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Phonte

{{short description|American rapper, singer, and producer}}

{{redirect|No News Is Good News|the New Found Glory song|Catalyst (New Found Glory album)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2019}}

{{Infobox musical artist

|name = Phonte Coleman

|image = Phonte The Foreign Exchange.jpg

|caption = Phonte in 2011

|birth_name = Phonte Lyshod Coleman

|alias = Percy Miracles

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|12|28}}

|birth_place = Lumberton, North Carolina, U.S.

|genre = {{hlist|Hip hop|R&B}}

|occupation = {{hlist|Rapper|singer|songwriter|producer|podcaster}}

|years_active = 1998–present

|label = Foreign Exchange Music

|current_member_of = {{hlist|Little Brother|The Foreign Exchange}}

|past_member_of = Justus League

|website =

}}

Phonte Lyshod Coleman,{{cite web|title=5th & Fashion (skit)|url=http://uk.warnerchappell.com/song-details/WW009987521000|website=Warnerchappell.com|publisher=Warner/Chappell Music|access-date=September 20, 2015}} known mononymously as Phonte (born December 28, 1978), is an American rapper, singer, and producer. He is also a member of Team Supreme, that co-hosts the Questlove Supreme podcast.{{cite news |last1=Setaro |first1=Shawn |title=The Story of 'Questlove Supreme': Low-Key Flexes and the Magic Circle |url=https://www.complex.com/music/a/shawn-setaro/questlove-supreme-podcast-interview |publisher=Complex |date=16 April 2019}}

Phonte is a member of the North Carolina hip-hop trio/duo Little Brother (revived in 2019 without producer 9th Wonder) and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. He has also recorded R&B-flavored output as a singer (often under the pseudonym Percy Miracles), and with Nicolay on The Foreign Exchange.

Career

=Little Brother=

{{main|Little Brother (group)}}

Phonte first met the other members of Little Brother, rapper Big Pooh and producer 9th Wonder, in 1998 while attending North Carolina Central University, as an English major. The three shared common musical interests and decided to form a group. "Speed", the group's first song recorded together, led to them signing a deal with the independent ABB Records, and recording their debut album, The Listening.{{cite news |last1=Hale |first1=Andreas |title=Phonte Talks New Album 'No News Is Good News,' Growth as a Lyricist & If Little Brother Will Ever Reunite |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/phonte-interview-no-news-is-good-news-little-brother-8236067/ |access-date=7 October 2023 |publisher=Billboard |date=7 March 2018}} The album's success led to the group signing a non-exclusive deal with Atlantic Records.

The group's 2005 album, The Minstrel Show, was a concept album dealing with themes including the current state of hip hop music. The album received positive reviews, without commercial success. During the recording of their third album, the group announced the departure of 9th Wonder on amicable terms, as well as a parting of ways with their label. Through a contractual clause they returned to ABB Records and released Getback in late 2007.

=The Foreign Exchange=

Phonte met Dutch producer Nicolay virtually on an OkayPlayer message board. The duo released their debut album, Connected, having never met face to face. The Foreign Exchange has released four albums. The group received a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track "Daykeeper" (featuring Muhsinah) from the second album, Leave It All Behind.

=Solo work=

Phonte has appeared on numerous records by other artists as a vocalist. His lyrics tend to include perspectives on working-class life.{{cite web|url=http://www.mvremix.com/urban/interviews/littlebrother.shtml|title=MVRemix Urban Interviews Phonte of Little Brother – Online Rap Magazine|website=Mvremix.com|access-date=September 16, 2016}} Phonte made a guest appearance on the song "Beats N' Rhymes" from producer Kev Brown's album "I Do What I Do", and has also recorded tracked with producer Oddisee, both members of the Washington D.C. (DMV)-based Low Budget collective. In 2006, he was featured on producer DJ Shadow's The Outsider album. In the following year he contributed vocals to rap group Playaz Circle's song "Paper Chaser", from their album Supply & Demand. Phonte's recent projects include The Foreign Exchange's third album, Authenticity, as well as a collaboration (as Tiggalo) with Detroit-based musician Zo! titled Zo! & Tigallo Love the 80s. Zo! & Tigallo Love the 80s is a homage to early 1980s R&B and pop music and features covers of popular songs such as a-Ha's "Take On Me", Toto's "Africa", and Joe Jackson's "Stepping Out". He appeared on Danny!'s 2012 album Payback as well as RJD2's More Is Than Isn't in the following year.

