It’s been a minute since my Top 10 Beef/Diss Tracks, I had to chill for a bit on the list because it took so much out of me. I got loads and loads and LOADS of emails. The 88 comments really does me justice yo, but what can I say? I loved every single email I got, every comment dropped… I loved the controversy.
I have to apologize to my man Kev for being late on this. I thought the Diss tracks took a lot out of me; I think this one damn near killed me. I present you guys with the Top 15 Phonte Rap Performances. Two things:
- I had to be specific about the title because he does sing and some songs were spectacular because of a combination of lines from separate verse and
- I had to expand it to 15 from 10 because 10 was much too hard. At the bottom there are 5 Honourable Mentions, even those were hard.
Guys, I’ve listened to pretty much every single Phonte track that is available, I’ve narrowed them down through 5 processes. These are the ones that made the 6th cut. Professional sports teams don’t even have that many cuts! This thing has more cuts than a Preemo track so take it as you may and know that my time and effort is really all for you guys. Please feel free to hate, love, express your opinion, acknowledge, son me, own me, “pwn” me, violate me, email me and caress me. You guys keep me doing this stuff so enjoy all of it. Big ups Nottingham!
15. “Tour of Duty” by the Justus League
Album: Soldiers of Fortune
Why it’s Dope: One thing that was so difficult throughout this entire process was ignoring the beat. Phonte makes it easy at the end. The song as a whole is a collective effort by the J League and the topics differ from braggadocio, to smack talk, to relative props to the comrades. All of the verses seem like a set up for Mr. Coleman, the evidently leader of the pack. Goosebumps still entail when it kicks in and Phonte delivers a verse to any of who those who try to attack him on his “Tour of Duty.” It is Rambo like, but still, the rather large unit of the J League forms like Voltron around ‘Te.
Memorable Lines: “A square nigga, so they figure they could corner him”, “the only shooting I did was shot dice”, “I’m like Lumbergh shittin’ on your Office Space”
14. “Slow it Down” by Little Brother featuring Darien Brockington
Album: The Minstrel Show
Why it’s Dope: Phonte has never been shy about his non-luxurious lifestyle, “…I got a Nissan/ that I’m still paying for still got a lease on,” but he’s also never been shy about expressing his emotions. On “Slow it Down” we get a deeper glimpse into that part of the relationship-talk Phonte. Here, he breaks down the difficulties of telling a girl who wants things to go fast to slow down. He also gives insight to the rather blind nature of ‘relationship inheritance’ (a phrase I just made up that explains that we live like our daddies did, not by choice). It is such a genuine verse and feeling that I’m sure most men reading this can easily relate to. Phonte sounds saddened, upset, and confused at what to do because he knows at the end of the night, we don’t want to be lonely (see also: “After The Party”).
Memorable Lines: “So well-rounded, no wonder you’re in my circle”, “I want a girl, when I want a girl/ and when I don’t want a girl, I want a girl who understands that”
13. “Feelin’ Alright” by Little Brother
Album: The Listening (Japanese Import)
Why it’s Dope: Hopefully this track has been heard by now; it certainly merits a listen. Phonte comes out hard… really hard. He’s feeling alright, apparently, but shows that he’s pretty damn pissed off. ‘Te speaks on wack rappers as well as why he’s hated in the rather demeaning world of hip hop. It is 45 seconds of comedic genius, as well as microphone brilliance.
Memorable Lines: “Crush you Minute Maid rappers in 30-second intervals”, “You gets no dough, your mic check just bounced”, Rap today is like a Minstrel/menstrual Show, even I’m catchin stomach cramps in it”.
12. “Doin’ Me” by Little Brother featuring Supastition
Album: Chitlin Circuit 1.5
Why it’s Dope: A boy’s relationship with his mother will always be important in a man’s life; however, it may not always develop or change. Phonte speaks on this rather taboo issue with his mother not accepting his choices in woman. This forces Phonte to explain himself via this verse that he is more than responsible to take care of any troubling situation his girl of choice might put him in. Very interesting take and delivery, and as he mentions, it must’ve been a hard verse for him to write. It’s no Eminem/Mom battle, but this is certainly an emotional tug of war for Phonte.
