Phonte
Phonte Coleman | |
|---|---|
 Phonte in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Phonte Lyshod Coleman |
| Also known as | Percy Miracles |
| Born | December 28, 1978 Lumberton, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1998–present |
| Labels | Foreign 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, producer, actor, and voice over artist. He is a member of the North Carolina hip-hop trio/duo Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. His music spans multiple genres including R&B, hip-hop, house and electronic music.
Early life
[edit]Phonte Coleman was born in Lumberton, North Carolina, and was raised in Red Springs, North Carolina. His family moved to Greensboro, North Carolina in 1987-1988. He grew up singing in a church choir, and played trumpet starting in middle school and participating in the North Carolina All-State Band. He also played football in high school, then as a fullback for two years at North Carolina Central University, where he was an English major.
Career
[edit]Little Brother
[edit]Little Brother is an underground hip-hop group composed of Phonte, rapper Big Pooh and producer 9th Wonder. The group met in 1998, while attending North Carolina Central University.[2] 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 in 2002, and recording their debut album, The Listening.[3] The forums of the website Okayplayer were ignited by interest from a growing fanbase.[4] The album's success led to the group signing a non-exclusive deal with Atlantic Records in 2004.
The group's 2005 album, The Minstrel Show, was a concept album based on a fictional television network called "UBN" (U Black Niggas Network). The album has been described as satirizing the connection between minstrel shows and stereotypical industry and self-constructions of Blackness in entertainment and advertisements.[5] The album received positive reviews, without commercial success. During the recording of their third album, the group announced the departure of 9th Wonder, as well as a parting of ways with their label. They returned to ABB Records and released Getback in late 2007. Getback was Little Brother's first album as a duo.[6] In 2010, they released their fourth studio album, Leftback.
In 2023, Little Brother released the documentary film, May the Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story about the group's history,[7] which was directed by Holland Randolph Gallagher.
The Foreign Exchange
[edit]Phonte met Dutch producer Nicolay virtually on an Okayplayer message board.[8] The duo released their debut album, Connected in 2004, having never met face to face.[9]
Their second album, Leave It All Behind was released in 2008. The group received a Nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Daykeeper" (featuring Muhsinah) from Leave It All Behind.[10] Their third album, Authenticity, released on October 12, 2010, peaked at number 145 on the Billboard 200 chart in the US and Number 23 on the U.S. Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[11] Love in Flying Colors, their fourth studio album, was released in 2013. The album's track “Better” was featured on Barack Obama’s 2022 playlist.[12] The album Tales from the Land of Milk and Honey was released in 2015.[13] Their album Hide&Seek was released in 2017.
Solo work
[edit]Phonte has released two solo albums, and has appeared on numerous records by other artists as a vocalist. His lyrics tend to include perspectives on working-class life.[2]
He released his solo-debut titled Charity Starts at Home on September 27, 2011 on the label FE Music.[14] His second album, No News Is Good News (FE), was released on March 2, 2018. No News Is Good News was included in Bandcamp Daily's best-100-albums-of-2018 year-end list (placed at #42).[15]
TV and other media
[edit]Phonte has composed music for soundtracks and TV, and is a voice over artist and actor. He did voice acting and composed music for the animated TV series, The Boondocks, as well as the series, Black Dynamite.[16] He composed songs with DJ Premier for the TV series, The Breaks (VH1), 2016-2017. He was featured on several episodes in the role of “Imam Ali" in a script on the 1990s American music industry.[17] He did voice acting for a commercial honoring Russell Westbrook's NBA Most Valuable Player win in 2017.[18][19]
Phonte has composed multiple raps for Sesame Street characters, including a song for SZA’s Sesame Street appearance with a duet with Elmo entitled "Gratitude," in addition to other songs including “Apple vs. Banana” ft. Tavi Fields and “BBQ vs. Hike.” He was a member of "Team Supreme", co-hosting Questlove's podcast, Questlove Supreme from 2016 to 2025.[20] Questlove Supreme won six Webby Awards and the 2023 Music Podcast of the Year for the iHeartRadio Podcast Awards.[21]
Discography
[edit]Studio albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US [22] |
US R&B [23] | ||
| Charity Starts at Home |
|
61 | 9 |
| No News Is Good News |
|
— | — |
Collaborative albums
[edit]| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [22] |
US R&B [23] | ||||||||||||
| Love the 80's (with Zo! as Zo! & Tigallo) |
|
— | — | ||||||||||
| Tigallerro (with Eric Roberson) |
|
— | 19 | ||||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Extended plays
[edit]| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Pacific Time |
|
With Little Brother
[edit]- The Listening (2003)
- The Minstrel Show (2005)
- Getback (2007)
- Leftback (2010)
- May the Lord Watch (2019)
With The Foreign Exchange
