Live
LITTLE BROTHER: LIVE @ THE JAZZ CAFE, 06.05.2007
Only last month, super producer 9th Wonder left the group Little Brother due to 'creative differences' and the group themselves left Atlantic Records, leaving MC's Big Pooh and Phonte to pick up the slack and dust off the turmoil of recent events.
Luckily, this didn't dent their creative energy and stage presence. Not the most prominent rap group, in terms of sales, Little Brother can boast a solid, loyal fan-base.
The evening opened up with London support act Shamless: The Ragga Man, who more than held his own with a confident swagger and patois-driven flow giving sage advice about smokers dying young, the title of his new album.
After Shamless' 6 track warm-up, there was room for a few more classic hip-hop tracks that whetted the appetite of the packed and restless crowd, before Little Brother bounced on to the stage and the crowd went ballistic.
The trademark soulful boom bap beats got the positive response from the crowd time after time. Complementing these beats was the presence of RnB singer Darien Brockington, whose first album was executive-produced by Phonte. Brockington added a truly soulful vibe to the proceedings spontaneously doing a capellas,
call-and-response with the audience and Big Pooh, and a beat-box rendition of Planet Rock.
Little Brother's humble tales of everyday life translated into a fast-paced show from a group hungry and modestly confident of giving a quality performance, whilst remaining true to their appreciative audience, who thirsted for more, but left drained and elated.
Words Andrew Kaye
