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Album
Review
Little Brother - The Minstrel Show "ALBUM OF THE YEAR!" End Quote by: Malik Sinsear, for Entertainment
Simply put, The Minstrel Show is a parody of B.E.T. and a damn good one. The whole album broadcasts over UBN (U Black Niggas Network) and gives dead on performances of everything you'd see if you switched on the black people channel, especially the current state of "urban music." But get this; it doesn't come off as preachy or corny. Conscious MC's who don't come off as bitter, holier-than-thou mad rappers for over 50-minutes? It's more likely an Atkins patient won't have a heart attack in the next five years. And what’s better; It's the ALBUM OF THE YEAR! FIYA! Yes, from the intro to the meat of the record, through the hilarious skits on to the finale and encore, just great beats and rhymes. "What more do you want?" This album flows so well because first of all, it's a beautifully meshed concept driven record. The whole minstrel show theme and how Phonte and Pooh, for the most part, stick to it reminds me of old De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest classics. If you're looking for a formula record, go listen to that Tony Yayo. But if you're looking for something you can grab onto, be entertained and pleasantly surprised because the artist is going through something you can relate to, this is for you. In between the side-splitting Cheatin’ and real as fuck dilemma every heterosexual man goes through in All For You, Phonte amusingly spits “My girl’s a grown woman who ain’t tryin’ to get her eagle on, she’d rather be in the bed gettin’ her kegel on,” on Say It Again. This is the type of cleverness you look forward to hearing not only the first time, but again and again. See that’s what you call replay value. I know some of you have probably never heard of this, but it’s when you can listen to a record over and over without the novelty wearing off. I know, a foreign concept in today’s melancholy music mush, but trust me, I’m not making this up. The Minstrel Show succeeds in every conceivable way starting off with their resident beat-smith 9th Wonder and his wonderful use of his now patented drums and soul samples. Him and KanYe use them better than anyone in the business, but 9ths drums give his more of a Pete Rock old school Hip-Hop feel. Maybe that’s what B.E.T. doesn’t like about Little Brother’s album. Or maybe it was the line Phonte drops on the group’s lazy addictive curtain call, We Got Now featuring Chaundon. “I think about the youth and how their minds are so closed, ‘cause now Rap City look like Video Soul,” he says. I
mean that owning would make me mad, too.
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Say
it ain't so Steven Hill or whoever is in charge of the video play
list at B.E.T. Please say it ain't so. As much as I try to defend
you, if it's true that per "Squeeze Radio - 89.9"
in New York City, that B.E.T. has stated Little Brother's
Lovin' It video will not be played due to the fact that it
is "too intelligent," then I can no longer stand up
for you when people tear down what used to be the voice for young
black people in this country. First of all, the song/video is
about as simple as it gets; no Wire-Fu, CGI or Usual Suspect
twists in it, just Big Pooh, Phonte and special guest Joe Scudda
rocking the mic at the club while 9th Wonder is on the turntables.
I found it hard to believe this could be the truth until I sat
down and gave The Minstrel Show a full spin. If the accusation
is indeed true, I suppose I could see the animosity Black Entertainment
Television would hold for the trio from North Carolina. 