Customer Reviews

Connected

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

If a rap record can be "pretty", this one is.

With rapper Phonte (one third of the very good group Little Brother) on the mic and Dutch producer Nicolay on the beats, this record really soars. The music is VERY Jay-Dee-esque, to the point of almost sounding like the nicer Slum Village stuff, but with more spread. The influences are apparent in some cases, but even a Prince-like track makes the cut and the album has great sonic range and depth. It's lush, atmospheric and chock-ful of great ear candy that makes you wonder what the heck is in Netherland's water.

The lyrical content ranges as well, but it's certainly not out of line to suggest that it's a feel-good record. Lots of references here to love and relationships (even the cover has a couple kissing on it in the rays of the dipping sun) and stories of a maturing person, and not the jaded rapper style we've all just about heard enough of.

With some keyboards playing, singing and mad arrangements that are allowed to breathe as they unfold, "Connected" does exactly what it implies: plugs you in to the bigger picture of life and what's important.

The Foreign Exchange is not just the collaborated efforts of Phonte and Nicolay, but their ability to bring together a host of talents. Phonte does not rap on every track (in fact he only raps on 10) but he certainly is responsible for the album as a whole, taking on executive producer role, finding the talent and having 9th Wonder mix down some of the beats.

I always have trouble in trying to describe the production of Nocolay. Many of his beats sound like they use elements of The Nutcracker Suit or Pete and The Wolf (I'm not sure that helps a lot of people out). They are smooth, well laid out tracks, yet far from any other hip-hop production I've herd.
The beat for Title Theme gives you a pretty good feel for the kind of production that is going to follow in the rest of the album.

Vons Sees is a track featuring a short rhyme by, well Von Pea and unfortunately is forgettable. The real album starts on Raw Life when Phote finally drops over a head nodding beat. Joe Scudda also contributes the second verse and comes off pretty well. But, a distorted Phonte comes back on the track to rip it up ("I speak with no prejudice/ You thought kissing ass was in my blood type, O Negative").

Hustle, Hustle is another well produced track, the chorus with some infectious jazzy horns. This track features Critically Acclaimed, Phote only can be herd in the background of the chorus. The group holds there own, but the beat hear steals the show.

Let's Move is a Little Brother union of Big Pooh and Phonte, as well as the following track Nic's Groove, which not surprisingly enough is one of the better tracks. The two mesh perfectly together over Nicolay's beats just as well as they do over 9th Wonder's.

Be Alright and Sincere are both tracks featuring Phonte and some soul crooners. Brave New World is a solid track where Phonte really shines just relating to the daily struggles in his life and out society. The Answer returns the album to a more hip-hop feel with Oddiisse and Ken Star helping out Phonte. Come around is an entirely sung by Darien Brockington (who sounds faintly reminiscent of Sisqo).

Happiness, Big Pooh and Phonte join up again, which works pretty well excluding a weak chorus. End Theme is completely sung by Yahzarah. All That You Are is a solid track featuring Phonte and Median. The album then closes with a couple of Remixes which are nice, but don't add anything exceptional to the album.

One thing that is clear throughout the album: both Phonte and Big Pooh have improved which is scary. They put everything into whatever piece they are trying to create.

This is a solid album, very creative and different. It also stays away from your typical hip-hop music. While there is enough on here to satisfy most, some might be disappointed in the lack on straight up rap or even a lack of Phonte in general. Chances are if you're a Little Brother fan, this will defiantly be something you enjoy. If your just getting into them or want an impulse buy, I wouldn't recommend this. As a rap album it might not be what you're looking for, but as a creative piece of music it's defiantly high quality.

