The 30 Best Little Brother Songs Part III

Here it is, the third and final chapter of the 30 Best Little Brother Songs. I won't waste time here, so let's get to it!

Previously: The 30 Best Little Brother Songs Part II

#10
Little Brother (feat. Joe Scudda)
"Lovin' It"
The Minstrel Show
Prod. 9th Wonder

Here it is, the infamous track known as “too intelligent.” A track, along with the video, so intellectually challenging and so over-our-heads, we may never fully understand this track for at least another 50 years...Seriously "too intelligent"?! How retarded are we exactly as a society to dismiss this head noddin' track because it's too 'smart' for us? That's their excuse?! Ain't that a... If I had it my way, this track would've replaced the lame "Bah-dah-bah-bah-baaaaaah" McDonalds' jingle and "can't stop, won't stop, yes I love it" is what you'll always hear during a Big Mac commercial.



#9
Little Brother
"The Yo-Yo"
The Listening
Prod. 9th Wonder

The thing that impresses me the most about "The Yo-Yo" is what LB can do with such a vague title. Pooh, on one hand, is conversing with a girl who suddenly wants to converse back to him because she found out he's a rapper. Tay, on the other, is straight rippin' on corny coffee shop wannabe-Saul-Williams poets rockin' sandals and capris. 9th's beat is sinister while it makes you relax, but folks that front are sweating bullets while hearing this joint. Don't try to play them out 'cause you can't play with "The Yo-Yo."


#8
Little Brother
"Still Lives Through"
The Minstrel Show
Prod. 9th Wonder

If The Listening didn't boost up LB as the new A Tribe Called Quest, then this one definitely did. LB definitely proved that God indeed still lives through over this boom-bap and Busta Rhymes' classic "OH MY GAWWWD!" sample. While Q-Tay, Pooh Dawg, and Ali 9theed Wondahammad's 2005 offering experienced the "Industry Rule #4,080" effect, they was still definitely on point as they gave you a funky introduction of how nice they are.

[NOTE: By the way, since I'm from the 814, I wonder who that 'hoe' Phonte was talking about...]


#7
Little Brother (feat. DJ Jazzy Jeff)
"Watch Me"
The Minstrel Show
Prod. Khrysis

This joint is straight hip-hop, point blank peri-odd. That was my first impression after hearing this Michael Jackson-sampled track from Carolina's #1 reporters. Khyrsis' heat on the boards were definitely set aflame, as Pooh and Tay, lyrically, poured gasoline and used Crisco fish/chicken grease on the fire. But hip-hop heads gave away their Kool-Aid smile when they heard out of nowhere "And now the Minstrel Show is proud to present JAZZY JEFF!!!" As Jazz proceeded to cut and dissect the vinyls for anatomical study, it was the fianl testament that this song proves worthy of Top 7 material.


#6
Little Brother
"Dreams"
Getback
Prod. Rashid Hadee & Additional Prod. Khrysis

"Mama, I got dreams, but dreams don't keep the lights on" While your dreams does serve as a fuel for getting to your goals, you still have to worry about changing the oil, filling air in the tires, updating the tags, and fixing the right taillight every now and then. On a song that basically used an orchestra, Pooh and Tay gave us pure insights on how rough it is to live your dreams, even while you're living it. While never being heard on radio nor seen on TV, they still keep going by being supported by real fans everywhere. Plus, I believe this joint brought producer Rashid Hadee into new heights as he lives out his dream of making dope music such as this one on #6.


#5
Little Brother (feat. Darien Brockington)
"All for You"
The Minstrel Show
Prod. 9th Wonder

This one's Top 5 automatically. It's been over five years and I rarely have heard a song that touches the hard topic of fatherhood such as this one. Those who lived life with a single parent or are on a verge of becoming a single parent themselves can relate to this song. And James Poyser did a great job adding the keyboards to this joint.