He released his solo-debut titled Charity Starts at Home on September 27, 2011 through FE Music.{{cite tweet|user=phontigallo|author=Phonte|number=65995548016123904|date=May 5, 2011|title=Phonte. Charity Starts at Home. 09/13/11. #FEMusic.}} His second album, No News Is Good News, was released on March 2, 2018, and was included in Bandcamp Daily's best-100-albums-of-2018 year-end list (placed at #42).{{Cite web |date=2018-12-10 |title=The Best Albums of 2018: #100 – 81 |url=https://daily.bandcamp.com/best-of-2018/the-best-bandcamp-albums-of-2018-100-81 |access-date=2023-12-27 |website=Bandcamp Daily}} Phonte also featured on the track "No Wish" by Black Milk, along with Raphael Saadiq.{{cite news |last1=Gee |first1=Andre |title=Phonte Gets Poignantly Vulnerable On Black Milk's "No Wish" |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/black-milk-no-wish-syntk-1234793377/ |access-date=7 October 2023 |publisher=Rolling Stone |date=21 July 2023}}

Discography

=Studio albums=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of studio albums, with selected chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:14em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;" | Album details

! scope="col" colspan="2" style="width:5em;"| Peak chart positions

scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US
{{cite magazine |url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=Phonte|chart=Billboard 200}} |title=Phonte – Chart history: Billboard 200 |magazine=Billboard |access-date=October 16, 2016}}

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US
R&B
{{cite magazine |url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=Phonte|chart=R&B/Hip-Hop Albums B}} |title=Phonte – Chart history: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums |magazine=Billboard |access-date=October 16, 2016}}

scope="row" | Charity Starts at Home

|

| 61 || 9

scope="row" | No News Is Good News

|

  • Released: March 2, 2018
  • Label: Foreign Exchange Music
  • Format: CD, LP, digital download

| — || —

=Collaborative albums=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of collaborative albums, with selected chart positions

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:14em;" | Title

! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:18em;" | Album details

! scope="col" colspan="2" style="width:5em;"| Peak chart positions

scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US

! scope="col" style="width:3em;font-size:90%;"| US
R&B

scope="row" | Love the 80's
{{small|(with Zo! as Zo! & Tigallo)}}

|

  • Released: July 22, 2008
  • Label: Hall of Justus
  • Format: CD, digital download

| — || —

scope="row" | Tigallerro
{{small|(with Eric Roberson)}}

|

  • Released: July 22, 2016
  • Label: Foreign Exchange Music
  • Format: CD, digital download

| — || 19

colspan="14" style="font-size:90%" | "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

=Extended plays=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
scope="col" style="width:11em;"| Title

! scope="col" style="width:18em;"| Album details

scope="row" | Pacific Time

|

  • Released: March 29, 2019{{cite web |title=Stream Phonte's Surprise New EP 'Pacific Time' |url=https://www.okayplayer.com/music/listen-phontes-surprise-new-ep-pacific-time.html |website=OkayPlayer}}
  • Label: The Foreign Exchange Music
  • Format: Digital download

= With Little Brother =

{{main|Little Brother discography}}

= With The Foreign Exchange =

=Guest appearances=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"

|+ List of guest appearances

! style="width:20em;" | Title

! Year

! Other performer(s)

