Phonte Lyshod Coleman, known mononymously as Phonte (born December 28, 1978), is an American rapper, singer, and producer. He is currently of the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

hip-hop trio/duo Little Brother (revived in 2019 without producer 9th Wonder) and one-half of the duo

The Foreign Exchange The Foreign Exchange is an R&B/ electronica/ hip hop duo consisting of the American rapper/singer Phonte and the Dutch record producer Nicolay. Musical career The pair initially made contact via message boards on Okayplayer.com and soon ...

. He has also recorded R&B-flavored output as a singer (often under the pseudonym Percy Miracles), and with Nicolay on The Foreign Exchange. His rhymes tend to be no-frill perspectives on working-class life.

Career

Little Brother

Phonte first met the other members of Little Brother, rapper

Big Pooh Thomas Louis Jones III (born February 12, 1980), better known by his stage name Big Pooh (or Rapper Big Pooh), is an American rapper, who, along with fellow rap artist Phonte, is a member of the acclaimed North Carolina hip hop group Little Bro ...

and producer 9th Wonder, in 1998 while attending

North Carolina Central University North Carolina Central University (NCCU or NC Central) is a public historically black university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by James E. Shepard in affiliation with the Chautauqua movement in 1909, it was supported by private funds from ...

, as an

English major English studies (usually called simply English) is an academic discipline taught in primary, secondary, and post-secondary education in English-speaking countries; it is not to be confused with English taught as a foreign language, which is ...

. 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''. The album's success led to the group signing a non-exclusive deal with major label Atlantic Records. The group's 2005 album, '' The Minstrel Show'', was a concept album dealing with the current state of hip hop music. The album received a positive critical reaction but very little 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 landed back on ABB Records and released ''

Getback ''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 Details The group has confirmed the involvement of several outside producers, in addi ...

'' in late 2007.

The Foreign Exchange

Phonte met Dutch producer Nicolay virtually on an OkayPlayer message board. The duo released their debut album, ''

Connected Connected may refer to: Film and television * ''Connected'' (2008 film), a Hong Kong remake of the American movie ''Cellular'' * '' Connected: An Autoblogography About Love, Death & Technology'', a 2011 documentary film * ''Connected'' (2015 TV ...

'', having never met face to face. The Foreign Exchange has released four albums and has garnered 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, often as a vocalist. He 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 Joshua Paul Davis (born June 29, 1972), better known by his stage name DJ Shadow, is an American DJ, songwriter and record producer. His debut studio album, '' Endtroducing.....'' was released in 1996. Biography Early years (1989–1995) DJ Sh ...

's '' The Outsider'' album. In the following year he contributed vocals to rap group

Playaz Circle Playaz Circle is an American hip hop duo signed to the Def Jam Recordings record label, composed of rappers 2 Chainz and Dolla Boy. History 1997–2010: Beginnings and debut album The duo was formed in 1997 by childhood friends Tity Boi (lat ...

'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''. The latter of these is intended as an homage to early 1980s R&B and pop music and features covers of popular songs such as a-Ha's "

Take On Me "Take On Me" is a song by the Norwegian synth-pop band A-ha. The original version, recorded in 1984 and released in October of that same year, was produced by Tony Mansfield and remixed by John Ratcliff. The 1985 international hit version was p ...

", Toto's "

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

", and Joe Jackson's " Stepping Out". He appeared on

RJD2 Ramble Jon Krohn (born May 27, 1976), better known by his stage name RJD2, is an American musician based in Columbus, Ohio. He is the owner of record label RJ's Electrical Connections. He has been a member of groups such as Soul Position, MHz Lega ...

's 2013 album '' More Is Than Isn't''. He released his solo-debut titled '' Charity Starts at Home'' on September 27, 2011 through FE Music. His second album, ''No News Is Good News'', was released on March 2, 2018.

Discography

Studio albums

Collaborative albums

Extended plays

With Little Brother

* '' The Listening'' (2003) * '' The Minstrel Show'' (2005) * ''

'' (2007) * ''

Leftback In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

'' (2010) * '' May the Lord Watch'' (2019)

With The Foreign Exchange

* ''

'' (2004) * '' Leave It All Behind'' (2008) * '' Authenticity'' (2010) * ''

Love in Flying Colors ''Love in Flying Colors'' is the fourth studio album by the Foreign Exchange, released in 2013. It peaked at number 115 on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart. ''Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or ...

'' (2013) * '' Tales from the Land of Milk and Honey'' (2015)

Guest appearances

References

External links

Phonte RBMA video lecture sessionInterview with Phonte and Nicolay at Leisure Lab
{{Authority control Living people African-American male rappers Rappers from North Carolina Singers from North Carolina Atlantic Records artists Record producers from North Carolina Musicians from Durham, North Carolina American hip hop singers American contemporary R&B singers 1978 births 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male singers 21st-century African-American male singers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people