Memorable Lines: “That’s decision I carry/ wanna be happily married and not just stuck with a wife/ who can adjust to my rappin’ and her lips are always yapping/ and that’s just what would’ve happened if I took your advice” , “You’re gonna lose me as a son ‘til you respect me as a man”
11. “Brave New World” by The Foreign Exchange
Album: Connected
Why it’s Dope: ‘Te is a great observer, but beyond that, he’s a great translator (get it, because it’s The Foreign Exchange album…haaaa). He takes all the various issues going on during the time of 2004 and smacks them up into 2 great verses. The first verse is pretty much a list of issues like surveillance, war, poverty, crime, and politics. The second verse is the necessary connection he feels we need to people to survive in the world explained in verse one, but it takes a big sacrifice, hence, the ‘brave.’ The content and two great verses merit a necessary spot for a generally over-looked track.
Memorable Lines: “Can’t afford to raise kids cos we gotta raise soldier/ and satellites looking at my pad when I wrote this”, “Scared to catch SARS so we cancelled all the shows in Toronto” (I actually remember when this cancellation happened)
10. “Whatever You Say” by Little Brother
Album: The Listening
Why it’s Dope: Don’t act like you didn’t rewind the verse to see if he was factual in that closing statement. Don’t act like he didn’t get you bobbing your head. And don’t act like this isn’t one of the dopest and most original verses we’ve heard in this modern era of hip hop. The story entraps you as ‘Te spits game to a chick who turns him away because he isn’t a huge hotshot millionaire. A second verse speaks on what he can still do for a lady when given that chance. The real stand out is that first verse with that huge flip and it would be hard not to include “WYS” in this list simply for its rewind-factor, but, if you wanted to dive further into why it’s so great, look at the flow; the continuation and connections are hypnotic and drag you in just as much as the story does.
Memorable Lines: “Make her so wet, she make a Freudian Slip”, “I got your head still bobbing and my verse didn’t rhyme”.
9. “Not Enough” by Little Brother/
“Speed” by Little Brother
Album: The Minstrel Show / The Listening
Why they’re Dope: Firstly, these two can easily qualify for the best songs off of their respective albums; moreover, Phonte talks about two different types of stresses. The former speaks on the stress of never being good enough for the fans or for the current state of hip hop despite putting so much work into it. He similarly discusses a similar topic of stress, but in the everyday “treadmill lifestyle.” You can actually hear the stress that Phonte is feeling on both of these tracks. On one track, it seems as if they are doing all the things right, but they can never move fast enough, while another is that everything is too fast. Phonte truly illustrates that the lives we live never go according to our time or standards.
Memorable lines: “Tay’s style is nuts and y’alls is just dated”, “When I write it’s for all of N.C., call me the state pen”, “Pushin 80 miles an hour to this call center/ tryna pick up a check I only see 20% of” , “my job got me slaving like I’m Dred Scott, take a break nah nigga you betta not/ cause that’s when the respect stops/ energy drain, I need a blast like Hi Tek got”.
8. “Watch Me” by Little Brother
Album: The Minstrel Show
Why it’s Dope: I hope it has been concluded by now that Tay’s the illest; point blank… period. “Watch Me” reaffirms that he is. Line after line of just pure smack talk at its peak is something rarely heard in hip hop, but Phonte delivers a verse worthy of praise. It doesn’t have as much concept as the tracks 9-15, but it does have consistent uppercuts that connect right on the jaw. These uppercuts will inevitably make your jaw drop.
Memorable Lines: “This ain’t a peace talk/ so muthafucka save that sweet talk for reservations at the Marriot”, “No need to act a fool in public because when you Ego Trip, that’s when you lose your luggage”, “Made friends and made figgas while you stuck on the front porch/ waitin’ to shave Mister”, “Better keep it moving like the laws of inertia”.
7. “We Got Now” by Little Brother
Album: The Minstrel Show
Why it’s Dope: Phonte has a knack for ending albums on a ridiculously impressive note. It may be an upsetting note like on “The Listening”, it may be a secure feeling on “We Got Now” or it may be a fresh feeling like “When Everything is New.” Regardless, he’s good at it. With this track, Phonte explains his anger with the sad state of hip hop and how it is pretty much made a turn for the worse. Don’t get it twisted, Phonte isn’t ‘complaining’ or sitting back and doing nothing about it, he’s out to reassure that he is going to take control and boost it up to its true potential. There are plenty of wit and jabs to go around on this great verse.