#4
Little Brother
"The Listening"
The Listening
Prod. 9th Wonder

It's been almost eight years since this track was released and people still ain't listening? Oh, the irony. Except they're thinking about their Bathing Apes instead of Timberlands' now. Dropping two verses of knowledge, as well as a special verse for all the "beat listeners" out there, LB keeps it reppin' for those in Switzerland with their ears and minds open.


#3
Little Brother
"Speed"
The Listening
Prod. 9th Wonder

They say, "There ain't nothing like your first hustle." And this one shows three (literally perhaps) hungry N.C. niggas trying to at least make it out of the college dorms. On "The Becoming," Phonte would refer to this joint as "whack" and someone must've spiked his can of StarKist that day because "Speed" is far from whack. I'm still amazed how this is their introductory track, yet LB already founded their niche. They're placed as the common-emcee who's trying to hustle, like everybody else, and provide their fam with everything they need. Even when the world's moving too fast for them, at twelve they press cruise control and slow it down, slow it down.




#2
Little Brother
"When Everything is New"
Getback
Prod. Zo!

On the real, I never thought "When Everything is New" would serve as the falling action for the group and Leftback serves as a denouement. I was still thinking of "When Everything is New" as a climax. Served as a final track on Getback (well, on the U.S. CD, at least), Zo! gave the group a perfect ending music for Pooh and Tay to give out their proverbs. It summarizes everything Getback, as well as their whole career to this point was about: getting back to life, getting back to reality, and getting back to the here and now (yeah).


#1
Little Brother
"The Way You Do It"
The Listening
Prod. 9th Wonder

Where do I even begin to why this song is #1? First off, how 9th turned this song into such a bangin' jam is beyond what I can imagine. Secondly, this shows not only what LB is about, but what making music is all about: YOU, the listeners. What great feeling it is to be standing soaking wet in the middle of the rain with barely enough money for a bus fare in your pocket. Suddenly, you're going on stage with an audience giving you a warm welcome and mouthing every words to your song like they were given an exam of who can memorize it the most. A feeling like that is unmatched, but the feeling of a fan finding music to get them through the days, months, years, decades, and centuries is even more unmatched. This song serves as the reason why I'm typing this list, why you're checking it out, why folks look forward to LB to perform that song everytime they're live on stage. There are many other reasons, but it gives us the full glimpse of LB's plan to show us that they understand we are appreciated.



Thanks for checking out the list! We love any chance to educate the masses about Little Brother. I hope y'all enjoy it, as we plan to do more lists like this one soon! Here are the runner-ups and Lord knows that there are a few too many of those:

1. "(Not) Enough" feat. Darien Brockington
[I know Ms. Music Lover was particularly looking for this track here. This track arm-wrestled with "Watch Me" and lost. I enjoy this Teddy Pendergrass-chopped-up joint myself, as it reminds us of the basic necessities of good music: dope beats and dope rhymes.]


2. "The Beginning" feat. YahZarah
[This was almost at the beginning as I call this one of the underrated LB joints of all time...then again, which song isn't?]


3. "The Get-Up" feat. Percy Miracles
[This blazing track produced by 9th Wonder and 'fuckin' Jerrod' still can't stop and won't stop like a Toyota Prius crashing into the already-crashed Ford Explorer.]


Aw man, there's too many for me to list, but here are more of them for y'all to argue about which one of these I should've placed on the list:
Can't Stop Us, The Olio, Can't Win for Losing, So Fabulous, Slow it Down, Beautiful Morning, Nobody Like Me, Time of your Life, Before the Night is Over, Second Chances, Best Kept Secret, The Pressure, Cross that Line, I See Now (just thought of that one....aw well!), Candy, Getaway, For You, etc. etc. etc.

BONUS: Here's a video interview with Little Brother that brigns back the nostalgia of the ol' Boxtalk. Props to Good Fella Radio



Tell us what you think about the list? What would you have had in the top 10?