Search - Little Brother :: Getback

Phonte & Big Pooh prove that they can make a nice CD even wi

J. Highsmith | Mitchellville, Maryland United States | 11/06/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was introduced to Little Brother when my roomate brought a copy of The Minstrel Show home after he went to Howard's homecoming. After listening to the CD a couple of times, I was impressed with how Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh & 9th Wonder reminded me of one of my favorite groups of all time in A Tribe Called Quest. My favorite tracks ended up being "Lovin' It" w/Joe Scudda, "Still Lives Through", "Hiding Place" w/Elzhi from Slum Village, "Say It Again" and "Slow It Down" w/Darien Brockington. Since I enjoyed "The Minstrel Show" so much I went and purchased The Chittlin Circuit 1.5, as well as, The Listening. I am still trying to figure out my favorite CD but you can't go wrong with "The Minstrel Show" or "The Listening". After "The Minstrel Show", Little Brother tied us over with DJ Drama's Separate But Equal and DJ Mick Boogie's "And Justice For All". Both mixed CDs contained various freestyles and nice original tracks and if you are a fan of Little Brother then you should find a way to get your hand on these 2 mixed CDs as well.



When I found out that 9th Wonder would no longer be a part of Little Brother, I was definitely curious to see what a release without 9th would sound like. "Get Back" was released on October 23, 2007. The 1st track that I heard off of this release was "Good Clothes" which was produced by Illmind. Phonte & Pooh cleverly put together a song that described how they use to try to get their hands on the popular clothes of that time and the struggles that they would have to go through to try to get them. Phonte wins with one of my favorite lines "I had a homie at Azzure but he got tired and another at Stall & Dean but he got fired". He was explaining how he use to try to get the hook up or discounts on clothes and how those were 2 avenues that he wouldn't be able to cross anymore. I heard another track "Cool As A Fan" that should have made "Get Back", especially since it's only 11 tracks deep.



Things get off to an excellent start with a track that is slowly becoming my favorite track on this CD in "Sirens". Illmind definitely produces a nice track on this one and Carlitta Durand provies some sweet vocals as Phonte & Pooh are able to talk about things that they feel aren't going right in the world today. Carlitta was also featured on "Time Of Your Life", that was featured on the "And Justice For All" mixtape. "Time Of Your Life" should have also been on this CD. Carlitta also has 3 nice tracks on her myspace page in "What If", "I Wish" and "Her". "Can't Win For Losing" is another nice track produced by Illmind as Little Brother talk about different events like not being on Atlantic Records anymore and the ills of being in the music industry. Lil Wayne, yes I said it correctly, Lil Wayne appears on "Breakin' My Heart", which is the only track that 9th Wonder produces on this CD. The track is decent but when you listen to let's say "Slow It Down", another track about females, "Breakin' My Heart" doesn't compare. "After The Party" is a track that deals with what usually happens when it comes close to the time that the club is about to close. Men trying to get phone numbers, fools sitting outside of their expensive cars with the driver door open and people looking to see who they can take home that night. Sometimes ,as Pooh even mentions in the track, their friends are like "Dikemebe Mutombo blocking all attempts". Carlitta Durand joins LB once again for another nice collaboration. Denaun Porter from D12 produces a grown man track for Phonte & Pooh to rap to. This is definitely for the grown and sexy..lol This track should clearly be in your Top 5 favorites on this CD. Hi-Tek produces "Step It Up" which features Dion. The only problem that I have with the track is that you have high expectations when you see Hi-Tek on the production credits and this seems like an ordinary track compared to the rest of "Get Back". Nottz clearly produces a track for the grown and sexy in "2 Step Blues". This song is different from anything that I have heard from Little Brother and that is what makes the track so nice. Darien Brockington joins LB on the vocals and even I will be doing a famous 2 step to this track..lol Khrysis produces a banger in "That Ain't Love". This track seems like a letter to 9th Wonder from atleast Phonte and Pooh. Jozeemo also joins LB to contribute a nice verse. If it's not about 9th, the track is clearly about someone who may have been down with the crew and the relationship isn't where it's supposed to be at the current time. "Dreams" is my favorite track on "Get Back" as this track is the closest to anything that I would have heard in the past from LB. However, don't get me wrong. "Get Back" is expected to be a different CD just from the fact that Phonte & Pooh have experienced alot since "The Minstrel Show" and from the fact that they worked with different producers this time around. "When Everything Is New" closes everything out on a nice note as you are blesssed with more lyrics from LB and vocals from Phonte.



In conclusion, I feel that Phonte & Pooh are still there when it comes to the lyrics, with Phonte still being the best of course. However, we all knew that Q-Tip was a better lyricist than Phife, but the combination of the 2 artists together was definitely a good thing. I feel the same about LB. Would I have wanted another CD with 9th Wonder's production? Of course, I would have. However, you can't say that this isn't a tight release. Little Brother held it down the way that we expected them to and the different producers worked in most instances. If you liked any of LB's previous releases, then you should definitely pick up "Get Back".



