– Guru’s passing put a damper on 4:20 and perhaps added incentive for countless fans to “Take Two And Pass” with his spirit in mind.  Tins caught up with Big Boi, Burn One, Freddie Gibbs & Curren$y & let them reflect on their favorite marijuana memories.

– Joe Scudda gave us the skinny behind Not Your Average Joe & J. Cole was the latest to be featured in Yours Truly & ours 3:16 series.

– A tale of two reviews: Rocky Rivera’s eponymous debut showed promise, while Little Brother’s swan song Leftback left fans let down.

– Tracy Morgan’s antics inspired us & in turn our antics inspired SNL, thus completing the circle of life.

– From the blacktop to the hardwood, we’ve got you covered:  LeBron’s putting player’s aspirations in body bags & Jim Jones is plotting his own dynasty.

– And you can see Jimmy & Co. defend their “Stanley Cup for Harlem” simply entering our giveaway for tickets to Converse’s Band Of Ballers Celebrity Basketball Event.

In the beginning, there are dreams, fantasies and wishful thinking. The dream of entering the Hip-Hop game with your closest friends seemed all too alluring for many to pass up the smallest of opportunity. There’s the fantasy of being able to strike it rich without having to compromise morals, artistic credibility or allegiance to one another as well. For all, that type of wishful thinking only pans out to reality in the movies. Nothing is as it seems, and people, well, they change for better or worse. But best believe, they do change. Read the rest of this entry »

Checking the labeling of the song, Phonte dubbed this one “Straight from myTunes to yoTunes.” Apparently, this post-Minstrel Show recording was going to be an iTunes bonus for LeftBack but for whatever reasons, that won’t be the case. Instead of allowing it to collect dust, Tay let it loose for the internuts to savor. Read the rest of this entry »

I will not, shall not, cannot indulge in this one early. If LeftBack going to be their last one, there’s absolutely no need for me to rush the experience. I’ll wait until the retail drops…via Rapidshare. It’s okay, I can say that because I’ll be pre-ordering a copy. Pooh & Tay always gets their fair cut of my paycheck. Read the rest of this entry »

Phontig takes to his Twitter to debut the first release off LB’s last hurrah. The appropriately titled, Khrysis-produced “Curtain Call,” which doubles as the first track on LeftBack. Read the rest of this entry »

I already said rules were meant to be broken. And for LB, they will be. It’s rare that I’ll be posting an album cover and tracklisting but watching Phonte & Pooh record what’s supposed to be their last studio album is kind of bittersweet. It reminds of when my big cousin Heavy got finally got married. I was happy for him, but it meant the end of an era because I learned all my game from watching him. I wanted him to live life as a player and a hustler forever so I could run around justifying to myself that I could do the same forever too. Alas, the same passage of time and growth that took Heavy to the alter is now leading North Carolina’s leading duo on to whatever musical paths they choose to take individually.

As the momentum behind LeftBack continues to swell, Little Brother is proud to unveil the official artwork and the track listing for the album. Fans will be excited to learn that LeftBack features 13 tracks of unadulterated hip-hop, while the album artwork finds Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh standing tall amidst the ghosts of albums past, press coverage and other memories accumulated throughout Little Brother’s celebrated career. “We wanted the fans to have that moment of nostalgia when looking at this artwork” says Rapper Big Pooh. “You are able to take a quick journey from the beginning of our careers to the end as Little Brother by glancing at the artwork.”

Little Brother – LeftBack Offical Track Listing

1. Curtain Call (Prod. By Khrysis)
2. Table For Two Feat. Jozeemo & Yahzarah (Prod. By Khrysis)
3. Tigallo For Dolo (Prod. By Khrysis)
4. Revenge Feat. Truck North & Median (Prod. By Khrysis)
5. So Cold Feat. Chaundon (Prod. By King Karnov)
6. Second Chances Feat. Bilal & Darien Brockington (Prod. By Denaun Porter)
7. Go Off Go On (Prod. By Khrysis)
8. What We Are Feat. Quiana (Prod. By Young R.J.)
9. After The Party Feat. Carlitta Durand (S1 and Caleb’s Who Shot JR Ewing Remix) (Prod. By S1 and Caleb)
10. Two Step Blues Feat. Darien Brockington (Zo’s Purple Suit With The Matching Gators Remix) (Prod. By Zo!)
11. Get Enough Pt. 2 Feat. Khrysis (Prod. By Khrysis)
12. Before The Night Is Over (Prod. By J.Bizness)
13. 24 Feat. Torae (Prod. By Khrysis)

The cover is fresh with the images of previous covers worked in there and the Raising Hell hazed look. The guest appearances look HOJ heavy; thumbs up. Album drops on 4.20 so I guess you smokers have a choice to make LOL.

Me? I already know where my cash is going.

The assist: Mi Gemini hermana Michelle @ Audible Treats

It’s rare that I throw up a full press release but Little Brother and a new album = an exception to the usual M.O. Knew this was coming but got a release date (4.20.10) a few days ago. This morning the press release confirming the release date and additional info that’s enough to stoke anticipation from until April.

From the press release… Read the rest of this entry »