Let's start with the flaws on this album. Be Alright (Remix) and Downtime (Remix) were unecessary. And anyone who dislikes hip-hop/R&B collabos ("Sincere") will probably have a hard time getting into this. Aside from these minor blips, however, "Connected" is one of the few hip-hop albums that is truly universal in its essence. Nicolay's beats have a worldly sound to them that I don't ever recall hearing on an entire hip-hop album. As well, he is able to mimic the sounds of notable producers such as Jay Dee ("Let's Move"), Hi-Tek ("Hustle") and Pete Rock ("Happiness") while crafting his own sound ("Nic's Groove," "Raw Life" "The Answer"). Lyrically, Phonte parties ("Nic's Groove"), prays ("Be Alright") and preaches ("Brave New World") while giving the rest of the Justus League significant mic time ("Von Sees," "Hustle" and "Come Around" don't feature Phonte at all). Fans of positive hip-hop artists such as Gift of Gab, Talib Kweli, and KRS-One, as well as those who appreciate the "out-there" creativity celebrated by OutKast, De La Soul, and The Roots, will enjoy, if not love "Connected." 4.5 Stars.

...well it's here in its full glory. Phonte, one half of the dynamic North Carolina rap duo Little Brother, has teamed up with Dutch producer Nicolay to create a masterpiece of music. Jazz fusion with hip hop and R&B at its finest, this CD can be used for everything from getting a party started to a session of massage therapy. Seriously! It's just that diverse.

I'm a fan of everything from Scarface to Talib Kweli, and this CD deserves to mentioned in the same breath with anthing either of those artists have released. Guest appearances include neosoul singer Yahzarah, Big Pooh, and various members of the Justus League crew (who have won regular praise from Hiphopsite and OkayPlayer). Highlights include the first single, "All That You Are," which will break your neck, and...well...the entire album. There's nothing on here I can really say anything bad about.

What makes this CD most amazing is that the entire thing was recorded without Nicolay or Phonte ever meeting. Nicolay sent Phonte beats over the Internet and they made it happen like that. Fans of the Roots, De La Soul, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Blackalicious and like artists will be pleasantly suprised.

In August 2011, The Foreign Exchange reissued their debut "Connected"- an album that had been out of print for a number of years. Originally released in 2004 on the British based label BBE Records, the album had an interesting backstory. Little Brother member Phonte Coleman was fresh off the critical acclaim of Little Brother's debut "The Listening" when he heard an instrumental piece done by Dutch producer Nicolay Rook. He asked to lay some vocals over the song- which became "Light It Up", the B-side of "The Listening" single "Whatever You Say". From there, they recorded an albums' worth of material by way of instant messaging, e-mail and traditional mail without ever meeting each other. By the time "Connected" was released in late summer of 2004, they didn't meet each other in person until they had to tour to promote the album. Although this seemed unusual, this was not the first time a project was done in this manner. In fact, Death Cab For Cutie frontman Ben Gibbard did the exact same thing with his side project The Postal Service- predating The Foreign Exchange by a year. Critical acclaim was instant and massive by music critics and fans alike. Unfortunately, the album went out of print in 2008- just as they were releasing the follow-up "Leave It All Behind". Copies became expensive and difficult to attain for a few years, until they took matters into their own hands- they acquired the rights as well as the master recordings to reissue the project on their own label Foreign Exchange Music.

This album could be best described as downtempo, melodic hip hop. Musically, it has more in common with the "Do You Want More??!!??!" era of the hip hop band The Roots. Look no further than the song "Von Sees" featuring an appearance from Von Pea of Tanya Morgan. Phonte and fellow Little Brother member Rapper Big Pooh appear on three songs- "Let's Move", "Nic's Groove" and piano driven "Happiness". Neo soul singer Yahzarah makes a guest appearance on the first single "Sincere", while Darien Brockington enjoys a solo lead on the song "Come Around". A couple of Justus League alumni make appearances as well- such as Joe Scudda on "Raw Life", and Median on the songs "Be Alright" and "All That You Are", a song about the struggles of a constantly touring performer. Phonte examines the world around him on "Brave New World" and trades verses with Kenn Starr and Oddisee on "The Answer". The reissue contains three remixes- two different versions of "Nic's Groove" and a rock remix of "All That You Are". Also included in the reissue is a newly included bonus disc of instrumental tracks of the original songs. Since this album, The Foreign Exchange has expanded their sound over time- going for a full on neo-soul sound on "Leave It All Behind", and becoming ambitious on their third effort "Authenticity". Though they have completely abandoned hip hop over the years, they still continue to make great music that isn't easily defined. The Foreign Exchange's "Connected" is a must have for those who may have been a little late to the party, but this reissue makes up for the lost time.

