With the release of their debut album, ‘The Listening’, Little Brother shot from general obscurity to the torchbearers of hip hop’s yesteryear. Despite lackluster reviews from major publications that seemingly missed the point, ‘The Listening’ received the stamp of approval from the who’s who of hip hop’s past and present. With the support of their peers and fan base, LB inked a deal with Atlantic Records for the release of their sophomore album “The Minstrel Show” in 2005. Unfortunately, the music industry and general public alike proved their ignorance as BET deemed the relatively tame “Lovin It” video “too intelligent” and the album sold only 18,000 copies in its debut week. Undeterred by the lack of support and promotion upon its release, “The Minstrel Show” has since taken its rightful place as a modern day hip hop classic.

In the 1800′s, a ‘minstrel show’ was a form of entertainment where the stereotypes and perceived characteristics of blacks were crudely accentuated for the enjoyment of a white audience. This album loosely draws parallels to the aforementioned minstrel shows with the depiction of blacks in popular culture today using the fictional T.V. network, U.B.N. The skits heavily satirize the materialism aimed at the youth and the media’s depiction of the ‘angry black man’. “Cheatin” is a pretty hilarious satirization of modern R&B, specifically the over the top collaborations between R Kelly & Ron Isley.

Even when Phonte & Big Pooh aren’t directly addressing the ‘minstrel show’ concept, they’re still following the overall theme through their verses that mirror the issues of everyday life, rather than glamorizing sex, violence and material possessions. “All For You” is a shining example of this, as Phonte drops an incredible verse about not living up to his own expectations as a father.

“The Minstrel Show” is equally biting as it is introspective. It’s bitter, but painfully honest. It’s a harsh, but humorous view on this decade’s culture. This is the type of music that holds up a mirror to society rather than making empty observations that hold no weight. “The Minstrel Show” is a welcome slap in the face that reminds us that we could use a few more groups like Little Brother in the music industry.

by Kyle