[edit]- Connected (2004)
- Leave It All Behind (2008)
- Authenticity (2010)
- Love in Flying Colors (2013)
- Tales from the Land of Milk and Honey (2015)
Guest appearances
[edit]| Title | Year | Other 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 Spirits | Liquid 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 & Zaire | Ridin' 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, Tor | 101 | |
| "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 Smarts | Thank H.E.R. Now | |
| "Babble" | The Physics | Love Is a Business | |
| "Take a Chance" | Median | The 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 Roberson | Mister 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" | 2013 | Zo!, Choklate | ManMade |
| "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, Elzhi | 9th Wonder Presents Jamla Is the Squad |
| "A Matter of the Heart" | Jesse Boykins III | Love Apparatus | |
| "Requiem" | 2015 | Oddisee | Persona |
| "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" | 2017 | JR & PH7, St. Joe Louis, Tamisha Waden | Coral Cadavers |
| "Donuts" | 2018 | Andy Mineo | The Sword |
| "Woke as Me" | 2019 | Open Mike Eagle | |
| "Blackberry" | 2020 | Carlitta Durand | Kismet Green |
| "Uzbekistan" | Your Old Droog, Mach-Hommy | Dump YOD: Krutoy Edition | |
| "Who" | 2021 | Topaz Jones, Maxo | Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma |
| "Be Mine" | Emmavie, Saint Ezekiel | What's a Diamond to a Baby | |
| "Choices" | 2023 | Oddisee, BeMyFiasco, Kay Young | To What End |
| "Otherside" | Rory, BeMyFiasco | I Thought It'd Be Different | |
| "No Wish" | Black Milk, Raphael Saadiq | Everybody Good?[25] | |
| "You Don't Know" | 2024 | Lalah Hathaway | VANTABLACK |
Awards and nominations
[edit]- Nomination, Grammy Award for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Daykeeper," with The Foreign Exchange, featuring Muhsinah, from Leave It All Behind
- Nomination, Grammy Award for Best R&B Album, Vocalist, on "Vantablack" by Lalah Hathaway, 2024
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "5th & Fashion (skit)". Warnerchappell.com. Warner/Chappell Music. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ a b "MVRemix Urban Interviews Phonte of Little Brother – Online Rap Magazine". Mvremix.com. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Jennings, Kyesha (September 13, 2023). "Little Brother Has Come a Long Way From the Okayplayer Boards". Okayplayer. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ Macia, Peter (September 14, 2005). "The Minstrel Show - Little Brother". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ Love, Joshua (November 21, 2007). "Getback - Little Brother". Pitchfork. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ Smith, Jamel (December 4, 2023). "'May the Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story' chronicles rise, fall, and reunion of beloved North Carolina hip-hop trio". Clture. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ "The 100 best indie hip-hop records of all time: 86. The Foreign Exchange - Connected". Fact. February 25, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ Warren, Jamin (September 14, 2004). "The Foreign Exchange: Connected". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
- ^ "The Foreign Exchange - 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards". Grammy Awards. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ "The Foreign Exchange - Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 7, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Johnson, Kristen (July 29, 2022). "Obama released his annual summer playlist, and this NC duo made the rotation". The Herald Sun. Retrieved July 4, 2025.
- ^ Aku, Timmhotep (August 12, 2015). "Review: The Foreign Exchange, 'Tales From The Land Of Milk And Honey'". NPR. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ Phonte [@phontigallo] (May 5, 2011). "Phonte. Charity Starts at Home. 09/13/11. #FEMusic" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ "The Best Albums of 2018: #100 – 81". Bandcamp Daily. December 10, 2018. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
- ^ "Roots: The White Album". IMDB. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (February 19, 2017). "Review: 'The Breaks' Captures Hip-Hop in the '90s, Music and All". The New York Times. Retrieved July 12, 2025.
- ^ Barrow, Jerry (July 4, 2017). "The Shadow League". The Shadow League. Retrieved July 5, 2025.
- ^ "Russell Westbrook Jordan Brand MVP Animated Commercial". youtube.com.
- ^ Setaro, Shawn (April 16, 2019). "The Story of 'Questlove Supreme': Low-Key Flexes and the Magic Circle". Complex.
- ^ Grein, Paul (March 15, 2023). "Questlove Wins Music Podcast of the Year at 2023 iHeartPodcast Awards". Billboard. Retrieved July 13, 2023.
- ^ a b "Phonte – Chart history: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ a b "Phonte – Chart history: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
- ^ "Stream Phonte's Surprise New EP 'Pacific Time'". OkayPlayer.
- ^ Gee, Andre (July 21, 2023). "Phonte Gets Poignantly Vulnerable On Black Milk's "No Wish"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
External links
[edit]
- Phonte RBMA video lecture session
- Interview with Phonte and Nicolay at Leisure Lab
- "Phonte on North Carolina, Little Brother and a new wave of Rap". Red Bull Music Academy. Red Bull Music. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
| International | |
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| National | |
| Artists | |
