Little Brother: When Everything Is New

By now everyone reading this is already well aware that Little Brother is now without its producer third, 9th Wonder. Back in January the group released a statement confirming the groups split, as well as their exodus from Atlantic Records. Having recorded 2005s The Minstrel Show - their critically acclaimed follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut, 2003s The Listening - for Atlantic, the Durham (now) duo has decided to release their junior effort, The Getback, via the groups longtime independent label partner, ABB, on September 25th.

A few months after The Getback is sure to be released to (you guessed it) critical acclaim, LB MCs Phonte and Big Pooh will resume their recordings outside of Little Brother. Phonte will be releasing two collaborative projects with two different producers. First, hell kick off 2008 alongside D.C.-based producer Zo! release their limited edition 80s EP (peep their remake of A-Has Take On Me for a taste of whats to come). Then in the spring, Phonte will resume his rappin duties as one-half of Foreign Exchange with recent North Carolina transplant Nicolay for the duos sophomore effort, Leave It All Behind.

As for Phontes better half, Pooh will unleash a street album, Dirty Pretty Things, in February, followed by a more polished proper full-length follow-up to his 2005 debut, Sleepers, entitled The Measure Of A Man. And somewhere in the near future Pooh will unveil the collaborative project he is hard at work on with fellow Virginia native (thats right, Pooh is originally from VA not N.C.), producer Nottz, tentatively titled Home Sweet Home.

But before Phonte and Pooh get busy with the side projects, theyve gotta take care of their homebase, Little Brother, which first means explaining to all of us just what the hell happened to the once tight trio. So, in this candid interview with HipHopDX.com the brothers from another mother breakdown how their relationship with 9th Wonder dissolved, and how Just Blaze and Will.I.Am unknowingly played a role in the groups decision to walk away from their major-label deal.

HHDX: Lets just get the most obvious question out of the way first, what happened earlier this year that turned Little Brother from a trio into a duo?
Phonte: We just grew apart, man. From the creativity aspect to the friendship aspect, we just grew apart.

HHDX: Was there a straw that broke the camels back moment that led to the group parting ways?
Phonte: Nah, there wasnt really any moment. It wasnt like no one thing where it was like, "Oh shit, now thats it!"
Pooh: It was just time. [The split] had been happening for a while. The Atlantic [split] was just starting, so it was just time. We had a great run, but we starting fresh I know Im gonna get asked this question probably damn near for the rest of my career. And I say the same thing every interview, its just over time people grow apart. It happens to every group.

HHDX: I read in one of your previous interviews that one of the reasons for the split was that 9th wouldnt make changes to his production style?
Phonte: Well, that wasnt necessarily [the reason for the breakup]. It wasnt like we said, "Nigga we need you to make some Swizz Beatz" shit. It wasnt nothing like that. It was just something that further let us know that it wasnt working [between us]. Going into the album we kinda had an idea of what we were looking for, and he wasnt really trying to go there.
Pooh: We was just trying to go in a different direction. After a while you always plan to open up [your sound]. We cant keep giving people the same trick. We was looking at it like we gotta give the people something different this go-round, and the way to give people something different is to open it up to different producers.

HHDX: Do you wanna offer up any insight into why you think 9th is refusing to talk about the split with the media?
Phonte: A lot of times hes not gonna talk about it because he knows nothing thats come out of our mouths has been a lie. Theres nothing really he can say. Everything [me and Pooh] have said in our interviews has been true. We havent spread lies about him or the situation. So he cant really come out and say, "Nah, it wasnt really like that." So the reason hes not saying anything [about the breakup] is because theres nothing for him to say.
Pooh: Thats just how he is. Te will give a little bit [of detail about the breakup], Ill give a little bit, but 9th likes to keep it behind closed doors. Thats just how he feel about the situation, and I respect that.

HHDX: Do you think the fans are owed a more detailed explanation regarding the breakup, or just telling em it wasnt working anymore is enough?
Pooh: Thats enough. I dont think the fans are owed [a more detailed explanation]. Nobody aint gotta write a book on the situation. But I do feel like they gonna wanna know what happened. I can say what I just said to you and thats never gonna be enough for the fans. I can sit here and tell you line-for-line what happened, and that still aint gonna be enough. At the end of the day, if that aint enough for you thats your problem not mine.

HHDX: I gotta be honest, from the outside looking in the rationale for this breakup seems a little light. I mean, its not like 9th had some goons break in Phontes house and tie everybody up like Erick did Parrish?
Phonte: Nah, it wasnt nothing like that. It was just, muthafuckas grow apart. I know yall keep looking for something more, but shit, thats it. I mean, that shit happens with people, period. He was going in one direction, and we were going in another direction. The best way that I can describe it to compare it to another group would be more like a Prince Paul vs. De La Soul type of thing. He did their first two records, but clearly it got to a point where they were going in two different directions. Thats the best way that I can describe [our breakup]. It wasnt no thing like goons broke in the house. It just wasnt working.
Pooh: I used to sit back and wonder why my favorite groups broke up why EPMD separated, etc. But now I tell people youll never understand until you in that situation. I could never explain our situation to someone who aint never been in nothing like this.

HHDX: And so no reunion plans I assume are forthcoming?
Phonte: Oh, hell no.
Pooh: I was told to never say never, but dont hold your breath.

