Phonte
From Sean Deez c/o Kevin Nottingham:
I present you guys with the Top 15 Phonte Rap Performances. Two things:
1. I had to be specific about the title because he does sing and some songs were spectacular because of a combination of lines from separate verse and
2. I had to expand it to 15 from 10 because 10 was much too hard. At the bottom there are 5 Honourable Mentions, even those were hard.
Guys, I’ve listened to pretty much every single Phonte track that is available, I’ve narrowed them down through 5 processes. These are the ones that made the 6th cut. Professional sports teams don’t even have that many cuts! This thing has more cuts than a Preemo track so take it as you may and know that my time and effort is really all for you guys. Please feel free to hate, love, express your opinion, acknowledge, son me, own me, “pwn” me, violate me, email me and caress me. You guys keep me doing this stuff so enjoy all of it. Big ups Nottingham!
15. “Tour of Duty” by the Justus League
Album: Hall of Justus
Why it’s Dope: One thing that was so difficult throughout this entire process was ignoring the beat. Phonte makes it easy at the end. The song as a whole is a collective effort by the J League and the topics differ from braggadocio, to smack talk, to relative props to the comrades. All of the verses seem like a set up for Mr. Coleman, the evidently leader of the pack. Goosebumps still entail when it kicks in and Phonte delivers a verse to any of who those who try to attack him on his “Tour of Duty.” It is Rambo like, but still, the rather large unit of the J League forms like Voltron around ‘Te.
Memorable Lines: “A square nigga, so they figure they could corner him”, “the only shooting I did was shot dice”, “I’m like Lumbergh shittin’ on your Office Space”
14. “Slow it Down” by Little Brother featuring Darien Brockington
Album: The Minstrel Show
Why it’s Dope: Phonte has never been shy about his non-luxurious lifestyle, “…I got a Nissan/ that I’m still paying for still got a lease on,” but he’s also never been shy about expressing his emotions. On “Slow it Down” we get a deeper glimpse into that part of the relationship-talk Phonte. Here, he breaks down the difficulties of telling a girl who wants things to go fast to slow down. He also gives insight to the rather blind nature of ‘relationship inheritance’ (a phrase I just made up that explains that we want to live our love lives just as “our daddy and our uncles did it”). It is such a genuine verse and feeling that I’m sure most men reading this can easily relate to. Phonte sounds saddened, upset, and confused at what to do because he knows at the end of the night, we don’t want to be lonely (see also: “After The Party”).
Memorable Lines: “So well-rounded, no wonder you’re in my circle”, “I want a girl, when I want a girl/ and when I don’t want a girl, I want a girl who understands that”
13. “Feelin’ Alright” by Little Brother
Album: The Listening (Japanese Import)
Why it’s Dope: Hopefully this track has been heard by now; it certainly merits a listen. Phonte comes out hard… really hard. He’s feeling alright, apparently, but shows that he’s pretty damn pissed off. ‘Te speaks on wack rappers as well as why he’s hated in the rather demeaning world of hip hop. It is 45 seconds of comedic genius, as well as microphone brilliance.
Memorable Lines: “Crush you Minute Maid rappers in 30-second intervals”, “You gets no dough, your mic check just bounced”, Rap today is like a Minstrel/menstrual Show, even I’m catchin stomach cramps in it”.
12. “Doin’ Me” by Little Brother featuring Supastition
Album: Chitlin Circuit 1.5
Why it’s Dope: A boy’s relationship with his mother will always be important in a man’s life; however, it may not always develop or change. Phonte speaks on this rather taboo issue with his mother not accepting his choices in woman. This forces Phonte to explain himself via this verse that he is more than responsible to take care of any troubling situation his girl of choice might put him in. Very interesting take and delivery, and as he mentions, it must’ve been a hard verse for him to write. It’s no Eminem/Mom battle, but this is certainly an emotional tug of war for Phonte.
Memorable Lines: “That’s decision I carry/ wanna be happily married and not just stuck with a wife/ who can adjust to my rappin’ and her lips are always yapping/ and that’s just what would’ve happened if I took your advice” , “You’re gonna lose me as a son ‘til you respect me as a man”
11. “Brave New World” by The Foreign Exchange
Album: Connected
Why it’s Dope: ‘Te is a great observer, but beyond that, he’s a great translator (get it, because it’s The Foreign Exchange album…haaaa). He takes all the various issues going on during the time of 2004 and smacks them up into 2 great verses. The first verse is pretty much a list of issues like surveillance, war, poverty, crime, and politics. The second verse is the necessary connection he feels we need to people to survive in the world explained in verse one, but it takes a big sacrifice, hence, the ‘brave.’ The content and two great verses merit a necessary spot for a generally over-looked track.
Memorable Lines: “Can’t afford to raise kids cos we gotta raise soldier/ and satellites looking at my pad when I wrote this”, “Scared to catch SARS so we cancelled all the shows in Toronto” (I actually remember when this cancellation happened).
Top 10 or better after the jump.
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