It's official...LB is tipping the hat and saying farewell with Left Back, due
out on April 20th. We could see it coming with Big Pooh's mixtape success
and Phonte skyrocketing with The Foreign Exchange...*sigh*...press
release below:
(January 27, 2010 – Brooklyn, NY) Favorites of fans and critics alike,
Little Brother, the North Carolina duo of Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh,
is proud to finally confirm the release of an album people have been waiting
on for years. LeftBack, which will be the fourth album of Little Brother’s
illustrious career, will be available April 20th via Hall Of Justus.
Little Brother members Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh worked through several
versions of the album before locking in the final version of LeftBack. Close
followers of Little Brother may already be familiar with the LeftBack title,
however, any previously held notions of this album being an EP should
be dismissed. Little Brother opted to scrap the EP concept and instead,
crafted an albums worth of material for those who have bee19waiting
patiently for Leftback. “I didn’t want our last record to be a bunch of
second rate material,” says Phonte. “I wanted to walk away from Little Brother
knowing that I gave our fans all that I had to give, and said everything I
wanted to say. With LeftBack, I’ve done that.”
Continuing the tradition they set with the critically acclaimed GetBack, Big
Pooh and Phonte have enlisted multiple producers for LeftBack, both from
within and outside of the Justus League camp. Producers for this album
include frequent collaborator Khrysis and GetBack producers Denaun Porter
and Zo!, as well as efforts from Symbolyc One and first time Little Brother
contributors, J. Bizness, and King Karnov.
In addition to production, Khyrsis will also be contributing guest vocals on
the album. Joining the North Carolina producer/MC are Torae, Truck North,
Jozeemoand fellow Justus League MC’s Chaundon and Median. Resident
crooner Darien Brockington and songstress Yahzarah also supply vocals
on the album.
Despite Little Brother’s dominating presence in the hip-hop world since the
2003 release of The Listening, LeftBack will mark the duo’s first album with
a true multi-media experience. Accompanying LeftBack will be four official
music videos, all shot and directed by Matt Koza, known for his previous work
with Foreign Exchange, Rapper Big Pooh, Kam Moye, RJD2, and more.
While not customary for a Little Brother release – the group has had only one
previous official video, for The Minstrel Show’s “Lovin’ It” – with LeftBack, Little
Brother is excited to offer loyal supporters a long-desired visual take on the
group’s music. Says Big Pooh, “Three albums, three mixtapes, 1 video. It
doesn’t make a whole lot of sense in this day and age. We have always
lacked in the visual department, and I think it will be refreshing to finally
offer the people those visuals.”
Building on the album’s multi-media offerings, the initial pressing of
LeftBack will also feature a limited edition DVD full of exclusive bonus
features. Compiled in a documentary format, the bonus DVD will include
recent tour footage, as well as exclusive Little Brother footage shot and
archived throughout their career. For fans that miss the initial run, a
subsequent DVD-only release will also include all official music videos
from LeftBack.
Fans can expect further announcements from Little Brother, including tour
info and other interesting developments on LeftBack’s road to the release.