WOW! Is there a brand new trend brewing in the HIP HOP/Indie/Underground scene? Earlier this year we witnessed as Madlib and Jay Dee (aka Jay Dilla) hook up via USPS to create Jaylib. Now we have Foreign Exchange ( composed of Little Brother's Phonte and European producer Nicolay) creating a full album via Internet and without ever meeting face to face. The results???

Well having heard Nic's Groove well over a year ago when Little Brother was on the verge of stardom, I couldnt help but repeat the song over and over. It was this nice composition of neo soul/jazz/hip hop. Only to know that not only was there more to come from this dynamic pairing in the near future. The album features 14 tracks (plus 3 bonus tracks....SWEET!) so you will more than get your moneys worth with this one.

The album, Connected, is a display of Phonte's talent outside of LB. No this is not a solo album. In some of the tracks his cohort(s), Big Pooh and others from LB & Justus League join him and Nicolay to drop some serious joints. The album finds a way to intertwine each song to the next in a beautiful and harmmnious flow that will keep you listening( hence the name CONNECTED). Some noteworth tracks are "Brave New World", "The Answer" and the catchy and soulful "Come Around". Of course "Nic's Groove" appears on the LP and the lead single "All That You Are" set the tone for this album.

In short, this album will clearly be a sleeper for 2004. This album cannot simply be pigeonholed into any category because of the many musical genres that this album culminates to create a masterpiece. Foreign Exchange is without a doubt another great pairing by two talented artists in the form that Pete Rock & CL Smooth and Madvillian revolutionized their craft, which further reveals their undying love for hip hop and music in general. I recommend this album for all to enjoy and play over and over.

Before we start let's get a few myths out of the way.
Nicolay is not the best producer ever to grace an album.
This is not the long awaited Phonte solo joint.
Connected is not the best hip-hop album ever.

Now we can proceed:

Nicolay succeeds in creating a beautiful landscape for Justus League MCs (Phonte, Big Pooh, Joe Scudda, Von Pea, Legacy etc.) to lay their hardcore/smooth rhymes. There is a sonic theme to the album which can only be described as ....smooth and laid-back. Don't be fooled though this album is not soft, like Slum Village Nicolay shows that you can have a sound that's butter smooth but still have that hardcore appeal. It is this running theme that ultimately makes the album successful. Many albums today are simply put together by collecting the hottest producers at that moment and letting the MC rhyme over a varied array of beats resulting in an album that has one or two hot singles but it does not play like an album. Case in point: Jadakiss or anything from the G-Unit.

What makes Nic so good is the fact that his beats are not one dimensional. His production is varied (e.g. Be Alright, Raw Life and Nic's Groove) but it has that Nicolay signature on it. Nicolay may not necessarily be the best and his electronica/jazzy/pop/R&B beats may not work for everyone but on this record he shines because he hogs the spotlight and expresses himself freely. On Happiness he changes up the beat mid-song to great effect and the horn's on Hustle, Hustle are just sick.

Phonte takes a starring role in the creation of this project but he shares the spotlight with his North Carolina crew and uses this as an opportunity present to the world a new breed of R&B/neo-soulstars in Yazarah and . Phonte merely acts as overseer on the project, but one who is not afraid to get his hands dirty in order to ensure the success of the project as a whole. In fact the brightest moments on the album are when Phonte gets on the Mic. Most notably on Nic's Groove where he and his Little Brother partner in rhyme trade verses over Nicolay's infectious Groove or on the posse cut The Answer which is the albums hardest track or on Raw Life where he drops what must be 2004's most quotable line: "Thought kissing ass was in my blood type O-negative". For the most part though Phonte is happy to sit back and let Nicolay take centre stage with beats.

