Lets talk about The Foreign Exchange (& their quiet downfall)

[ChrisDorner]

Foreign exchange is an hip hop experimental group formed by rapper Phonte from Little Brother & Dutch Producer Nicolay.

There was SO much potential when they dropped their debut album "Connected"

For those who dont know, Connected was pretty much a cult classic. Not too many people have listened to it but those that have recognize that its a classic.

it's hip hop album with a j dilla influenced producer, talented singers & rappers on every single track..

Here's some joints from it








So Connected dropped & quietly killed the game. Everyone was waiting for the next album from em. The sequel, Leave It All Behind, more or less left the hip hop vibe of the first album, & dived deep into the neo-soul/r&b category. I didn't like how they left hip hop but the music was still quality & I'm as big a neo-soul fan as I am a hip hop fan

Here's some joints from that album:






So that dropped & I was still in love with their music. Then their third album "Authenticity" dropped.

It still had the R&B vibe, pretty much no hip hop, but sorta dipped its toes into all kinds of other sounds with this one with shyt like this




So I've abandoned hope for them to bring back that hip hop sound

& this next album doesn't seem to have it either

Here's a teaser for the 4th album dropping in September. It plays a half-remixed version of a track from every album they've dropped leading to some new shyt from the next project.



If there are any fans on this site I'd like to know your opinion on the direction this duo has taken musically

 

[Jigganaut]

Your time line is exactly how mine was. Love connected and Leave it all behind but after that I lost hope. Phonte's solo album was dope as shyt but he made it pretty clear he gets more acclaim for the Foreign exchange shyt.

 

[wild100sboy]

I see what you're coming from. Connected was DOPE! and the others ones i wouldnt say suck, but they are dope in their own way. But not DOPE like connected. Im definitely still anticipating the new album though.

 

[Tic Tac T O]

Authenticity left me puzzled. Didn't know it even dropped after bumping Leave it All Behind for the longest then stumbled on some Unplugged type performances of Authenticity on youtube. Wasn't expecting Phonte to go that route, and there are a few tracks I dig (Maybe She'll Dream of Me, Don't Wait, Make Me a Fool, The City Aint the Same) but every other track is a little too left field

 

[PimpHandStrong]

I'm not gonna lie, Authenticity was definitely not my favorite album. Connected and LIAB....dopeness. I'm hoping they bring me back with the new project. And I agree Phonte's solo project was

Edit: after listening to that preview I'm actually excited about what the new album will bring.

 

[SirBiatch]

Connected was one of those albums I was proud to be up on EARLY. it was really cool to see it spread and get a fanbase. If I remember correctly, it leaked early. And I discovered it by pure accident. Started with "Nic's Groove" and went from there.

I was so excited to hear "Leave It All Behind". Then it came out and I thought it was trash. I haven't heard that album since 2007 or whenever it came out.

The problem is that
a) Leave It All Behind was much darker, less funky than Connected. And frankly, Nicolay dropped the ball on the production side.
b) Way too much singing, and Phonte is not a good singer. Connected was much better because most of the people doing the singing like Yazharah (sp?) and Brockington were actually great singers. Phonte, not so much.

I haven't heard a new FE song since then. Am I missing anything?

 

[wild100sboy]

Connected was one of those albums I was proud to be up on EARLY. it was really cool to see it spread and get a fanbase. If I remember correctly, it leaked early. And I discovered it by pure accident. Started with "Nic's Groove" and went from there.

I was so excited to hear "Leave It All Behind". Then it came out and I thought it was trash. I haven't heard that album since 2007 or whenever it came out.

The problem is that
a) Leave It All Behind was much darker, less funky than Connected. And frankly, Nicolay dropped the ball on the production side.
b) Way too much singing, and Phonte is not a good singer. Connected was much better because most of the people doing the singing like Yazharah (sp?) and Brockington were actually great singers. Phonte, not so much.

I haven't heard a new FE song since then. Am I missing anything?

Their last album, Live in Flying Colors is pretty dope. Check that out when you get a chance. They also have a double album full of FE remixes. Thats dope as well. Saw them live last summer

Whole crew was there:
Phonte
Zo!
Jeane Jolly
Carmen Rodgers
Nicolay

It was beautiful breh.

 

[Versa]

Connected was perfection. Leave it all behind was good too. Haven't heard anything else but I will look into it.

 

[Tetris v2.0]

Id be happy with more Phonte, period. Dude is too damn talented to be releasing so little music

 

[Headcase]

Connected is the best album Phonte has ever release (yes, even better than all the Little Brother albums). They never reached those heights again, but I think they came close with their last album "Love in Flying Colors."

 

[Pinyapplesuckas]

Connected was amazing but i never got into any of the other stuff

 

[Yoda]

Connected makes my knees weak
There other records were ehhh. i liked if this is love. dope cut.

 

[aceboon]

I didn't like the 3rd album but the 4th one is dope IMO(I understand your post predates the release). Also gotta cosign @Tetris v2.0, Phonte is too talented to just release a FE album every 2 or 3 years, but if dude is making enough money off of it to be able to chill when he wants then I understand it. I would like to see him make another go at it with a solo but with better different producers, I never thought I would question his beat selection after LB's run but the beats on Charity Starts At Home were kinda lightweight. Not bad, but it didn't really stand out and grab you, it was just very understated.

 

[chiefdogg]

Funny this thread was made today when I have a Pooh Vs. Phonte tape dropping with my homie tomorrow. Connected was my shyt my favorite track still is Happiness. BTW I"ll drop the link to the tape in here tomorrow.

 

[FukkaPaidEmail]

I've always felt that Leave it all behind >Connected.Both dope albums though.