Little Brother

It's been a tumultuous year for Phonte and Big Pooh of Little Brother, the Durham, North Carolina, group that became one of underground hip-hop's brightest stars at the beginning of the decade. This year saw them part ways with producer 9th Wonder, who seemed to have his hands full producing for the likes of Jay-Z, Murs, and Buckshot. Then they were either dropped from, or asked to be dropped by, Atlantic Records. They claim the latter, although one suspects the former, considering that the act's 2005 effort, The Minstrel Show, received mixed reviews and sold poorly. But the stars could align again for Getback, a new disc just released on Bay Area indie ABB Records (which also released Little Brother's heralded 2003 debut, The Listening). Getback shows a return to form for Phonte and Pooh; hopefully, their label emancipation will inspire the pair in concert.