[.ca] Chitlin Circuit

A pre-"Minstrel Show" appetizer for the masses:
If you're reading this review, you must know a little something about Little Brother. The one group out there that just seems to do it right- 9th wonder's beats are always amazing, the chemistry bewteen Big Pooh and Phonte reminds many of Tip and Phife from ATCQ, and they just make damn good hip hop. A few months from now the group will drop "The Minstrel Show," their 2nd LP and follow-up to the timeless classic "The Listening." In between those two albums, the LB's have been busy- Pooh dropped a hot solo album, Phonte and Dutch-based producer Nicolay created the fantastic Foreign Exchange LP, 9th Wonder has been making beats for EVERYBODY, and the Justus League crew unloaded mulitple LPs worth checking out. Oh yeah, in that timespan, Little Brother also released a mixtape entitled "The Chitlin Circuit." It had a limited release, selling copies mainly at shows and on the net, but was a tightly knit package of remixes, b-sides, and unreleased joints. Now comes TCC 1.5, with 8 new tracks and some new packaging. I can only guess that the group wanted this mixtape to reach more people, and help generate buzz for the new album. Fine. But for the true fans who copped the original TCC tape, it's too bad more new material isn't included here. And for those who missed the first one, it's a shame tracks like "Tension," "On And On," "Shake It," "Starship," "Threatening," and "Sinners" aren't included here, even if they are available on other albums. That said, the new tracks are dope. "War" has 9th flipping a crazy kiddie-toy sounding sample, while Phonte's rhymes sound better than ever. The solid production continues on "The Honorable," "Third Party," and "Nobody Like Me," which feature the standard (but always on point) Justus League braggadocio rhymes. "Flash and Flare" and "Ladie's Jam" are skippable, but "The Beginning" is a great closer. Also included are some standouts from the first edition, including the Kanye-assisted "I See Now," which is one of my favorite 9th beats of all-time, a BDK scene-stealing appearance on "Welcome To Durham," "On The Way," and the dreamy "Altitudes." Bottom line, if you're a fan of Little Brother and haven't heard the first CC LP, you'll love this edition. If you have the first one, you'll have to decide whether or not the 8 new tracks are worth the price of the album. I think they are, for the simple fact that Little Brother's brand of hip hop is head and shoulders above most of what's out there in 2005.

• War
• Third Party - Little Brother, Joe Scudda
• Honorable - Chaundon, Little Brother
• On the Way
• Nobody Like Me - Darien Brockington, Little Brother,
• What You Do
• Yo-Yo \oRemix\c
• Nighttime Maneuvers \oRemix\c
• Way You Do It \oRemix\c
• Altitudes
• Welcome to Durham - Big Daddy Kane, Little Brother
• Starvation - Chaundon, Little Brother
• Flash and Flare
• Take It There
• Ladies' Jam
• Doin Me - Little Brother, Supastition
• Khrysis Shoutro
• Beginning - Little Brother, YahZarah