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 Brother’s 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 project’s 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.
sirens
Little Brother Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Are we back on? Let's go
(One, two, three, four!)
Yo, yo, back in it, back in it
"The one thing that, the black audience realized, is when the tower fell
There were some changes. There was a change in societies, where where
To now it's, whatever the masses do. So there's not even really a choice
That a black audience is being given."
[Rapper Big Pooh]
They talk about us, not usin' the word nigga
I wanna speak about a couple issues much bigger
Like most black folks live below the poverty line
And they wonder why the fuck! we attracted to crime
Got niggaz shootin' niggaz at the drop of a dime
Babies in the street die way before they time
Many single parent mothers packin welfare lines
And niggaz bein' donors, the apocalypse is on us
Niggaz take owners, that's all I ever asked
And got pegged as a hater, man they tryin'' to take niggaz
Out with the fader, started with three
Down to two-six later, back independent
Cause to kids I wouldn't cater
Go against the system you in bed with Al'Qaeda
Dog they not playin'
Look here, they goin' to war with more than rap
This our muh'fuckin' lives now it's time to fight back
[Chorus: Carlitta Durand]
They're coming closer for you
They're gonna get you while you sleep, watch out!
Don't sleep, beware
They're coming closer for you
And they won't stop 'til you delete, watch out!
Don't sleep, beware
[Phonte]
Yes sir, one time, uhh, uhh, yo
I came back from NY, a nigga lost his deal
Felt sick to the stomach, almost lost his meal
Lost friends from way back, and on top of all that
They tryin to blame this rap shit for all of our ills
Like I can stick you up with a mic
Like I can rape you with a verse or use a verb as a knife
Like before Kool Herc, everything was alright
Like y'all wasn't callin' black women hoes before' "Rappers Delight"
Sheeeit! That's just idiot talk, this whole shit is a farce
I refuse to be hip-hop's pallbearer
Had to tell me son cut that bullshit off
Them ain't videos nigga, that's psychological warfare
Too many different variations of the same face
Designed to keep yo' broke ass in the same place
Somethin' else more yo it got's to be for
I'm a end transmission cause they watchin' me
I know they watchin' me
[Chorus]
[Outro]
Yeah, do not attempt to adjust your station
There is nothing wrong, for we have takin over
Come to give y'all the truth
Phonte, Big Pooh, Illmind on the beat
It's time to wake 'em the fuck up yo
Yeah!
[Chorus: as background music fades out]
The song Sirens by Little Brother featuring Carlitta Durand is a song about the systemic issues plaguing black communities in America. The lyrics touch upon issues such as poverty, violence, and the negative portrayal of black people in the media. The song starts off with a sample about the societal changes that occurred after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, indicating that these issues have been ongoing and intertwined with larger national events.
Rapper Big Pooh begins his verse by addressing the power of language and how it can be used to distract from larger issues. He then goes on to address poverty and violence in black communities, questioning why these issues persist and why they are not being addressed. He concludes his verse by calling for ownership and resistance against systemic oppression.
Phonte's verse is a response to the negative portrayal and blame placed on hip hop and black culture. He argues that these issues existed before hip hop and criticizes the media for perpetuating harmful stereotypes. He highlights the need for something new and different to address these issues and calls for people to wake up and resist.
Overall, the song presents a call to action for black communities to resist the systemic issues that they face and to question and challenge the harmful narratives that are perpetuated about them.
Line by Line Meaning
They talk about us, not usin' the word nigga
People criticize us for using the word 'nigga'
I wanna speak about a couple issues much bigger
I want to address much more important issues
Like most black folks live below the poverty line
The majority of black people are living in poverty
And they wonder why the fuck! we attracted to crime
And they wonder why we are drawn to criminal activities
Got niggaz shootin' niggaz at the drop of a dime
People are willing to kill each other without hesitation
Babies in the street die way before they time
Children are dying prematurely on the streets
Many single parent mothers packin welfare lines
Many single mothers rely on welfare assistance
And niggaz bein' donors, the apocalypse is on us
And men are acting recklessly, leading to the end of the world
They're coming closer for you
Danger is approaching
They're gonna get you while you sleep, watch out!
They will harm you when you least expect it
Don't sleep, beware
Stay alert and cautious
Yes sir, one time, uhh, uhh, yo
I want to talk about something important
I came back from NY, a nigga lost his deal
I returned from New York after losing my record deal
Felt sick to the stomach, almost lost his meal
I was devastated and almost lost everything
They tryin to blame this rap shit for all of our ills
They are trying to blame rap music for all of our problems
Like I can stick you up with a mic
Like I can rob you with a microphone
Like I can rape you with a verse or use a verb as a knife
Like I can sexually assault you with lyrics or use words as a weapon
Like before Kool Herc, everything was alright
Like everything was perfect before Kool Herc's time
That's just idiot talk, this whole shit is a farce
That's nonsense, the whole situation is ridiculous
I refuse to be hip-hop's pallbearer
I refuse to be one of the reasons hip-hop fails
Them ain't videos nigga, that's psychological warfare
Those are not just videos, they are using them to manipulate us mentally
Too many different variations of the same face
Too many people pretending to be the same thing
Designed to keep yo' broke ass in the same place
Designed to keep you poor and stuck in the same situation
Somethin' else more yo it got's to be for
There has to be something more meaningful than this
It's time to wake 'em the fuck up yo
It's time to make people aware of what's really going on
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN PAUL JONES, MARK TAYLOR, NELL BRYDEN, PATRICK MASCALL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind