Phonte

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Phonte Coleman
Phonte The Foreign Exchange.jpg
Phonte in 2011
Background information
Birth namePhonte Lyshod Coleman
Also known asPercy Miracles
Born (1978-12-28) December 28, 1978 (age 45)
Lumberton, North Carolina, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • producer
  • podcaster
Years active1998–present
LabelsForeign Exchange Music
Member of
Formerly of Justus League

Phonte Lyshod Coleman, [1] known mononymously as Phonte (born December 28, 1978), is an American rapper, singer, and producer. He is also a member of Team Supreme, that co-hosts the Questlove Supreme podcast. [2]

Contents

Phonte is a member of the North Carolina hip-hop trio/duo Little Brother (revived in 2019 without producer 9th Wonder) and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. He has also recorded R&B-flavored output as a singer (often under the pseudonym Percy Miracles), and with Nicolay on The Foreign Exchange.

Career

Little Brother

Phonte first met the other members of Little Brother, rapper Big Pooh and producer 9th Wonder, in 1998 while attending North Carolina Central University, as an English major. [3] The three shared common musical interests and decided to form a group. "Speed", the group's first song recorded together, led to them signing a deal with the independent ABB Records, and recording their debut album, The Listening . [4] The album's success led to the group signing a non-exclusive deal with Atlantic Records.

The group's 2005 album, The Minstrel Show , was a concept album dealing with themes including the current state of hip hop music. The album received positive reviews, without commercial success. During the recording of their third album, the group announced the departure of 9th Wonder on amicable terms, as well as a parting of ways with their label. Through a contractual clause they returned to ABB Records and released Getback in late 2007.

The Foreign Exchange

Phonte met Dutch producer Nicolay virtually on an OkayPlayer message board. The duo released their debut album, Connected , having never met face to face. The Foreign Exchange has released four albums. The group received a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Daykeeper" (featuring Muhsinah) from the second album, Leave It All Behind .

Solo work

Phonte has appeared on numerous records by other artists as a vocalist. His lyrics tend to include perspectives on working-class life. [3] Phonte made a guest appearance on the song "Beats N' Rhymes" from producer Kev Brown's album "I Do What I Do", and has also recorded tracked with producer Oddisee, both members of the Washington D.C. (DMV)-based Low Budget collective. In 2006, he was featured on producer DJ Shadow's The Outsider album. In the following year he contributed vocals to rap group Playaz Circle's song "Paper Chaser", from their album Supply & Demand . Phonte's recent projects include The Foreign Exchange's third album, Authenticity , as well as a collaboration (as Tiggalo) with Detroit-based musician Zo! titled Zo! & Tigallo Love the 80s. Zo! & Tigallo Love the 80s is a homage to early 1980s R&B and pop music and features covers of popular songs such as a-Ha's "Take On Me", Toto's "Africa", and Joe Jackson's "Stepping Out". He appeared on Danny!'s 2012 album Payback as well as RJD2's More Is Than Isn't in the following year.

He released his solo-debut titled Charity Starts at Home on September 27, 2011 through FE Music. [5] His second album, No News Is Good News, was released on March 2, 2018, and was included in Bandcamp Daily 's best-100-albums-of-2018 year-end list (placed at #42). [6] Phonte also featured on the track "No Wish" by Black Milk, along with Raphael Saadiq. [7]

Discography

Studio albums

List of studio albums, with selected chart positions
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
US
[8]
US
R&B

[9]
Charity Starts at Home 619
No News Is Good News
  • Released: March 2, 2018
  • Label: Foreign Exchange Music
  • Format: CD, LP, digital download

Collaborative albums

List of collaborative albums, with selected chart positions
TitleAlbum detailsPeak chart positions
US
[8]
US
R&B

[9]
Love the 80's
(with Zo! as Zo! & Tigallo)
  • Released: July 22, 2008
  • Label: Hall of Justus
  • Format: CD, digital download
Tigallerro
(with Eric Roberson)
  • Released: July 22, 2016
  • Label: Foreign Exchange Music
  • Format: CD, digital download
19
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Extended plays

TitleAlbum details
Pacific Time
  • Released: March 29, 2019 [10]
  • Label: The Foreign Exchange Music
  • Format: Digital download

