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Little Brother (group)

From Alfawiki
Little Brother
Company typeIndependent hip hop group
IndustryMusic
Founded1998
FounderPhonte, Big Pooh, 9th Wonder
Headquarters
Durham
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
ProductsStudio albums, mixtapes
Number of employees
2 (current members as duo)

Little Brother is a hip-hop duo hailing from Durham, North Carolina, composed of rappers Phonte and Big Pooh. Originally, DJ and producer 9th Wonder was part of the group but departed in 2007. They have produced five well-received studio albums along with six mixtapes, earning significant acclaim from both fans and critics within the hip-hop community.

Formation and The Listening

Phonte (Phonte Coleman), Big Pooh (Thomas Jones), and DJ/producer 9th Wonder (Pat Douthit) first connected in 1998 while attending North Carolina Central University in Durham. Together, they established Little Brother as a trio and became members of the North Carolina-based alternative hip-hop collective known as the Justus League.

According to Phonte, the group's name pays homage to influential hip-hop groups such as A Tribe Called Quest, positioning themselves as the "little brothers" continuing that legacy.

Their initial release, "Speed," came out in August 2001. As 9th Wonder recounted, Big Pooh joined this track after another rapper, Median, was unavailable, which ultimately led to the formation of the group.

They cultivated a dedicated fan base around the Raleigh-Durham region and secured a deal with independent label ABB Records. In 2002, they issued the cult classic 7" single "Atari 2600," featuring lyrics centered on video game culture.

In 2003, Little Brother unveiled their debut full-length album, The Listening, which received widespread critical praise. Producer 9th Wonder gained national prominence when Jay-Z selected him to produce "Threat" for The Black Album.

Following this release, Little Brother supported Oakland-based alternative hip-hop collective Hieroglyphics on their Full Circle nationwide tour.

On June 21, 2005, they launched The Chittlin' Circuit 1.5, their first mixtape with commercial distribution. This project included "I See Now" by Consequence featuring Kanye West, originally from Take 'em To The Cleaners.

The Minstrel Show

Their sophomore album, The Minstrel Show, arrived in September 2005 and marked a rise in both popularity and critical recognition. The album conceptually juxtaposed modern rap music and the industry with the minstrel shows of the late 19th century. The single "Lovin' It," featuring Joe Scudda, was accompanied by a music video directed by Joey Boukadakis.

In 2005, Little Brother briefly encountered a conflict when Young Jeezy's protégé Slick Pulla challenged them following Phonte's public criticism of "drug rap" and Young Jeezy's "snowman mascot." The group chose not to respond publicly; instead, Phonte personally addressed the issue with Slick Pulla to resolve it amicably.

Getback release and departure of 9th Wonder

Towards the end of 2006, Little Brother began work on their third album and second release under Atlantic Records, titled Getback. However, by January 2007, they announced their exit from Atlantic Records alongside producer 9th Wonder’s departure from the group.

This separation from Atlantic was influenced by both the modest commercial performance of The Minstrel Show and creative disagreements regarding future projects. Big Pooh explained:

Manager Big Dho emphasized that there were no negative sentiments toward Atlantic involved.

Both exits were mutually agreed upon and stemmed primarily from artistic differences. Big Pooh reflected on 9th Wonder’s decision to leave:

Getback was officially released on October 23, 2007. Despite lacking substantial video or radio support, it sold approximately 9,600 copies during its first week and reached No. 89 on the Billboard 200. The album consisted of 11 tracks and featured guest appearances such as New Orleans rapper Lil Wayne contributing a verse on "Breakin My Heart".

Afterwards, Little Brother toured alongside Los Angeles-based alternative hip-hop artist Evidence from Dilated Peoples.

By late 2007, the duo concentrated on establishing themselves as fully independent musicians with plans to retain full rights over their future releases. In April 2008, Big Pooh revealed to L.A. Record their goal for their next project to be "the first record we'll have 100% ownership of."

...And Justus For All mixtape

After the release of Getback in mid-2008, Little Brother officially brought out their 2007 mixtape ...And Justus For All, featuring DJ Mick Boogie who stepped in following the departure of producer 9th Wonder. This mixtape was distributed under the Hall of Justus collective, with Little Brother managing the project’s direction.

