Little brothers. You know them, those annoying little brats that always ask dumb questions, follow you around, and copy you. And the worst thing about them is that they have it easy – the older brothers and sisters have already paved the way, all the little brothers have to do is sidestep their mistakes and copy their successes.

Such is the case with North Carolina rap collective Little Brother, minus the annoying aspect. An apt name since a great deal of the group’s musical and lyrical style is derived from the playful, soul-blessed Native Tongue (Tribe, De La, Nubian, etc.) triumvirates that blazed trails before them, Little Brother consists of two skilled emcees in Phonte and Big Pooh, and highly skilled, highly respected producer 9th Wonder. The group’s dedication to intelligent lyricism and head-nodding vinyl-based production coupled with their ability to copy the best elements of their predecessors while avoiding the worst makes their debut album, The Listening, a brilliant gold nugget in a land thickly veined with glittery-but-worthless pyrite.

While a great many rap acts have fallen into the trap of spewing reams of endless braggadocio under the ubiquitous guise of “battle verses,” Little Brother generally stay unobsessed with the self-aggrandizing, opting instead to build their songs around thoughtful, feel-good themes. “The Yo-Yo” takes a humorous look at the world surrounding LB’s rap experiences, Pooh’s topic being the oft-discussed issue of groupie-isms, while Phonte vents on self-righteous coffeehouse poet/emcees: “ni**as with dreads calling themselves gods with white girls named Kateland.” “Whatever You Say” is LB’s spin on the classic ‘holler at a shorty’ jawn, 9th Wonder creating a smooth “Electric Relaxation” type of groove using an emotive string and feminine vocal laced soul sample riding over rich low-ends. Along the same throbbing vein, “The Getup” is guaranteed to put backends in motion through the use of subdued keyboard chords and rich bass undercurrents punctuated by a captivating, danceable beat.

Despite the lean toward light-hearted subject matter, Little Brother is more than competent at crafting the introspective stuff on a wide variety of life experiences. “Speed” examines the hectic grind of struggling artists “sharecropping in this paper chase.” Lyrically, Big Pooh and Phone relate their day-to-day struggle of holding down 9-5 jobs to support their rap careers, and the time lost for family and friends as a result. 9th chooses pensive production fingerprints here to perfectly reflect the uncertainty in the duo’s words. Still, not many things can beat Phonte’s verse on “Away From Me,” his words a particularly heart-wrenching verbal letter to his son expressing sadness over missing the toddler’s formative years due to his hectic schedule. He raps: “its been nights that I wake up thinking that I hear you/ back of my mind I start feeling fearful/ thinking if the words I say are really getting to you/ and when I hold in my arms, if my face looks familiar to you/ that sh*t be killing me dude, I pray that your eyes remember me/ black and white is all you can see in infancy/ and eventually, I’ll have you on some comfortable sh*t/ two-parent incomes Claire and Cliff Huxtable sh*t.”

Appreciative of the positive feedback from the fans despite a rap industry that’s openly hostile to creative and intelligent artists, LB drops “The Way You Do It” as a ‘thank you’ for the support. Conversely, the title track “The Listening” deals with the rap listeners they have yet to win over, cleverly spitting rhythmic gibberish in the last few verses to address the way shallower rap fans focus on beats instead of lyrics. Naturally rap fans themselves, Little Brother pays homage to some of their influences on the dynamic “So Fabulous.” Over a banging 9th Wonder beat, Phonte and Big Pooh pepper their freestyles with subtle nods to artists that compelled them to grab the mic, graciously borrowing a line from Chuck D and the lisp-laden flow of Kool G Rap, flipping the script on a Slick Rick’s verse from “The Show” and the Get Fresh Crew’s contribution to the legendary “Self Destruction,” then ending the montage with an bit of the Digable Planets cool breezes.

When a group manages to even turn the bane of rap albums – the skit – into a useful and enjoyable way to progress the music (a day in the programming life of fictional Just Us League radio station WJLR.), you know they’ve got something special. The Listening sounds less like it was produced by fresh faced indie newbs than road-tested veterans who completely understand the formula for their success. 9th Wonder’s work is easily on par with greats like the Ummah, Primo, and Prince Paul, and Phonte and Pooh are masters on the mic, spiking each superb rhyme with the carefree personality that gives their music such character. Little Brother may be small now, but with albums like The Listening, they are destined for big things in the future. Tune in and go along for the ride.

Track Listing
01. Morning
02. Groupie Pt. 2
03. For You
04. Speed
05. Whatever You Say
06. Make Me Hot
07. The Yo-Yo
08. Shorty on the Lookout
09. Love Joint Revisited
10. So Fabulous
11. The Way You Do It
12. Roy Lee, Producer Extraordinaire
13. The Getup
14. Away From Me
15. Nobody But You
16. Home
17. Nighttime Maneuvers
18. The Listening


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Hanging With Friends