Memorable Lines: “gave birth to niggaz/ and when I burp them niggas they spit up old lines that I fed to them earlier”, “I agree that everybody’s a biter/ but if your Xerox my style/ then that’s infringing on my copy, right?”, “I think about the youth and how their minds are so closed/ cause now ‘Rap City’ look like ‘Video Soul’”.
6. “Hold On” by Little Brother
Album: The Minstrel Show (Japanese Release)
Why it’s Dope: A bonus track overseas?!!? The people of North America weren’t blessed with this track right away, but Tay decides to lace it. It is such an intense verse that just keeps going when you think it will end. He brings us on this roller coaster of a verse that ranges from the up and downs of his journey, to the wack ish he has encountered along the way, to the lessons learned on this journey. He also talks about persistence and how hip hop has created this tantalizing taste of success that he fiends for. His connections and his flow throughout the track are flawless and everything is stringed together so poetically, even with all of his anger that builds up appropriately to the end of the song.
Memorable Lines: “They say the deadliest weapon is ‘Te chillin’ with a mic in the palm of his hand”, “He saving rap from its hideous state/ he never gets rattled in the city of snakes”, “Even though I’m rapping now and got thangs/ I don’t rock chains, our ancestors did it for us”, “This is what I’m faced with all the time/ Ain’t tryna be Rembrandt, just wanna draw the line/ between illusion and reality…”
5. “The Listening” by Little Brother
Album: The Listening
Why it’s Dope: Start with the chorus: “We got a better chance of blowing up in Switzerland.” This simple line gives a lot of information about the North American fan. The fact is many people tune out of the lyrics and ride the beat; “Thank God for 9th” Phonte says. As lyrical as Phonte gets, those who do listen pay attention and this song is certainly for all the listeners about those who ain’t listenin’. It’s a dope 5 verse for a variety of reasons. It closes out the album and acts as a complete wrap up. The verse is probably the most true to the theme and why shouldn’t it be; it is the title track. I’m sure a ton of hip hop heads can relate to this track because they’ve probably had numerous conversations with the “song number fans” and the “beat lovers only” cats, thus, the frustration that Phonte displays on the track is genuine, believable, and probably a daily occurrence. The flow is paramount and the style is polished. It’s a great way to finish off the debut and close out with a serious note as he delivers such a sincere vent.
Memorable Lines: “It’s like niggaz wanna play with it/ They hear some good shit, but don’t stop to savor it”, “Check all these bitches on my Soul Glow city/ Walking round with Madagascar titties/ Imported for my Cole Train leaves ya niggaz”, “So I would go inside my room and dig deep inside the strong rhythms”
4. “Yellow Lines” by Cunninlynguists featuring Phonte and Witchdoctor
Album: Dirty Acres
Why it’s Dope: Man, Phonte loves the ladies. Maybe a little too much though. “Yellow Lines” is a song about crossing those boundaries and boarders while you are in a relationship. What is normally a clichéd topic is turned into a verse so poetic. The verse is slightly cold; it’s Phonte persuading a girl to pretty much cheat on her significant other. “Well Suga, if you are worried bout catching feelings chances are you already have” is how Phonte justifies the acts. Naturally, the song is of a dark nature, but this allows Phonte to feast on the beat with line after line after line of symbolic, metaphorical donations to the idea of cheating. He’s the best lawyer in hip hop.
Memorable Lines: “McIntosh of my eye, let me take a mega bite”, “Switch memory lanes while we dreamin’, wanderin’/ And in return I’ll strip my inhibitions/ And go skinny dipping in your stream of consciousness”, “Denial’s not a game I’m prepared to play So I express things most niggaz scared to say”
3. “Dreams” by Little Brother
Album: Getback
Why it’s Dope: It was largely considered to be his best verse off of Getback almost immediately after it dropped. The verse is probably his most in depth analysis of the dream of rapping and making it, however, it looks at the negative side, such as the prospect of failure and even moving out of the lifestyle he grew up on. In actuality, he’s been blessed with a gift that has allowed him to stay out of trouble; however, this trouble he is away from is the same trouble that is keeping up all night because his family is suffering from it. It’s a real win/lose situation for ‘Te, however, his last two lines give a great summary of the two trails people may decide to take.
