Certified Classics: Little Brother - The Listening (2003)

It’s safe to say that few albums have had an impact on me the way The Listening did, and listening to it now is like being treated to a fine wine that grows finer with age. Especially in a genre that moves as fast as hip-hop, the albums that stand the test of time are a real testament to the creativity and vision of the artists who create them.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Listening_%28Little_Brother_album%29#/media/File:Little_Brother_-_The_Listening.jpg

Such is the case with The Listening, the debut album from rappers Phonte and Big Pooh and producer 9th Wonder. Though the story of Little Brother is long and varied (and definitely worth digging into), their debut album still stands as a timeless work, partly due to the myriad of styles and influences on display. Grounded by 9th Wonder’s chopped soul and funk samples, Phonte and Pooh trade complex bars that are both thought-provoking and hard-hitting. While they don’t cross into lyrical miracle territory, they make ample and creative use of language to craft tales that come across as simultaneously book-smart and street-smart. The album stands as a wholly cohesive work while not quite being a concept album, and I have a hard time listening to just one or two songs from it. That speaks to how well it all blends and weaves together while staying fresh for the entire 18 tracks. In the hands of lesser artists, the hour-plus runtime would wear out and most people may listen to the whole thing once and then go back for the hits. Not so the case with The Listening, which plays directly into its message that in some ways resonates even more these days than when it was originally released back in 2003.

The album uses the framing device of fictional radio station WJLR, Justus League Radio, which bills itself as “the future of underground hip-hop.” We also briefly visit the studio of “producer” Roy Lee (who also runs Roy Lee’s Records and Tapes), who makes his first appearance of many in the Little Brother discography and is here begging 9th Wonder for help making a beat, threatening to “go rob some old jazz singer.” This is a good example of some of Little Brother’s comedic chops, and you can tell they’re having a great deal of fun on this and subsequent albums. But it speaks to the tone of this album - they’re having a good time, but they’re also out-rhyming you and everyone you know while they’re doing it. It’s not posi-rap to the point of being corny or losing credibility, but there is a definite earnestness, perhaps honesty, to Little Brother’s output as a whole and certainly to The Listening. I can’t speak to how this landed in 2003, but here in 2024 it serves as a refreshing air amid the endless cynicism and self-parody of the larger contemporary era. This effect is enhanced by the fact that Phonte and Pooh frequently rap about topics such as having to work to make a living in a capitalist system, relationships, family life, etc, which makes it firmly relatable and constantly relevant.

This comes back to the theme of the album and what Little Brother are trying to get across, which is made explicit in the last track where Phonte and Pooh outline how people weren’t really listening to what artists are putting out and are only showing up for the “hot tracks” without caring about the lyrics. Phonte even laments that they have a better chance of blowing up in Switzerland than in their home country. This is especially relevant now in an era where everything has to be increasingly bite-sized and convenient for instant gratification and ease of sharing on social media. In some ways the current climate of “fast fashion” promoted and regurgitated by an endless barrage of apps and pop culture at large is completely antithetical to art as a whole and the creative process. There has always been an economic imperative to the artistic process and usually artists need to be at least somewhat commercially viable in order to keep doing their art. This hasn’t changed, but the sheer demand for endless streams of new content regardless of quality and the willingness of large companies to replace artists with generative programs has de-valued art and the artistic process to where most people don’t know or care what real art is, nor do they care about supporting the people who make it.

That’s a deliberate hyperbole, but the sentiment holds true. The Listening is the antidote, a plea for a more involved and attentive audience. This is what I meant when I say this album and its message are in some ways more relevant these days than perhaps even when it was originally released. Plus, it’s just a pleasure to listen to. “For You,” “Speed,” “Whatever You Say,” “The Yo-Yo,” and “Love Joint Revisited” all deserve special mention as just being all around fantastic tracks. Though the working relationship between 9th Wonder and the other members would deteriorate with 9th having less and less involvement with Little Brother over time, the chemistry on their first studio outing is undeniable. The beats and samples seem tailor picked-and-made for Phonte and Pooh and really play into their strengths, plus they still just sound good. This is one of those albums that just doesn’t get old - there are enough nuances in the wordplay, production, and various elements to always find something new on each listen, even all these years later. It really is a satisfying listen, and it doesn’t get much better than that.