In a June 2008 interview with HipHopDX.com, Big Pooh mentioned:

The mixtape ...And Justus For All contained five fresh tracks alongside remastered and enhanced versions from their original 2007 mixtape with DJ Mick Boogie. The physical CD included five new songs, whereas the iTunes edition offered seven, among them "Black Light Special," which maintained a connection to former member 9th Wonder.

Solo endeavors of group members

Phonte partnered with Dutch producer Nicolay as The Foreign Exchange, releasing their initial album Connected in 2004, followed by Leave It All Behind in October 2008.

Big Pooh embarked on a solo path starting with Sleepers in 2005, then delivering two albums in 2009: The Delightful Bars and Rapper's Delight. Early in 2010, he put out a free mixtape titled The Purple Tape, featuring verses over beats by Detroit’s Black Milk that sampled Prince’s iconic track Purple Rain.

9th Wonder has contributed production for prominent artists such as Jay-Z, De La Soul, Kendrick Lamar, Wale, and Destiny's Child, alongside underground talents like Sean Price and Rapsody. His production credits include full-length albums for Jean Grae (Jeanius), Murs (Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition, Murray's Revenge, Sweet Lord, and The Final Adventure), and Buckshot (Chemistry and The Formula). Additionally, he created a remix project of Nas' album God's Son, titled God's Stepson.

Leftback album, hiatus, and dissolution

In an interview from May 2008, Big Pooh expressed uncertainty regarding future Little Brother albums, indicating a focus on individual projects instead.

By June 2009, Phonte revealed plans for an upcoming Little Brother album called Leftback, followed by a hiatus akin to Black Star’s approach. He clarified that although he and Big Pooh would keep collaborating, another group album was not anticipated soon.

Prior to the April 2010 release of Leftback, Phonte and 9th Wonder publicly disagreed over including an unreleased single produced by 9th Wonder titled "Star" on the album.

Shortly after the album's April 10, 2010 launch, Little Brother formally announced their split. Big Pooh reflected on the group's conclusion as a natural progression rather than a forced end, emphasizing the importance of avoiding creative partnerships driven solely by fan expectations. He likened this to legendary groups such as A Tribe Called Quest, noting that coerced reunions can compromise artistic authenticity.

Phonte shared similar views, underscoring the difficulty of balancing business interests with friendship in creative collaborations and opting to preserve personal bonds over strained professional arrangements.

Reunion & May The Lord Watch

The passing of Phife Dawg in 2016 partially inspired Little Brother’s reunion. At that time, Big Pooh and Phonte had been out of contact for five years until Pooh reached out with words of gratitude, which led to an extended phone conversation that rekindled their relationship.

In 2018, Phonte, Big Pooh, and 9th Wonder reunited on stage at the Art of Cool Festival in their hometown after more than ten years apart. This reunion occurred when Phonte was invited to fill in for Royce da 5'9". They performed several well-known tracks together, and the positive reception encouraged them to continue working jointly. Later, Phonte invited Pooh to a barbecue where they decided to move forward as collaborators again.

By May 2019, Little Brother announced their comeback with new material and a scheduled performance at Raleigh’s Hopscotch Music Festival. However, 9th Wonder did not rejoin; Phonte and Big Pooh resumed as a duo as they had been since 2007.

On August 19, 2019, Little Brother revealed their new album titled May the Lord Watch, which was released the following day. This project revisits the fictional UBN channel concept introduced on their acclaimed second album The Minstrel Show, but without any production from 9th Wonder. Instead, producers such as Khrysis, Nottz, Focus, and Black Milk contributed. The album was created discreetly; many featured artists were unaware it was a Little Brother release. Notably, it includes the symbolic "death" of Percy Miracles—Phonte’s alter ego—reflecting how Phife Dawg’s death influenced their reunion.

Initially named Homecoming, the album title was changed due to Beyonce’s release of Homecoming: The Live Album. Differences concerning production roles and touring plans resulted in 9th Wonder’s absence from this project.

In April 2025, Little Brother announced their final tour named "Curtain Call: The Final Tour," scheduled from May 24 through October 31, 2025.

Discography

External links

References

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