Phonte Coleman

I have gotten the chance to talk hip hop with Phonte a few times over the past 2 years and have enjoyed every conversation i’ve had with him.  Although he did go to a rival high school and he likes to remind me that they beat us in football every time, i let it slide.  I actually met up with Phonte through myspace a couple of years ago and told him i was interested in doing some artwork for Little Brother.  He said let’s see what you can do and i showed him a few classic logos.  I was going more of a De La route but he thought the EPMD spin would be a better fit as they weren’t a 3 man group anymore.  One or two graphics later and you have the logo for the Getback album.

Fast foward a year or so later and i get an email that he’s doing a retro 80′s album and would like to see if i’d be interested in doing the album design.  He said this one isn’t really a spoof on a logo and it needs to scream 80′s.  Well he sent me the pics of he and Zo with the jheri curls and key-tars and that’s all i needed.  I am and have been a fan of his and Little Brother since the first time i heard them.  And they’re from North Carolina… Represent Represent!

Somewhere between the jazzy, feel-good grooves of A Tribe Called Quest and the yin-yang chemistry of Outkast lies Little Brother. The duo makes music that brilliantly splits the line between art and commercialism, all while maintaining their fun-loving hip-hop purist stance. Best known for their already classic albums The Listening, The Minstrel Show and their latest album Getback, Phonte and Big Pooh continue to keep giving the fans what they want by producing classic after classic.

Straight outta Greensboro, NC, Phonte Coleman is one-half of hip hop group Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. Phonte has appeared on numerous records by other artists, often as a vocalist. In 2006, he was featured on producer DJ Shadow‘s The Outsider album. His other projects include The Foreign Exchange’s second album, Leave It All Behind, as well as a collaboration (as Tiggalo) with Detroit-based musician Zo! titled Zo! & Tigallo Love the 80’s. 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“, Toto‘s “Africa“, and Joe Jackson‘s “Stepping Out“.

1. Who are you, what do you do and where do you do it?
My name is Phonte Coleman. I rap, sing, crack jokes, and just try to have a good time in general. I make music and I do it in Durham, NC.

2. Name a defining moment in your career.
Having Pete Rock call my crib and tell me that my first record (The Listening) was a classic.

3. What is your biggest inspiration and who/what inspires you today?
My biggest inspirations are Stevie Wonder, Tribe Called Quest, and Big Daddy Kane. As for today, I’m mostly inspired by the new cats that I see making music on their own terms like Black Milk, Muhsinah, and Eric Roberson. It gives me hope for the future.

4. What have been your biggest struggles?
I’ve had many, but the biggest would probably be my struggle to balance work and family life. It’s damn near impossible with my schedule.

5. Sum up your style in 3 words.
Funny, eclectic, honest.

6. What’s the worst job you’ve ever had?
Definitely working in the customer service department at Blue Cross Blue Shield. Shit was horrible.

7. Name 3 things you can’t live without?
Laptop, desktop, iPod.

8. What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to? And where?
Probably KRS-One at Cat’s Cradle back in ’99…….

9. Name your top 5 favorite hip hop albums of all time?
The Beatnuts self-titled debut, Midnight Marauders, Nation of Millions, Death Certificate, Fantastic Vol.2

10. Tell us what you’re working on next?
Right now I’m currently writing songs for Zo and Nicolay’s upcoming projects as well as a solo project for fall of ’09.

11. Do you have any last words for anyone who wants to do what you do?
Be prepared to starve, and understand that nobody owes you a listen. You have to earn it.

List any websites we can find out more about you and what you do.
www.myspace.com/phontigallo, www.theforeignexchangemusic.com, www.gordongartrellradio.com

List any other upcoming events you’d like to share.
Just look for me hittin a city near you….

And last but not least, any good words for the Manifest crew?
Thanks for the support, and keep crankin out the ill designs!