! Album

scope="row"| "The Animal"

| rowspan="1"| 2004

| Murs

| Murs 3:16: The 9th Edition

scope="row"| "Every Block"

| rowspan="3"| 2005

| Rapper Big Pooh

| Sleepers

scope="row"| "Make It Hot"

| The Away Team, Joe Scudda

| National Anthem

scope="row"| "Birdz (Fly the Coup)"

| Buckshot, 9th Wonder, Keisha Shontelle

| Chemistry

scope="row"| "Backstage Girl"

| rowspan="2"| 2006

| DJ Shadow

| The Outsider

scope="row"| "4Everyday"

| Liquid Spirits

| Liquid Spirits

scope="row"| "Let It Be Known"

| rowspan="6" | 2007

| Sean Price

| Jesus Price Supastar

scope="row"| "Been in Love"

| Eric Roberson

| ...Left

scope="row"| "Letyourselfgo"

| Evidence, The Alchemist

| The Weatherman LP

scope="row"| "Alright With Me"

| Dminor, Keelay & Zaire

| Ridin' High

scope="row"| "Think Good Thoughts"

| Drake, Elzhi

| Comeback Season

scope="row"| "Yellow Lines"

| CunninLynguists, Witchdoctor

| Dirty Acres

scope="row"| "The Time Is Now"

| rowspan="6"| 2008

| Jean Grae

| Jeanius

scope="row"| "Callin' Me"

| S1

| Music Box

scope="row"| "Close Call"

| 88-Keys

| The Death of Adam

scope="row"| "For Whom the Bell Tolls"

| Evidence, Blu, will.i.am

| The Layover EP

scope="row"| "The Perch"

| Oddisee, Tor

| rowspan="2"| 101

scope="row"| "All Because She's Gone"

| Oddisee

scope="row"| "True Love"

| rowspan="2"| 2009

| Apathy

| Wanna Snuggle?

scope="row"| "Something 2 Ride 2"

| Royce da 5'9"

| Street Hop

scope="row"| "Best of Times"

| rowspan="8"| 2010

| Strong Arm Steady

| In Search of Stoney Jackson

scope="row"| "Cry Over You"

| Yahzarah

| The Ballad of Purple St. James

scope="row"| "How High"

| Rhymefest

| El Che

scope="row"| "Now or Never"

| The Roots, Dice Raw

| rowspan="2"| How I Got Over

scope="row"| "The Day"

| The Roots, Blu, Patty Crash

scope="row"| "Greater Than the Sun"

| Zo!

| rowspan="3"| SunStorm

scope="row"| "Say How You Feel"

| Zo!, Carlitta Durand

scope="row"| "Flight of the Blackbyrd"

| Zo!

scope="row"| "I'll Be There"

| rowspan="12"| 2011

| Mac Miller

| Best Day Ever

scope="row"| "Black Hand Side"

| Pharoahe Monch, Styles P

| W.A.R. (We Are Renegades)

scope="row"| "One Time"

| Rapsody, Tab-One, Charlie Smarts

| Thank H.E.R. Now

scope="row"| "Babble"

| The Physics

| Love Is a Business

scope="row"| "Take a Chance"

| Median

| rowspan="3"|The Sender

scope="row"| "Turn Ya On"

| Median, Big Remo

scope="row"| "Special"

| Median, Yahzarah, Bahamadia

scope="row"| "Band Practice Pt. 2"

| 9th Wonder, Median

| rowspan="2"|The Wonder Years

scope="row"| "One Night"

| 9th Wonder, Terrace Martin, Bird & The Midnight Falcons

scope="row"| "See U Later"

| The Away Team

| Scars & Stripes

scope="row"| "Picture Perfect"

| Eric Roberson

| Mister Nice Guy

scope="row"| "One Time"

| The Roots, Dice Raw

| Undun

scope="row"| "I'll Be Around"

| rowspan="3"| 2012

| Brother Ali, Stokley Williams

| The Bite Marked Heart

scope="row"| "Goodbye"

| JR & PH7, Median

| The Goodlife

scope="row"| "Afro Blue (9th Wonder's Blue Light Basement Remix)"

| Robert Glasper Experiment, Erykah Badu

| Black Radio Recovered: The Remix EP

scope="row"| "Making Time"

| rowspan="5"| 2013

| Zo!, Choklate

| rowspan="3"| ManMade

scope="row"| "ManMade"

| Zo!

