocks?
Calling they self gods with white girls named Caitlin
They act like they're gods but date white girls.
And I'm cool with interracial dating, but I ain't about
I have nothing against interracial relationships, but
To hear no fucking speeches cause I wanna have some bacon
I don't want to hear any lectures, I just want to enjoy my food.
I've rocked Antwerp, that's why I can't fuck with
I've performed in Antwerp, so I can't settle for small venues.
Coffee houses man, get on my god damn nerves
Coffee shops annoy me.
And deep down y'all know that I'm right, man shit I'm bout
But deep down, they know I'm right and I'm serious.
To kick some Trick Daddy next poetry night like
I'm going to perform and beat Trick Daddy's poetry next time.
"My black queen
Don't know none nigga!"
Quoting a line from a poem about a black woman who doesn't associate with certain men.
Niggas wanna come to my face
People want to confront me.
Mad cause I'm making moves and they running in place
They're angry because I'm progressing while they're not.
Fuck that tofu I need a pork chop on my plate
I prefer meat instead of tofu.
Like this nigga
Saying this sarcastically to someone who disagrees with him.
Lyrics Β© BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JOHN-PAUL JONES, DARIO DARNELL, ED RIGG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@chosensavior2802
Little Brother and 9th are legends period.
@BoiNation_NC
9th is little brother to Fam ππ―
@jimmiestone11
this joint got j dilla and slum village influence all over it. nice
@mr.anthonym.leavysr.7512
Jimmie Stone yes indeed
@AverageOnes88
took me back to great time in my life Little Brother blessed my life
@jerimiah
truth!!!
@rshandy
One of the MOST underrated debut albums EVER! What 1 fool disliked THIS....crazy!
@BucNasty42
"Niggas calling themselves God's, with white girls named Catliyn" LMAO Phonte was always on point!!
@takiyahbrown2962
This beat makes me think about being some where beautiful I just love this song the bell sounds in this song is just everything :-)
@toreywatson6508
Facts