Memorable Lines: “Cause truth be told, if my records never sold/ And I wasn’t raised this bold, nigga I would probably be you”, “But still got boys on the block and fam, smokin rock/ So please, miss me with that conscious shit”, “Do you really wanna win or just look good losin?/ It’s no illusion”
2. “Next Day” by Little Brother
Album: Getback (iTunes Bonus track)
Why it’s Dope: The front to back story of Phonte’s rise and fall and rise again beginning with his money struggles, to his Little Brother tour through Cali, to his manager Big Dho and the list goes on. It’s like the listener has just watched a slide show of Te’s life and it is so perfect. Aside from the content and subject matter (which is really hard to argue with) the sincerity in Phonte’s voice through it all is so evident. He paints a picture so vivid that makes the listener feel that we were in that tour van with him. The memory bank was full and he took out a huge deposit to unload this gem on us and we will forever be grateful for the gift. The flow is timely and excellent and the wit is, as always, present. Keep in mind; it is just Phonte rapping for 3 minutes straight. Don’t blame yourself for getting extremely familiar with Phonte’s story, I guarantee repeat listens will be or already have been done.
Memorable Lines: “We was for “The Big Throwdown” like Le-vert/ Me, Pooh, 9th, I.D., and Malachi/ In the crowded-ass van filled with ugly-ass T-shirts”, “With a palm that’s sweaty and hand that’s jittery/ Signed, to Atlantic and the rest is misery/ Oops! – Fraudulent slip, I mean the rest is history/ I”m just still a little hot, excuse my niggery”, “They said, “We wouldn’t make it as a two-man team”/ But this is part of a two-man dream”.
1. “Boondock Saints” by Little Brother
Album: Separate but Equal
Why it’s Dope: I really hope this verse is self explanatory. I’d love to say that Phonte has done better than this, an earlier verse of his, but it would be really hard to. The verse incorporates the past 14 songs in a nut shell… all of the emotion, the swagger, the anger, the frustration, the sadness, the content, the misery, the disbelief, the… everything. It is all on this track. Put on the tune, and follow line for line. Listen again, follow line to line. Everything is just so beautiful, hauntingly beautiful about this verse. Apply the title to the verse to get the full effect. Wow.
Memorable Lines: “Right, back to business off a 6-week tour/
And I ain’t never seen drama like this before/
Gotta lotta shit to get off my chest, some wild shit to address/
So I told Crisis press record/
Imma put it on wax and give you the raw facts/
And truth about life and things I’m dealin’ wit/
Black folks saying that I’m too intelligent/
And white folks saying Imma little too niggerish/
It got me in a strange predicament/
I wish BET and MTV would judge more wisely/
But I don’t know what’s worse the fact that they ain’t playing our shit/
Or the fact that it don’t even surprise me/
Because I ain’t shucking, because I ain’t jivin’/
Some of these crackers won’t stand beside me/
And cuz I ain’t killin’ and don’t support pimpin’/
Some of these niggas wanna call me a Cosby/
Well, I’ll be that dude, I’ll scratch that itch/
I’ll play that role, call me Heathcliff bitch!/
And if this ain’t what you want then fine/
But somehow someway we gotta draw that line/
And it goes without mentioning/
I thought about censoring this verse so my label and managers stay cool/
But as of this recording, we ain’t even out-sold The Listening/
So really what the fuck I got to lose?/
Bitch is phon-tiggah, low the show rippah/
Hold cuz my hoes would change week-to-week/
But now my flows be changing from beat-to-beat/
Tell my nigga Jim Bones we gotta beat the street/
Cuz I know that they need us/
It’s gotta be more to this generation than drinkin and smoking all the weed up/
This my confession with the embassy, you fucking imbeciles can put your rosary beads up”
Honourable Mentions:
“Raw Life”: Ridiculously painful to keep this off here. That second verse might be one of his dopest verses, it just didn’t have the content to expand like some of these other ones did. Regardless, it is still a tremendous track
“The Becoming”: Another one that hurt to leave off. Because of all the tracks here that spoke about the “becoming” of Phonte, I felt that this track would just be redundant. It still is a massive cut and really brought Phonte to the forefront.
