Phonte is an emcee of the people. If hip hop were like the economy, he would be among the highest respected in the 99th percentile that the Occupy Wall Street movement always refers to. He’s that really talent uncle in your family reunion that can sing and is really funny. He’s “the biggest rap star in your apartment complex”. I guess you could say that he’s an exceptional “common man’s emcee”. Now that his debut solo album Charity Starts At Home has graced the masses, it is clear that Phonte is one of hip hop’s best kept secrets.
With a lyrical style that weaves just enough metaphors and similes to emphasize an important magnitude or comparison within his subject matter, Phonte is in a league of his own. Thankfully, all one needs is a casual grasp of today’s pop culture to relate to his wordplay as he delves mostly into his favorite topic, relationships. It is there that his stories and storytelling excel since anyone listening can typically related regardless of race or gender. This accessible approach to making music is probably the primary reason why Phonte is one of those emcee’s that could be “your girlfriend’s favorite” emcee. Rather than incessant talk of how he’s going to “smash” a girl he just met or how good his sex game is, he’s speaking on everyone’s struggle to make money in this horrid economy or how to stay happy in love.
As one third of the legendary (and retired) hip hop group Little Brother and one half of the soul group The Foreign Exchange, Phonte has always been a talented lyricist and singer. While he’s done countless features for acts like Slum Village, Eric Roberson, The Roots, and Royce da 5’9”, Phonte has managed to dodge doing a solo hip hop album while he flexed his vocal chops in The Foreign Exchange. Thankfully, he’s slowed down long enough to put together one of the most underrated albums of 2011 bar none.
Pushin me to the brink, a stagger in my footsteps and I don’t even drink
there’s so much on my mind, dawg, and I can’t even think” – Everything Is Falling Down
With this song, “Everything Is Falling Down”, Phonte does what he does best and that is personify the ‘accessible emcee’. He’s not speaking of making millions or simplistic party rhymes. Instead, Phonte is speaking to the desperation that it seems our country has reached in this depression. It is songs like these that are a snapshot of the times we live in. Much like other timeless hip hop classics, Phonte weilds his lyricism in hopes of connecting with rather than isolating himself from those who listen to his music.
In that same spirit, “The Good Fight” with 9th Wonder finds Phonte taking to his storytelling ways during each verse to explain how his own struggles both present and past aren’t too far from ours in today’s anti-music society. Pieces such as this are what hip hop needs to showcase and thankfully, Phonte doesn’t stop there. Continuing the album with featured artists like Pharoahe Monch, Median, Elzhi, and Evidence, Phonte displays hip hop music for adults rather than the childish radio hop the media typically spoonfeeds the masses.
Everybody prays for the day they see the light
but the light at the end of the tunnel is a train” – The Good Fight
Mixed in between these gems, Phonte still manages to flex his vocals a bit. With “Ball and Chain”, a funked out love song, and “Gonna Be A Beautiful Night”, a near quiet storm jam, Phonte takes to harmonizing. For those unfamiliar with Phonte and his various projects, these tracks will probably stand out like a sore thumb amidst the True School word play on the rest of the album. In a sense, both songs reminded me of the collaborations Phonte would typically be featured on with Justus League regulars Carlita Durand and Darien Brockington. Each are a shade different than the smoothed out Foreign Exchange projects and yet “Ball and Chain” still manages to find Phonte attempting to recreate the intricate harmonies.
After experiencing Charity Starts At Home, one thing is for certain…Phonte is a musician and not just an emcee. His solo debut is a mixture of hip hop and soul music that accurately defines his style and personality. As generic as that sounds, in today’s music climate, it is easy to find multiple artists that sound like someone else and seem as if they are still trying to “find their voice”. With Phonte being very vocal about the direction of music he wants to take and it manifesting in him as a singer and an emcee, this project is the culmination of all that defined him in his past and all that fans wished we would do on his own.
This album is without a doubt one that should not be missed.
“NewTigalloNewTigalloNewTigalloNewTigalloNewTigallo”
