Little Brother

North Carolina's Little Brother is not your average Southern hip-hop group. Unlike its Dirty South counterparts, the duo rarely raps about dubs, drugs or the usual bitches and hoes, unless done in a satirical manner, as on 2005's The Minstrel Show. Formed in 1998 at North Carolina Central University, the group is a throwback to non-gangsta, mid-school acts like De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest. Original members included emcees Phonte (Phonte Coleman) and Big Pooh (Thomas Jones), along with celebrated producer 9th Wonder (Pat Douthit). Douthit (known for his work with Jay-Z, Mary J. Blige, Destiny's Child, Mos Def and The Game, among many others) left the group in January 2007. Around that same time, the band also parted ways with Atlantic, its short-lived major label, and signed up with indie ABB Records. Always popular on the underground mixtape scene, Little Brother then went back to what they know best, touring and dropping knowledge. Part of the Scion Live Metro tour.