Phonte Goes Solo, Takes Care Of His Business

(Photo via mixtapewall.com)

You may recognize the name. You may not. Phonte was a member of Little Brother, who were underground indie darlings (i.e. critical accolades, zero commercial success). The group consisted of MC Rapper Big Pooh, producer 9th Wonder and Phonte. 9th Wonder left the group in 07 citing creative differences. He went on to work with some heavy cats including Jay-Z, De La Soul and Sean Price. Pooh and Phonte unfortunately shut down Little Brother in 2010. One last bit on the now defunct group: the inspiration behind their name came from their influences and mentors. They considered groups like A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul as their big brothers. They wanted to carry the movement to the next step so they called themselves Little Brother.

All of that to say that Phonte dropped his first solo effort, Charity Starts At Home. The album is 9th Wonder heavy, as he produced a ton of cuts. When I first tasted Charity, it reminded me of the David Banner/9th Wonder colabo Death of A Pop Star. This is all due to the amazing producer.

The beats on Charity Starts at Home are slick, with Phonte dropping his working class rhymes. He proclaims on the first track, Dance In the Reign, that "[...] I do this all for hip hop! / I'm lying like shit / I do this shit for my goddamn mortgage n***a  / And my bills, who the fuck am I fooling". His flow comes off nicely on all of these tracks. He brought along some of his friends which include eLZhi, Pharoahe Monch, Evidence and rising southern star Big K.R.I.T.

This is another perfect example of a great indie hip hop album that will not get the props it deserves. It contains all of the elements that are missing in the Pop-Hop world. So, get on the real and give Charity at Home a spin.

P&B Approved Cuts:
-Dance In the Reign featuring Sy Smith
- The Good Fight
- Not Here Anymore featuring eLZhi

-Paqman