“War”: Originally made my top 15 @ number 15, but got bumped out. Punchline City population Phonte. Speaks of war and how no sucka emcees should want it with him.
“Sincere”: His sincerity is evident throughout every part of his music; he takes it to the relationship side and presents us with another element of sincerity. It’s a great dialogue towards his girl and the struggle they are through. Beautiful track.
“Nobody Like Me”: Seeing him perform this live last night further boosted up this track. So much pain on this track is wrapped up in the loads of success that Phonte has had. The storytelling (and memory, wow) is impeccable.
Other notables: “Rise and Fall”, “Who’s That”, “Back At It”, “Tension”, “Welcome to Durham”, “Let It Be Known”
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{ 54 comments… read them below or add one }
Deez, you have out done yourself once again… props! After reading this I realized Phonte was talking about people like me in “The Listening”… “beat lover only”. LOL
I have found another Phonte lover. I’ve many times pondered on how to break him down and figure out his hottest shit’s! You did a great job with this one. And I agree with number one as well. But, what about “Can’t Let Her”?
Nice work Deez! Although can I just say ‘Last Day’ from the Mick Boogie mixtape ‘And Justus For All’ is possibly the funniest hip hop track I’ve ever heard – Phonte rhyming about when he used to work in a department store. Has me laughing every time – especially the stuff about what his ex colleagues would say if he failed as a rapper and had to go back to work there. Phonte is in a class of his own.
I’m glad that Boondock Saints got the top spot. It’s definitely the point where I went from “Yo, Te is hot.” to “Yo, this nigga is my hero.” What do you think about his verse from “Bless the Child?”
I think his verse on Bless The Child is pale in comparison to a lot of his other stuff. One of his newest tracks that almost made an Hon mention was “On The Marquee” from the Statik Selektah
Kevin,
Thank God for 9th. I think its a frustration with him on The Listening because modern hip hop is only like that, the problem is, he’s got so much dope shit to say. I love the Track # fans though
Kay,
Big ups my man. Can’t Let Her really wasn’t much of a consideration at all to me. He had a lot of romantic material that out weighed it.
Will,
Last Day was suggested by a few people, but its pretty simple by nature. That same comedy is found all over his work
What up Deez.Big ups on another quality piece and props on breaking down Phonte’s hottest verses.The 2 that I wish would have made that list was the “Last Dayz”freestyle,which was rather witty,and the joint that LB did with Elzhi,off of the Minstrel Show.Nonetheless,it’s still a hot list.The one joint that i’m feeling,that i’ve never heard before was “Next Day”,cause storytelling is an art and he knows how to deliver it.It’s good to see Phonte make an impact on Hip Hop and I also love the fact that he’s repping for my city.Deez,once again,Great Work!
BULL CITY STAND UP!!!!!
VOTE FOR KEV!!!!!!!
argh! where is All For You?!!?!??!
im sorry, as much as i really dig (and agree) with this list, All For You has to be #1…never has a rapper spit something so intimate on a topic that is so relevant yet is never spoken about!!
i must admit, next day, yellow lines and boondock saints are ridiculous verses but!
any chance of this ranking being zipped up into an album?
Good shit. I’m about to make a “Best of Phonte” joint.
Vote for Kevin.
I love all those songs, great list. I dont know how many times I rewinded all those verses and many more lol. But I have to say “Away From Me” has to be in the top 5. That verse is one of the craziest ever. I listen to that before my games to get hyped or when im just chillin relaxing. Anywho, love the list!!
Sttress,
As mentioned Last Day just really didn’t do much beside the jokes and impressions. And It was hard to include hiding place because a)Elzhi is a monster on it and b) aside from the ridiculously strong jabs from Phonte, it doesn’t have the content and power of atmosphere or spectacle the others have
Jason,
All For You was taken out because of the addition of Slow It Down and Doin Me. I felt like the relationships between father mother and son was exemplified in each and every one of those. All For You is a song about his fatherhood, it’s been rapped about before, just not like he has.
Michael,
Nice call on Away From Me, but once again, I Felt like it was a topic a lot of the ones higher up on the list dealt with more directly
Well Deez,you make a good point with those,cause Elzhi was a beast on that track and with that Last Day joint,it was such a witty and clever rhyme,it just makes it sound hot.It definitely wasnt for lyrical content,that i mentioned those tracks,it was more about the delivery that he has.