HHDX: Lets switch gears and talk about the reunion thats sure to never happen, and thats Little Brother and Atlantic Records. Whyd you guys leave the label?
Phonte: It just didnt make sense anymore. Theres no animosity there. We were kinda disappointed at first when it didnt work out. But it just didnt work out, man. With hip-hop its just becoming harder and harder to survive on a major label. If you aint doing nothing that just makes a great ringtone, its gonna be hard for you. And I think we just realized that, and Atlantic realized that. They were like, Were not in the business of holding artists back. Yall go ahead and do yall own thing.

HHDX: Was the decision to split from the label made before the decision for the group to split?
Pooh: It was probably about the same week. All of this happened in the same week.

HHDX: So it wasnt a decision on Atlantics part like, If 9th aint involved we aint putting out the album?
Pooh: I mean, they coulda been thinking that. They knew already that he wasnt involved as much this time as he was last time. But they coulda been having those discussions behind closed doors without our knowledge. All we knew was we got to the point where we realized it wasnt the right fit for us and we wanted to be released.

HHDX: There was no trepidation about making that move? I mean, everybodys goal is to get to a major label. You said this all happened in one week, so was there real thought put into leaving the label?
Pooh: The decision didnt happen in one week. Its just those two announcements happened in the same week. But I mean, as far as the decision to leave Atlantic, it didnt take long. It was probably maybe a week or two where we were just going back and forth with the pros and cons of being on the label. And me and Te were like the only difference between being on a major was that the checks was bigger for advances. That was the only real difference.

We tried to roll the dice with Atlantic for Getback and see what would happen. The Getback was done in like October, but Atlantic was like, We want yall to go back in, do another record, and have it done by the top of January. Well be looking at a second quarter release, lets go get it. So me and Te went hard. Like, before we even got an advance on the record, we went hard! Like, doing our own A&Ring, calling up [Lil] Wayne, calling up [Hi] Tek. That was us. And then when January got here, thats when they started bullshittin and the shit started.

HHDX: So when they told yall to go back and record more, were they saying like re-do the whole album or just go make us a hit single?
Pooh: Nah, it was like we were supposed to be working with Just Blaze and Will.I.Am. We went and met with Just, but it was like, "Yo, yall gotta make this happen. Show that man the money and let him know this is for real. Craig Kallman call Will.I.Am. You having dinners with him, let him know we trying to get in wit him." Like, those are things that we cant make happen. So we was waiting on them but it never happened.

HHDX: Was that the final straw between yall and Atlantic?
Pooh: With this, and the 9th situation, it wasnt just one thing. It was just you see the writing on the wall and you know you need to be making a move. If anything was the final straw between us and Atlantic it was when we came back in January with the material for the record and they started doing they little dance like, "Oh, we dont know." And we came back home, stopped recording, and was like, "Shit, til we get us some Will.I.Am we done." And then we heard they dont know what the release schedule is looking like. Once we heard that we was like, "Aww shit."

HHDX: So what was the motivation originally for going out and getting a more diverse production lineup? Why not just have 9th do the whole album while you guys were still collectively on the same page?
Pooh: Because at that time we werent collectively on the same page. That was part of the problem.

HHDX: And how long has that been going on?
Pooh: You gotta remember, 9th doesnt tour. 9th aint been on the road since, shit, like 03.

HHDX: He didnt tour at all for The Minstrel Show?
Pooh: Nah. He came out the week we was in New York doing a lot of press, and he came out to L.A. when we was doing press. Like, he came out to the major cities for press purposes But its not like I was expecting him to be out on the road for every show, and was mad at him. If you worth your wait as [an in-demand] producer, you aint gonna be out on the road. But that was part of the separation. If you not on the grind all the time with the other two people in the group naturally the two thats always around each other are gonna become distanced from the person that aint there And also, 9th hasnt really been recording us since The Listening.

HHDX: You mean other people engineered the sessions?
Pooh: Yeah. He was [only] in there when [a song] was complete, or near completion. It aint been me, Te and 9th [in the studio together] since The Listening.

HHDX: And finally, lets talk about the new album.
Phonte: Getback is a much lighter album. I guess you could say its less angry. Making this record was one of the few times we just got to really kick back. We were pretty much free to just do us. After 9th left, and we left Atlantic, a lot of people counted us out, and when people dont place expectations on you, you feel more free.

HHDX: At Kanye's recent listening party he mentioned that a certain artist from Little Brother was basically the one that pushed him to be that dude. Now you two have worked together in the past but he failed to mention you by name. First - How does it feel to know that you are Kanye's inspiration and 2nd - Why do you think he didn't mention your name?
Phonte: Well, I've known I was Kanye's inspiration since back in 2003 when we did a few shows together. He told me that he read my verse from 'The Yo-Yo' in the Source and got scared that we were gonna beat him to the punch. In retrospect, I have no idea why he was scared being that we were struggling on an indie and he was rolling with one of the biggest machines in hip-hop at the time. Even if I'm the better ballplayer, what difference does it make if you're playing at Madison Square Garden and I'm still at the YMCA, ya know (laughs)?

As for him not mentioning me by name, I thought it was kinda bitchmade because he personally knows who I am. If you're gonna give me props, give me my props. Otherwise it just comes across as a backhanded compliment: 'Yeah, I'm a big fan of what's-that-guy's-name...' That's some ho shit, in my opinion.

As for the props themselves, that's cool and all...but if you're really a fan and Little Brother's music inspires you so much, why not reach out to us to make some more music together? Why would you not wanna make history with the younger cats in the game who helped to create a lane for you? But we all know the answer to that question....