The Listening by Little Brother Review

Influenced by the rhythmic sounds of classic 90’s hip hop, Little Brother superbly fine-tunes this era of music into a refurbished 2003 adaptation in their album, The Listening. The neo-soul infused album consists of elements that contributes to the groups name. The title Little Brother stems from the group being the little brother of the native tongue movement in hip-hop. The albums orientation is Little Brothers influences that musically shapes where the albums direction is. Think A Tribe Called Quest, Pete Rock and Black Star, sounds that single handedly took Hip Hop from dope boy beats to a diversified level of music, and channel that influence into Little Brothers Album. The Listening is a classic example of hip hop taking a contemporary rap toll. The exceptional intermingling of soulful chord progressions and hip hop drum loops achieved by the musical production of 9^th Wonder is however somewhat imitative of other rap group works of the same production level. What can be said nonetheless is 9^th Wonders ability to produce distinctive tracks on the album can make even the musically stubborn bob their heads with such releases as “Speed,” “Nighttime Maneuvers,” and “The Yo-Yo”. Undoubtedly both “Nighttime Maneuvers,” and “The Getup” are two tracks showcasing phenomenal beats complimenting the atmosphere and the thematics of the singles. Although 9th wonder cannot be accredited for the production of "The Getup", he definitely exhibits beat making skills on "Nighttime Maneuvers", honestly a favorite due to the ambiance and the nocturnal nature of the track produced by 9th. 

Lyrically the group provides a conventional flow akin to that of the great Rakim. With tracks  again like "Speed", Big Pooh provides a killer verse,  "I let me life shine in between these papers lines I write rhymes to incite minds Spending time on this pipeline, eighty-five North it's like mine, going eighty five to light minds," showing he is the more lyrical of the two MC's. Definitely one of the more bangers in the album demonstrating overtly sick rap ability. Phonte no doubt, drops dope lyrics and flow in his solo on "Nighttime Maneuvers". Not only did the captivating beat compliment Phonte's verse, his rap alone keeps him comparable to Big Pooh: "Aiyyo, it's the new fla-vour, the next step Phonte, the best kept secret since the AIDS cure (word)  I stay raw, whether they bootleg it or pay for it  Old school like Prince Dejour."

 Little Brother vocally adds to a unique style of rap some may say influenced Drakes style of hip-hop performance. Good examples of this would be “Make Me Hot,” and “The Way You Do It,” in which you see more vocal harmonics than rap flows. In good conscience, the more you go deeper into the Listening and fully hear the lyrical storytelling merged in with perfectly matching skits and sounds, the album is in full affect and the listener of The Listening, understands the impact of the records quality and purpose to expand the boundaries of the standard hip hop genre.

Rating 7/10: Good

"Make Me Hot"
"Nighttime Maneuvers"
"The Yo-Yo"