With Little Brother

With The Foreign Exchange

Guest appearances

List of guest appearances
TitleYearOther performer(s)Album
"The Animal"2004 Murs Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition
"Every Block"2005 Rapper Big Pooh Sleepers
"Make It Hot" The Away Team, Joe Scudda National Anthem
"Birdz (Fly the Coup)" Buckshot, 9th Wonder, Keisha Shontelle Chemistry
"Backstage Girl"2006 DJ Shadow The Outsider
"4Everyday"Liquid SpiritsLiquid Spirits
"Let It Be Known"2007 Sean Price Jesus Price Supastar
"Been in Love" Eric Roberson ...Left
"Letyourselfgo" Evidence, The Alchemist The Weatherman LP
"Alright With Me"Dminor, Keelay & ZaireRidin' High
"Think Good Thoughts" Drake, Elzhi Comeback Season
"Yellow Lines" CunninLynguists, Witchdoctor Dirty Acres
"The Time Is Now"2008 Jean Grae Jeanius
"Callin' Me" S1 Music Box
"Close Call" 88-Keys The Death of Adam
"For Whom the Bell Tolls"Evidence, Blu, will.i.am The Layover EP
"The Perch" Oddisee, Tor101
"All Because She's Gone"Oddisee
"True Love"2009 Apathy Wanna Snuggle?
"Something 2 Ride 2" Royce da 5'9" Street Hop
"Best of Times"2010 Strong Arm Steady In Search of Stoney Jackson
"Cry Over You" Yahzarah The Ballad of Purple St. James
"How High" Rhymefest El Che
"Now or Never" The Roots, Dice Raw How I Got Over
"The Day"The Roots, Blu, Patty Crash
"Greater Than the Sun"Zo!SunStorm
"Say How You Feel"Zo!, Carlitta Durand
"Flight of the Blackbyrd"Zo!
"I'll Be There"2011 Mac Miller Best Day Ever
"Black Hand Side" Pharoahe Monch, Styles P W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)
"One Time" Rapsody, Tab-One, Charlie SmartsThank H.E.R. Now
"Babble" The Physics Love Is a Business
"Take a Chance"MedianThe Sender
"Turn Ya On"Median, Big Remo
"Special"Median, Yahzarah, Bahamadia
"Band Practice Pt. 2"9th Wonder, Median The Wonder Years
"One Night"9th Wonder, Terrace Martin, Bird & The Midnight Falcons
"See U Later"The Away Team Scars & Stripes
"Picture Perfect"Eric RobersonMister Nice Guy
"One Time"The Roots, Dice Raw Undun
"I'll Be Around"2012 Brother Ali, Stokley Williams The Bite Marked Heart
"Goodbye" JR & PH7, Median The Goodlife
"Afro Blue (9th Wonder's Blue Light Basement Remix)" Robert Glasper Experiment, Erykah Badu Black Radio Recovered: The Remix EP
"Making Time"2013Zo!, ChoklateManMade
"ManMade"Zo!
"Out in the World"Zo!, Choklate
"Jedi Code"Rapsody, Jay Electronica She Got Game
"Temperamental" RJD2 More Is Than Isn't
"No Competition"2014 Talib Kweli, Elzhi9th Wonder Presents Jamla Is the Squad
"A Matter of the Heart" Jesse Boykins III Love Apparatus
"Requiem"2015OddiseePersona
"Impayshunt" dEnAuN sTuFf in My BaCkPaCk
"Finer Things" MED, Blu, Madlib, Likewise Bad Neighbor
"Highs and Lows" PRhyme, MF Doom PRhyme (Deluxe Version)
"Clap Shit Up"2016 Torae Entitled
"Violets" Miles Davis, Robert Glasper Everything's Beautiful
"One Too Many" Kaytranada 99.9%
"Treat You Right" Mickey Factz, Nottz The Achievement: circa '82
"Invitation"2017JR & PH7, St. Joe Louis, Tamisha WadenCoral Cadavers
"Donuts"2018 Andy Mineo The Sword
"Woke as Me"2019 Open Mike Eagle
"Blackberry"2020Carlitta DurandKismet Green
"Uzbekistan" Your Old Droog, Mach-Hommy Dump YOD: Krutoy Edition
"Who"2021 Topaz Jones, MaxoDon't Go Tellin' Your Momma
"Be Mine"Emmavie, Saint EzekielWhat's a Diamond to a Baby
"Choices"2023 Oddisee, BeMyFiasco, Kay YoungTo What End
"Otherside"Rory, BeMyFiascoI Thought It'd Be Different
"No Wish" Black Milk, Raphael Saadiq Everybody Good?

