We always remember certain moments in our lives that changed us.  Moments that created a paradigm shift in our lives or defined a particular point in history that we hold near and dear to our heart.  Looking back on these moments, I can connect them to the most influential group of my life, Little Brother.

I remember my high school made the mistake of giving me out periods.  I would always step out for lunch and usually didn’t return for the rest of the day…and if I did, it was to sit around my speech teacher’s class till the out bell rang.  I wish I could recall the date but I can’t…luckily, I can still recall the moment my life changed.  I took off from school with my friend, DJ, and he pulled out a blue disc with altered square prints on it; smudged in a little colored sharpie was the words “Little Brother”.  It wasn’t the first album but it was a mix of songs from the album and other releases.  The cd was popped in and the first song played…a sample spewing the phrase ‘Oh Baby I believe you!!!”. Whoa!!! “Whatever You Say” was hitting my ears for the first time ever and I was instantly hooked to this brand of hip-hop I hadn’t listened to since I was a kid hearing my brother play ATCQ and Pete Rock/CL Smooth tapes in the garage.

It was so foreign to me…yet so familiar because the music was so relatable.  The lyrics of Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh covered the beats of 9th Wonder in such a natural fashion.  Shortly afterward, I finally got my hands on the full album and it didn’t disappoint.  The music was mature and that’s what I needed.  I had to grow up at an early age and the saturation of Lil Jon on the radio wasn’t doing it for me.  Little Brother as a movement just felt right for where I was at that moment.

So, we went along and heard the “Chittlin Circuit”, we heard Phonte and Nicolay’s “Connected”, we heard Big Pooh’s “Sleepers” and continued to be amazed by the artistry of the group…then along came a major deal.  The excitement of hearing that your favorite group had made it…well, it led to many arguments at work (stocker @ Target) because I wasn’t up on Z-Ro or Young Jeezy.  I was up on Little Brother whom my co-worker called “some positive vibes soul group”…god forbid it give that vibe. So the album released to a lackluster audience and I even went as far to travel four hours out of town to watch them rock for a crowd of 50 people…still giving the best performance I’ve seen in ages and throwing it down like the venue was packed from front to back.  Hell, we even got shouted out for the trip we took…it was worth it in our eyes.

We made through with more mixtapes and group albums like “And Justus For All” and “Separate but Equal” to see the release of “GetBack”…an album minus 9th Wonder because, well…like anything in life…the relationship ran its course.  It was my favorite album since “The Listening” and I even shed a tear or two when I first connected with the song “Dreams”.  That was the connection I got from the music…I still related to them.

So, more music came out from each member and we fast forward to 2010 when the news breaks that the group is releasing its final album “LeftBack” and that’s it.  It didn’t upset me because it seemed correct.  It was a major chapter in their lives and it was time to turn the page.  It’s the same with me…I grew up with Little Brother and learned many realizations through their songs and I’m ready to turn the page as well.  I feel I’m equipped to carry on.  With that being said, I just want to thank Little Brother for their contributions to music and my life.  You can say it’s on some groupie shit but it’s real a stellar moment when you can find a soundtrack to your life…onto the next chapter.

-Fisix of Fuya Radio