As mentioned earlier Connected is not the best hip-hop album ever, this is because the album has far greater ambitions and that is to be greatest album ever. Connected is not a typical Hip-Hop album, its best described as a compilation as it has many MC's on it and it covers more than just a single genre. Like OutKast's recent classic or Madvillian's insane (ad)venture connected stretches the definition of what a hip-hop record is but unlike the other two it does so without alienating any music (hip-hop or otherwise) lover. The album is not without its weaknesses however and more often than not it is the uninspired choruses on the R&B joints and some of the MCs (e.g. Von Pea) do not pull their weight. On the other hand what classic album never had weaknesses. The question of whether this is the greatest album ever is ultimately irrelevant. What's more important is that this album signifies the beginning of what promises to be a great career for the Hip-Hop world's newest star producer and a continuation of a legacy that began with the now classic The Listening.

The bar has been set very high for the next Little Brother release.

I bought this album late 2005, I'm a late comer to the LB (Little Brother) movement. I didn't cop Minstrel Show until November of 2005, a few months after it dropped. I can honestly say, this album changed my whole view of modern hip-hop. I've always been a fan of Mos, Kweli,Common,Dead Prez,Immortal Technique and other cats like that. This album was simply amazing, I picked it up just based on the album cover (AND that it was Phonte). It stood out, I thought somebody had misplaced a jazz CD in the hip-hop section. Just as it stood out visually,it stands out musically. The beats, let me change that...these are more than just beats, these are musical arrangements. Each song blends right into the next with lush melodies and Phonte spittin meaningful rhymes that EVERYBODY can relate to. Isn't that what makes music great? The fact that you can relate to the lyrics, I mean, personally I've never sold drugs or clapped guns, and I don't think most of you all have either. But I have been in love and wanted my significant other to know I was "Sincere", and I have felt down and wanted somebody to say that it would "Be Alright", and people say I'm crazy everyday of the week so "All That You Are" really spoke to me. So 'Tae is a breath of fresh air in this current trend of superficial,bragadocious,sing-along,"my new dance move" rap. If you're a hip-hop head that wants a listening experience like no other, this is your album. Mellow beats...real rhymes, you can't lose with this one

WOW!
Do you like real well thought out hip hop lyrics?
Do you like Phat beats, with Groovy Melodies?
Do you like just the right fusion between soul singing and mad lyrcist flows?
Well if you answered YES to all these questions your going to love, and I do mean LOVE this album from beginning to end I was high from the sounds coming out of my stereo. This album makes you remember just how good Life and Love is.

Buy It

This is hype. Knowing that Phonte hadn't even seen Nicolay before he started to do this album, makes me thank modern communication systems.

I picked up Little Brother around the time when it first came out, and I couldn't keep it out of my CD player. I mean, this thing played for weeks on end, and I still play it whenever I want to mellow out. Just to let you know, this is not a "Little Brother" creation, but something much more serious. This is the beginning of something much greater, I think, and will elevate the music to its true status. Lots of cats out here claim to be out to make loot, but it should be about more than that. And here is the definitive example.

Beats:
I don't even know who Nicolay is, but check out his website, and you'll see that he's colder than a polar bear butt cheek on beats. Production wise, this cat is the future. I think we will see much more from him. "Hustle Hustle" is probably my favorite cut. "Happiness" is also a groovy, soulful like joint that I really enjoy.

Flows:
There are a lot of artists on this album that I have never heard of, and that is not a bad thing. Median appears, as well as Big Pooh, which really makes it a mix. Von Pea is a cold brother, while Oddissee, Ken Starr and Sean Boog make the experience a gel. It sounds like these guys work together all the time. Rhymes make sense, and they point to things that go on in their everyday lives. Awesome, once again. Check out "Brave New World" on the CD.

Lasting Appeal:
I don't know how people will take it; they may love it, may hate it. It is a visionary opus, a journey into something epic and glorious. It's almost a mirror of what Phonte wants to be and where he wishes to go, a picture painted of masterful music and heart felt rhymes, where colors run bright and true. A magical album, that may not be as well received by the mainstream, but will stand as a testament to the changing times.

Final Word:
Cop it if you like Little Brother. Cop it if you like De La Soul. Cop it if you like The Roots or Common. It's a love thing. Cop it for the love of Hip Hop.

"Thank you for...right now."