James' Top 5



1) Dreams

2) Sirens w/Carlitta Durand

3) Good Clothes

4) That Ain't Love w/Jozeemo

5) 2 Step Blues w/Darien Brockington



Honorable Mention:



When Everything Is New

Extra Hard

Can't Win For Losing

After The Party w/Carlitta Durand"

9th Who? {4 Stars}

Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 10/23/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"With their third album, the NC trio turned duo release what could be called more of the same upon the masses and the end results aren't bad. Of course, there's a certain dude missin' and a lot of heads wondered if Phonte and Pooh would be able to create anything worth hearing without the notorious kicks and snares that folks have come to love them over. Honestly, after hearing them over other producer's beats (Khrysis, Nicolay, Illmind, etc...), I didn't really think it was a big deal, so I was just expecting the same feeling I got from those other songs. Suffice it to say that they did that and then some. In all honestly, I think it's refreshing to hear them over someone else's production. The beats are tight and the rhymes from Tay and Pooh have relevance and show a good amount of range. Highlights like "Extrahard", "After The Party", "Two Step Blues", "Dreams", and "Sirens" are proof positive of that. Of 11 joints, I'd say 8 of them are good.



There are few tracks here that make this listener reach for the skip button. "Can't Win For Losing" (despite a decent Phonte verse), "Breakin' My Heart" (more so because of Pooh and that beat) are those tracks and "Step It Up" is a real yawner for me. If you're a fan of LB, then you'll probably dig every track here, but those three simply didn't do anything for these ears. Aside from those two hiccups, the rest is good to go. And, like someone already mentioned, (with the exception of the throwback MC Hammer reference right after "Dreams") it'd be great if Phonte didn't spend 15 of the 50 minutes prefacing every song and just let that sh** drop already. Yeah, I know that's a minute gripe, but I do my best to point out everything I notice, so...



Getback is a good album from a group that, despite the loftiest of expectations, continues to stick to their guns and make the kind of music that they know how to make. This time they come through without relying on the one guy that heads said they couldn't do it without. I can't be mad at that. Getback is good stuff and I'd say this album is a definite touchdown. I recommend giving this a listen.



Standout Tracks: When Everything Is New, ExtraHard, Good Clothes, That Ain't Love feat. Jozeemo, After The Party feat. Carlitta Durand, Dreams (my favorite), Two Step Blues feat. Darien Brockington, and Sirens feat. Carlitta Durand"

No 9th? No Problem.

Kalie A. Gipson | 12/28/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I was late to jump on the Little Brother wagon. I started listening to LB when "The Minstrel Show" dropped, and I have yet to check out "The Listening" or "Chitlin Circuit 1.5". However, that's all the better when it comes to reviewing their latest, "Getback," for it'll be a near unbiased review that won't be tainted by the quality of their earlier material. I have to say that I enjoyed "The Minstrel Show", as it seemed that LB knew how to make quality Hip-Hop music that added a little comedy to make a worthwhile sound.



With that said, "Getback" is a very enjoyable release that'll have you nodding your head all the way through and rapping along. The only production credit that 9th Wonder gets here is "Breaking My Heart", which features Lil Wayne. Other production credits come from Illmind, Denaun Porter of D-12, Hi-Tek, Nottz, Khrysis, and Nicolay.



The first song I heard from the album was "Good Clothes". LB rap about how they tried to get nice clothes from friends who had the hook-up. The album starts off right with "Sirens", which features female vocalist Carlitta Durand on the chorus. Phonte and Big Pooh spit about some current issues and how Hip-Hop music as a whole is always under fire. "Can't Win for Losing" has a good opening verse by Phonte and LB raps on how nobody what you do you're always gonna be scrutinized. Very true. "Extra Hard" is a laid back kind of track about making it big and staying big. It has a nice vibe that'll make you sing along. "After the Party" is about just that where everybody's trying to get someone to go home with them. Carlitta Durand makes another great appearence here on the chorus.



Tracks like "That Ain't Love" with Jozeemo and "Dreams" will definitely give fans their money's worth. "That Ain't Love" is self-explanatory, about people who turn their backs on you but claim that it's all love. "Dreams" is about getting up and making money the way you want to, and not working dead end jobs. "2-Step Blues" is a track everyone can relate to, about trying to dance away your problems and forgetting about them for a night. A solid chorus and beat makes this another favorite. "When Everything is New" is a great way to end the album.



One of the only problems I find with this album comes from the only 9th Wonder produced track, "Breaking My Heart", featuring Lil Wayne. Lil Wayne being on the track is not really the problem, it's more like the subject matter. I'ma female and I don't like it when men use their masculinity as an excuse for cheating, which is pretty much what this song is about. However, Lil Wayne doesn't add to the track at all, using stupid lines like "I can turn you on like a personal TV." Step your game up.



Despite that slip up, the rest of the album plays as smooth as butter. Phonte and Big Pooh have made me a true fan with the release, and I will be checking out "The Listening" and "The Chitlin Circuit 1.5" as a soon as possible. LB's sound is evolving and of course they're going to head in different directions but it's all for the better. A fun, engaging album that all hip-hop heads should enjoy. 4.5 stars."