Happy 15th Anniversary to Little Brother’s second studio album The Minstrel Show, originally released September 13, 2005.
When it comes to hip-hop, I’m an admitted and unabashed backpacker. Part of that means that many of the albums I love don’t sell particularly well. Seeing an album that I love fail to make a ripple when it comes to record sales practically comes with the territory. However, I don’t relish the feeling: I want people to like what I like.
Hence, it really bummed me out that Little Brother’s second album The Minstrel Show, released 15 years ago, didn’t achieve the commercial success that it deserved. Here was a group that was putting together some of the best hip-hop of the early 2000s and were destined to continue on that path. They’d linked up with Atlantic Records, who would presumably have the resources to grant them the global recognition that they’d deserved. And even with a great artistic effort and major label machine behind them, The Minstrel Show didn’t capture the public’s interest on a large scale like it should have.
At the time of their sophomore release, Little Brother was still a trio, made up of rappers Phonte Coleman and Thomas “Big Pooh” Jones and producer Patrick “9th Wonder” Douthit. As members of the Justus League collective, they helped created the hip-hop scene in Durham, North Carolina and created distinctive, throwback hip-hop music. Their debut album The Listening (2003), released through renowned indie label ABB, was one of the best albums of its era. After The Listening’s success, the group shopped for a record label that would give them even better reach, settling with Atlantic Records.
Whereas The Listening was built around a radio broadcast, The Minstrel Show follows the programming schedule of the UBN Network (aka “U Black N***as Network) on Sunday, September 11. The album plays out like a variety show, with an introduction, live musical performances, backstage interludes, and commercials. It showcases and pokes fun at many of the facets of Black culture circa the mid-2000s, while still expressing love and respect for all of its facets. Nearly all of the production is handled by 9th Wonder, while Phonte and Big Pooh are at the top of their games lyrically.
The group enlists members of their Justus League crew to assist throughout the album, as well as a few outside collaborators. The album also features a post-Singled Out and pre-Talking Dead Chris Hardwick as the host of the nominal show, as well as radio personality Pete Rosenberg as the network’s announcer. Von Pea and Donwill of Tanya Morgan contribute some uncredited drops. The Minstrel Show’s liner notes are a masterpiece of design, laid out like an issue of TV Guide, complete with print ads and a crossword puzzle sprinkled between. Overall, it’s a fully fleshed-out concept executed perfectly.
As a fan, I really wanted to see Little Brother succeed on their own terms. And in terms of quality, the group exceeded my expectations, as The Minstrel Show is the best album in their discography. It’s true to their sound, but also an improvement for the group both musically and lyrically. 9th Wonder was still hooking up mid-tempo soul samples, but the beats sound cleaner and even more crisp. Phonte and Big Pooh also step up their lyrical game, recording sharper, more evocative verses, and flexing their unique senses of humor. Even the skits are better crafted.
It’s a wonder that The Minstrel Show came out sounding so smooth, considering that Pooh and Phonte have both described the recording process as tumultuous. Dealing with a major label, working hard to make sure that the album maintained their own sound, and coping with the initial stages of the group splintering made things somewhat hectic behind the scenes. Pooh and Phonte later revealed that the A&R who signed them left the label before the ink was dry on their contracts. As a result, they were left with personnel at their label that hadn’t signed them and weren’t sure what to do with them.
They added that Atlantic had trepidations about the album, particularly concerning its title. Which is saying something, because as Pooh said on the Questlove Supreme podcast, the only reason that the group settled on The Minstrel Show as the album’s title is because “we couldn’t call it N***a Music.” But overall, Phonte credited Atlantic for “letting us do us.”