Please take Next Day off this list….
i feel i should also note that Tellin Me was on the commercial free EP and Feelin Alright was on the Chitlin Circuit 1.5 i believe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Commercial_Free_EP
http://www.amazon.com/Chittlin-Circuit-1-5-Little-Brother/dp/B0009DBZNY
0-3 Matchz.. you are on fire…
I felt that that too should’ve been noted
I’m feeling heavy sarcasm there. If you notice. I WAS right about Hold On (Tellin Me) take another glance at that wikipedia tracklist. As for Feelin Alright, it was on the orginal chittlin circuit not the chittlin circuit 1.5
http://www.discogs.com/release/649393 << track 8.
and Hold On is track 6 on the Comemrcial Free EP.
so i guess that makes me 2-1, with the 1 being Next Day… i really dont like that track. His delivery on that track is so lame, Raw Life FTW
Commercial Free is just a live album… the studio version on the bonus off of the Minstrel Show.
yeah, you are right about Feelin Alright, I do believe it was a japanese import too, and the listening came before CC 1
while we could be talking about that.. why not talk about the article.. and how the Next Day was bad…
lol i was reading your other post about the diss tracks… For some reason it made me go back and listen to half those tracks.
As i stated before, his flow on the song is rather lame. I feel you just picked this song cuz it tells a story of phonte, but then again maybe not becuz becoming is on the list.
but Raw Life is a much better track.
“‘Te got the corner blitz on got your quarterback scramblin’
Checkin’ the sidelines to see just what the fuck is happenin’
You wanna get my playbook and examine it
Connected(Connect It) – $12.99 plus shippin’ and handlin’, nigga!”
just the whole corner blitz line in itself sons the Next Day track. hmm… i may be being too lazy to come up with thoughts against next day. So if you have no comments now. When i get up tomorrow ill come back and lay down my anger against the shame that is Next Day
it’s more than a punchline Matchz. If this was about best punchlines, I could do something else, but it is more than punchlines. I chose the punchline of the week for Phonte week and it was from his second verse on Raw Life. As you can tell, my pain and despair was heavy from not including the track. I just don’t think the subject matter could touch that of Next Day. And the line: Signed, to Atlantic and the rest is misery/ Oops! – Fraudulent slip, I mean the rest is history/ I”m just still a little hot, excuse my niggery”
I mean, thats dope. And he has Andre 3000 like imagery on this, specially that tour van/t-shirt line. I also mention that his flow is great on it.
To say “next day” is a shame is a little weird. Its a beginning to end story of the up rise that is the MC phonte. It is a pretty important song to understand why 3-15 is on the list. Its an important song to realize his topic and subject matter throughout all of his other tracks.
Raw Life is a dope track with some tremendous lines, but it is Phonte smack talking at his best. Where as Next Day is just another bullet in his arsenal that has been aching to be released
This is a well-written, well-conceived piece. Thanks so much for the love, fellas.
Peace,
Tigallo
oh! hello mr. tiggalo
Phontigga dropping comments? That’s a big deal… makes this entire piece worth it
When i first started to listen to little brother it was because of 9th incredible work, but then i realized that every time i presses play i was expecting phonte to begin to rhyme and suddenly the light came : phonte is one of the greatest out there right now… just because he is himself and that to me is the definition of hardcore raw straight true hiphop… Thanx for this amazing top 15 and again support the artist, buy their music so phonte can finish the lease on the nissan !
Phonte dropping comments on the site…PRICELESS. Vote for Kevin.
love some LB. not taking anythin away from Pooh but ‘Te brings the real that i can relate. i will forever be a fan, and if you haven’t heard leave it all behind foreign exchange you should. it is real different but in my opinion you defintely missing out without it.
whats good with the top 15 in mixtape form…i need that for my ipod asap…TOP PHONTE RAP Vol.1
Nah, I don’t think we’ll be packaging this up for download. Most of these are on LB’s albums. If you’re a true fan, you already got em.
how did his verse on all for you(the minstrel show) not make the cut. apart from his clear frustration/anger on boondocks saints (rightly at top spot) thats the most emotion ive heard from him. its not even an honourable mention.
but that aside this is one superb write up deezy.
sorry fellas but feelin’ alright is produced by dj mitsu the beats and was originally on his new awakenings album from 2002
Yo, amazing article!!