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Brother (group)</span> American hip hop duo

Little Brother is an American hip hop duo from Durham, North Carolina that consists of rappers Phonte and Big Pooh. DJ and producer 9th Wonder was an original member of the group but departed in 2007. The group has produced five acclaimed studio albums and six mixtapes. Little Brother is highly regarded among hip hop fans and critics.

Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by Rolling Stone as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">9th Wonder</span> American record producer (born 1975)

Patrick Denard Douthit, better known as 9th Wonder, is an American hip hop producer, record executive, and DJ from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, who is also teaching faculty at North Carolina Central University and Duke University, where he collaborates with Professor Mark Anthony Neal.

<i>The Listening</i> (Little Brother album) 2003 studio album by Little Brother

The Listening is the debut album of North Carolina trio Little Brother. It was released on February 25, 2003, on ABB Records.

<i>Sleepers</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Rapper Big Pooh

Sleepers is the debut solo album from Rapper Big Pooh of North Carolina's Little Brother. It followed on the heels of bandmate Phonte's album with The Foreign Exchange, Connected (2004). The album features contributions and guest spots from Phonte, Nicolay, 9th Wonder and Los Angeles-based rapper Murs. It begins with an audio clip from film director Spike Lee's 1988 film, School Daze, and features a few audio excerpts from Christopher Nolan's 2002 film Insomnia throughout the album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Foreign Exchange</span> American hip hop group

The Foreign Exchange is an R&B/electronica/hip hop duo consisting of the American rapper/singer Phonte and the Dutch record producer Nicolay.

<i>The Minstrel Show</i> 2005 studio album by Little Brother

The Minstrel Show is the second studio album by hip hop trio Little Brother, released on September 13, 2005. It followed the critical success of their 2003 debut, The Listening. The album was highly anticipated and touted as a probable breakthrough for the group, even before its release. The title is a reference to the minstrel shows that were popular in the United States during the 19th century.

<i>Chemistry</i> (Buckshot and 9th Wonder album) 2005 studio album by Buckshot & 9th Wonder

Chemistry is the first collaborative studio album by American rapper Buckshot and record producer 9th Wonder. It was released on June 21, 2005 through Duck Down Music as a part of the label's "Triple Threat Campaign", preceded by Sean Price's Monkey Barz and followed by Tek & Steele's Smif 'n' Wessun: Reloaded. Recording sessions took place at Missie Ann Studios in Raleigh, North Carolina. Production was handled entirely by 9th Wonder, with Buckshot and Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman serving as executive producers. It features guest appearances from Keisha Shontelle, Big Pooh, Joe Scudda, L.E.G.A.C.Y., Phonte, Sean Price and Starang Wondah. This album is paralleled by the Black Moon album Alter the Chemistry, which was basically a remix album produced by Da Beatminerz.

<i>Connected</i> (The Foreign Exchange album) 2004 studio album by the Foreign Exchange

Connected is the first studio album by the Foreign Exchange, a hip hop group consisting of American rapper Phonte from Little Brother and Dutch producer Nicolay. It was released on BBE on August 24, 2004.

<i>Getback</i> 2007 studio album by Little Brother

Getback is the third studio album from Little Brother, released on October 23, 2007. Eleven days prior, Phonte leaked the album himself to Okayplayer.com

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Little Brother discography</span>

The following is the discography of American hip hop duo Little Brother.

Tanya Morgan is an American hip hop group, which consists of MC William Donald "Donwill" Freeman and MC/producer Devon "Von Pea" Callender. Donwill is from Cincinnati, Ohio, while Von Pea is from Brooklyn, New York. Their fourth studio album, YGWY$4, was released on July 28, 2017.

The Justus League was a hip hop collective from North Carolina founded in 1999. The collective consists of a total of 15 members (8 emcees, 5 producers, 1 DJ, and 1 consultant aka "Minister of Opinion". The emcees are: Cesar Comanche, Chaundon, Phonte, Rapper Big Pooh, Median, L.E.G.A.C.Y., Sean Boog, and Edgar Allen Floe. The producers are: 9th Wonder, Khrysis, Son of Yorel, Eccentric, and Big Dho. The DJ is DJ Flash Gordon, and the Consultant/Minister of Opinion is Mike Burvick. Although material isn't released as a collective, each member works actively in the music scene releasing solo albums, running their own record labels, along with other business endeavors.