Considering the group’s aim in creating The Minstrel Show was to prove to their fanbase that they could do an unapologetic Little Brother album on a major label, it was very much a success. As Phonte has explained, the notion of indie hip-hop artists and groups signed to a major label was often met with much trepidation by their core fanbases, who would fear the major label would compromise everything they loved about their favorite artist. In contrast, Atlantic very much let Little Brother do it their way, which was very much a rarity for a major label back in the mid ’00s. “The record that y’all hear is the exact record we took out of our computer in Durham and put out to the world,” Phonte said on Questlove Supreme.
The Minstrel Show was the center of some controversy before the album was officially released, for reasons that had nothing to do with its title. The struggle over the rating that it received from The Source became public knowledge, as the album was first awarded 4.5 Mics (out of 5) by the magazine, only to have it reduced to 4 mics by the magazine’s former co-owner Raymond “Benzino” Scott. Benzino apparently argued that since Young Jeezy’s debut Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 (2005) only received 4 mics, The Minstrel Show didn’t deserve the 4.5. The disagreement lead to The Source’s editor, Fahiym Ratcliffe, quitting the magazine in protest of the interference. Phonte later said that The Minstrel Show received more attention due to the rating change than they ever would if it had just received the 4.5 mics in the first place.
Even with the controversy and tumult, The Minstrel Show is still a pretty positive album. The group certainly starts things on an upbeat note: “Beautiful Morning” features Pooh and Phonte each telling separate stories of how they start their day, both brimming with optimism and ready to tackle the world. Each emcee details his commitment to their craft, with Big Pooh resolving to “stack them up like bricks, you can call me the mason of shit / Foundation has been rock solid no replacing, ya dig?” Phonte then reflects on the sacrifices that he made for his career, rapping, “This is the price that I pay for this music / And every word that I write is a testament to it / And if I had to go back, I wouldn't change a thing / Wouldn't re-cut it, re-edit, or change a frame.”
The song segues seamlessly into “The Becoming,” a Phonte solo track. Phonte not only emphasizes his own ample lyrical abilities, but also briefly details the history of Little Brother and the Justus League, explaining how they got to this point. Pooh’s own solo cut, “Sincerely Yours,” hits different notes, as he grapples with the perception that he’s the weakest link of the group. Pooh speaks about the power of self-esteem, as he resolves to use the negative comments as further motivation to succeed. “I refuse to hide, behind the silence and smiles,” he raps. “It’s been a while though, you hearing me now.”
Gaining acceptance in both their home state and the industry at large was somewhat of a sore point for Little Brother, leading them to vent on “Not Enough.” The smoothness of the beat contrasts the frustration that Pooh and Phonte express in their rhymes regarding the lack of support they find in North Carolina. They reaffirm their commitment to their grind to make the best music possible, while also expressing bafflement that they’re treated like step-children by in-state radio stations, promoters, and even fans. “It’s history in the making,” Phonte raps. “When I write it’s for all of N.C., call me the State Pen / And now I'm making my name for those who hate that I'm staking my claim just like Nationwide.”
Since both Pooh and Phonte are excellent emcees, it’s no surprise that they deliver sharp braggadocio raps throughout The Minstrel Show, particularly on the album first two singles. The soulful “Lovin’ It” was a strong choice for the group’s opening salvo, as they’re joined by compatriot Joe Scudda (“Performing in Blackface!”). The video for the song received attention, when 9th Wonder revealed on “The Squeeze” radio that it was banned by BET for being “too intelligent for [the network’s audience].” The BET program director later denied the allegations.
The bouncy “Say It Again” was another inspired choice for a single, even though it received much less publicity. “Watch Me” is even stronger, standing out partially because it’s the album’s only entry not produced by 9th Wonder. Working behind the boards, Khrysis creates a shimmering backdrop, punctuated by majestic keys and stabs of vocals. The track also features a scratch outro deftly handled by the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff.