I’d, personally, have put ‘Whatever You Say’ as number one, because no one has done that before and no one ever will do it after. It wasn’t until the 5/6 time listening to it that it actually clicked with me, but when it did I nearly drove off the road and into the central reservation… (The only other time music has made me near-crash is when I heard the original track that Dilla sampled for ‘The Red’ (“Shine On Straight Arrow” – Cris Williamson. When the she sung that bit… Bam, I nearly killed my family!) – Both are genius.
Did you/anyone ever hear ‘Te’s demo ‘The Story Of U.S. Unheralded Symetrics’? THAT is pure talent.
just remembered another great Tay verse
‘Never Leave” perfectly shows off his wit, skill and humour!
i love it! Krispy Kremes?! haha
Flames,
I wouldn’t feel right at putting Whatever You Say at number one simply for the fact that it’s never been done before. Plenty of artist do original things, but that shouldn’t necessarily make it their best right away
Jason,
Never Leave was there for a bit, didn’t make the final cut
NoFrillz,
Topics similar to all for you were covered elsewhere on the tracks. Nice call on the DJ Mitsu, I still have no idea
Always outdoing yourself Deez, real great job! This was more than interessting for me to read:p, read it twice. Again, great job.. I know this one didn’t come easy, but it seriously paid off. Not to mention phonte droppin his comment, real dope. xox much luv ..aSaP
Thomas,
Rise and Fall was certainly a consideration along with Back At It with Cormega.
As for All For You, quite frankly, put any joint on Minstrel Show up there if you want
Sandeez,
my most beloved fan… Thank you for all of your help and patience throughout this whole process.. you of everyone know how much work was involved
Superb work. Phonte is just sickening at times. Great work but i wudda probs had speed at number one but thats my own opinion
big ups ben.
Speed almost didn’t cut it. My personal attachment to the song kept it in and then I found a spot where I could pair it up
well I have almost all the tracks except for the imported tracks…can’t buy those over itunes either. any advise on where to get those (or maybe just packaging those up…I can’t be the only one)
I can definitely say that the list you got is on point. I love every joint that was listed on here. I dont know how, but I definitely would’ve gotten Whatever you say a little bit lower only because it was the curtain that revealed Phonte to us when the listening came out. Thumbs up on that
Maybe I’ll put together a mix of Little Brother bonus tracks for download. Why doesn’t the U.S. ever get any exclusive bonus cuts?
Kev,
I personally have no problem with you zipping up the 20 songs listed here…I’m sure there are some new LB fans around that would love it and I think LB are all about spreading their music.
that would be the ish.
I see this list.
Just swap “Dreams” and “Boondock Saints” and that’ll rock.
Kev, are you gonna be zipping these up?!
Nope. I did a post months ago about Every LB song you could ever want that’s not on their albums.
Getbackarmy.com They have albums full of Little Brother/Justus League material that’s not on their albums. All LB approved!
thanks Tim. I actually think they followed this up with Top 15 Pooh verses of all time
I agree 95% with this post, and “Boondock Saints” is an easy choice for #1
Yeah, leavin “All for you” off here is a crime, especially since it doesn’t get an honorable mention.
I think people forget that “Next day” it sort of a follow up to “Last day” You’d appreciate it more if you listen to them back-to-back.
It’s would be tight if they were just one song.
Okay, where the fuck can I find the “New Day” song? Itunes doesn’t have it (at least not anymore) and I can’t find it anywhere else.
Still looking for New Day”? It’s actually called “Next Day”
All For You at the time wasn’t on this list, but if I was to remake, I think it would be on there, maybe higher. I just think that other songs I put here were too similar to that
This is still some good ish.
I have Next Day…think its tagged up tho.
I didn’t realize how slept on this piece was
(
it needs a reup next little brother project…
This is a great list….thanks for pulling it together. One omission that I think everyone would appreciate is “Gottagetdat”…
“Not a veggie altercation it’s legitimate beef/bitch n*ggaz sold us out but I kept the receipts/And the stench is foul from ‘em, revenge is a motherfucker/Payback’s a bitch and pain is the bastard child of ‘em…”