scope="row"| "Out in the World"

| Zo!, Choklate

scope="row"| "Jedi Code"

| Rapsody, Jay Electronica

| She Got Game

scope="row"| "Temperamental"

| RJD2

| More Is Than Isn't

scope="row"| "No Competition"

| rowspan="2"| 2014

| Talib Kweli, Elzhi

| 9th Wonder Presents Jamla Is the Squad

scope="row"| "A Matter of the Heart"

| Jesse Boykins III

| Love Apparatus

scope="row"| "Requiem"

| rowspan="4"| 2015

| Oddisee

| Persona

scope="row"| "Impayshunt"

| dEnAuN

| sTuFf in My BaCkPaCk

scope="row"| "Finer Things"

| MED, Blu, Madlib, Likewise

| Bad Neighbor

scope="row"| "Highs and Lows"

| PRhyme, MF Doom

| PRhyme (Deluxe Version)

scope="row"| "Clap Shit Up"

| rowspan="4"| 2016

| Torae

| Entitled

scope="row"| "Violets"

| Miles Davis, Robert Glasper

| Everything's Beautiful

scope="row"| "One Too Many"

| Kaytranada

| 99.9%

scope="row"| "Treat You Right"

| Mickey Factz, Nottz

| The Achievement: circa '82

scope="row"| "Invitation"

| rowspan="1"| 2017

| JR & PH7, St. Joe Louis, Tamisha Waden

| Coral Cadavers

scope="row"| "Donuts"

| rowspan="1"| 2018

| Andy Mineo

| The Sword

scope="row"| "Woke as Me"

| rowspan="1"| 2019

| Open Mike Eagle

scope="row"| "Blackberry"

| rowspan="2"| 2020

| Carlitta Durand

| Kismet Green

scope="row"| "Uzbekistan"

| Your Old Droog, Mach-Hommy

| Dump YOD: Krutoy Edition

scope="row"| "Who"

| rowspan="2"| 2021

| Topaz Jones, Maxo

| Don't Go Tellin' Your Momma

scope="row"| "Be Mine"

| Emmavie, Saint Ezekiel

| What's a Diamond to a Baby

scope="row"| "Choices"

| rowspan="3"| 2023

| Oddisee, BeMyFiasco, Kay Young

| To What End

scope="row"| "Otherside"

| Rory, BeMyFiasco

| I Thought It'd Be Different

scope="row"| "No Wish"

| Black Milk, Raphael Saadiq

| Everybody Good?

scope="row"| "You Don't Know"

| rowspan="1"| 2024

| Lalah Hathaway

| VANTABLACK

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

{{Commons category|Phonte}}

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20120416024602/http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/lectures/phonte--bro-where-art-though Phonte RBMA video lecture session]
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20081028095436/http://leisurelab.com/2008/10/24/interview-with-nicolay-and-phonte-of-the-foreign-exchange/ Interview with Phonte and Nicolay at Leisure Lab]

{{Little Brother}}

{{The Foreign Exchange}}

{{Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Original Song in a TV Show/Limited Series}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1978 births

Category:Living people

Category:African-American male rappers

Category:20th-century American male rappers

Category:Rappers from North Carolina

Category:Singers from North Carolina

Category:Atlantic Records artists

Category:Record producers from North Carolina

Category:Musicians from Durham, North Carolina

Category:American hip-hop singers

Category:American contemporary R&B singers

Category:21st-century American rappers

Category:21st-century American male singers

Category:21st-century American singers

Category:21st-century African-American male singers

Category:21st-century American male musicians

Category:21st-century African-American musicians

Category:20th-century African-American musicians

Category:The Foreign Exchange members

Category:Little Brother (group) members

Category:Justus League members