The Detroit born up-and-comer Elzhi joins the group on the creeping “Hiding Place,” as all three emcees go straight for their opponents’ throats. The best section of the song comes when Elzhi and Phonte trade multiple fierce 8-bar verses, each inspiring the other to come as sharp as possible. “Work and plan a perfect verse, then burst like a person,” Elzhi raps. “That jerked from a circus cannon then landed to the earth.” J Dilla was slated to appear on the track as well (Big Pooh shouts him out multiple times during his verse), but couldn’t make the session due to illness.
As mentioned earlier, Little Brother’s sense of humor is integral to The Minstrel Show’s success, manifesting itself throughout the songs, but mostly on the album’s skits. The skits function as the glue that holds the album together overall, be they commercials for 5th and Fashion (featuring blockbuster deals on left A-1s and Manolo heels) or rants by an Angry Black Dad, pissed that his son isn’t loving long division as much as that damn rap music.
The album also features the inaugural appearance by venerable singer Percy Miracles (R.I.P.), who croons the exquisite “Cheatin’.” It’s a pitch-perfect (pun intended, I guess) send-up of the R&B singers like R. Kelly and Ronald Isley, emphasizing the ridiculousness of their on-record personalities. I put this song on the first mix CD I ever gave my wife (then girlfriend) and I’ve never regretted it for an instant.
Little Brother is also just as good as being heartfelt as they are at being humorous. Pooh and Phonte are extremely adept at navigating their audience through their complex emotions. The ability to do so makes “All For You” one of the album’s strongest songs. Both Pooh and Phonte explore their complicated relationship with their fathers, but coming from different perspectives.
Pooh vents about the fractured lines of communication with his father. He fumes about waiting in vain for a phone call that never comes, but concedes that through patience they’ve connected and are slowly repairing their relationship. Phonte received a well-deserved “Rhyme of the Month” in The Source for his verse, as he addresses his father directly. Though he says he’s still disappointed with his father not being present in his youth, he grapples with understanding his elder’s feelings, watching history as it repeats itself in his relationship with his girl and their child together. “I did chores, did bills, and did dirt,” he raps. “But I swear to God I tried to make that shit work / ’Til I came off tour to an empty house / With all the dressers and the cabinets emptied out.”
The album ends with the soaring “We Got Now,” which is simultaneously inspiring and confrontational. Joined by Justus League homie Chaundon, the three acknowledge the obstacles in their way and the sources of their irritation, but pledge to power through and continue to deliver the best music possible. “I mean, you could be the shit today,” Pooh raps. “Then tomorrow wake up, fame blown away! / And homey on the real, ain’t nothing you can say / That's why I work hard now, got later to lay.”
In the aforementioned Questlove Supreme interview, Phonte hypothesized that when it came to Atlantic and The Minstrel Show, Little Brother might have been a little too proactive for their own good. The created the album as a self-contained unit, and as a result, no one at the label had a personal stake in the album’s success. “I understand now how off-putting we were,” Big Pooh said. “We didn’t even allow them to treat us like stars.”
The Minstrel Show was the last Little Brother album recorded completely with their original line-up, as the strain of the recording process began to drive the three apart. 9th Wonder was becoming more known as a producer, and he began to work increasingly outside of the group. He didn’t tour at all with the other two in support of The Minstrel Show, and was barely involved at all in the group’s subsequent releases.
But lack of sales and a fractured lineup didn’t defeat Little Brother. The two emcees completed at least two more albums before taking an extended hiatus. Phonte flourished as a half of The Foreign Exchange (with Nicolay) and through his solo career, and Big Pooh released a string of dope albums on his own. Pooh has branched out into sports commentary and artist management, while Phonte is doing voice work, writing commercials, and helping write the music for the successful Sherman’s Showcase TV show. And, of course, the group recently reunited to record and release the incredible May the Lord Watch (2019), which is a sequel of sorts to The Minstrel Show.
The Minstrel Show might not have been the commercial success that the trio had hoped for, but it still holds up as a great album. And it’s a big reason that the group is still so beloved today. The path may not have led Little Brother to the place they expected, but it’s a solid destination nonetheless.
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