L.E.G.A.C.Y. is a rapper from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and former member of the Justus League collective.

The Away Team is a hip hop duo consisting of MC Sean Boog and producer Khrysis, both of whom are members of the North Carolina rap collective the Justus League.

<i>Leftback</i> (album) 2010 studio album by Little Brother

Leftback is the fourth studio album by Little Brother. It was released on April 21, 2010 via Hall of Justus Records.

<i>The Wonder Years</i> (9th Wonder album) 2011 studio album by 9th Wonder

The Wonder Years is the fourth studio album by American record producer 9th Wonder. It was released on September 27, 2011 through his own label It's a Wonderful World Music Group. Recording sessions took place at Khrysis' Crib, at the Peanut Gallery in Raleigh, North Carolina, at Brightlady Studios, and at Record Plant in Los Angeles. Production was handled entirely by 9th Wonder himself, who also served as executive producer. It features guest appearances from Terrace Martin, Median, Phonte, Actual Proof, Big Remo, Bird & The Midnight Falcons, Blu, Erykah Badu, Fashawn, GQ, Halo, Heather Victoria, Holly Weerd, Kendrick Lamar, Khrysis, King Mez, Mac Miller, Marsha Ambrosius, Masta Killa, MeLa Machinko, Murs, Problem, Raekwon, Rapsody, Skyzoo, Talib Kweli, Tanya Morgan, Thee Tom Hardy and Warren G. The album peaked at number 76 on the Billboard 200 in the United States.

<i>Charity Starts at Home</i> 2011 studio album by Phonte

Charity Starts at Home is the debut solo studio album by American rapper Phonte. The album was released on September 27, 2011 via Foreign Exchange Music. Production was handled by 9th Wonder, E. Jones, Fatin "10" Horton, Khrysis, Stro Elliott, Swiff D, Symbolyc One, Zo! and Phonte, who also served as executive producer together with Nicolay. It features guest appearances from Big K.R.I.T., Carlitta Durand, Elzhi, Eric Roberson, Evidence, Jeanne Jolly, Sy Smith, and fellow Justus League member Median.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rapsody</span> American rapper from North Carolina

Marlanna Evans, better known by her stage name Rapsody, is an American rapper. After signing with music producer 9th Wonder's music label It's a Wonderful World Music Group, she released a series of mixtapes and collaborated with Erykah Badu and Talib Kweli. Soon afterwards Rapsody released her debut album The Idea of Beautiful (2012). She would attain further prominence when she was featured on Kendrick Lamar's 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly, on the track "Complexion ".

<i>May the Lord Watch</i> 2019 studio album by Little Brother

May the Lord Watch is the fifth studio album by American hip-hop duo Little Brother. It was released on August 20, 2019 by Imagine Nation Music, For Members Only Records and Empire Distribution.

References

  1. "5th & Fashion (skit)". Warnerchappell.com. Warner/Chappell Music. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
  2. Setaro, Shawn (April 16, 2019). "The Story of 'Questlove Supreme': Low-Key Flexes and the Magic Circle". Complex.
  3. 1 2 "MVRemix Urban Interviews Phonte of Little Brother – Online Rap Magazine". Mvremix.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
  4. Hale, Andreas (March 7, 2018). "Phonte Talks New Album 'No News Is Good News,' Growth as a Lyricist & If Little Brother Will Ever Reunite". Billboard. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  5. Phonte [@phontigallo] (May 5, 2011). "Phonte. Charity Starts at Home. 09/13/11. #FEMusic" (Tweet) via Twitter.
  6. "The Best Albums of 2018: #100 – 81". Bandcamp Daily. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
  7. Gee, Andre (July 21, 2023). "Phonte Gets Poignantly Vulnerable On Black Milk's "No Wish"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  8. 1 2 "Phonte – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard . Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  9. 1 2 "Phonte – Chart history: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard . Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  10. "Stream Phonte's Surprise New EP 'Pacific Time'". OkayPlayer.