Little Brother - May the Lord Watch (Discussion Thread)

[Playaz Eyez]

9th sounds like a damn peon

 

[aceboon]

Didn't Murs also have issues with 9th trying to dictate too much with the recording process?

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Didn't Murs also have issues with 9th trying to dictate too much with the recording process?

I’m not sure how much is serious and how much is exaggerated, but yeah they’ve both always said that they argue a lot and have a difficult time recording together, but that also it’s part of why they think they make good records.

I don’t know if this is what you’re referencing, but at least on their first few albums (and maybe later ones but I’m not sure) Murs would have 9th pick every beat for the album ahead of time. So Murs didn’t pick beats on (at least) their early projects. It was part of an idea where he’d force himself to write to whatever 9th picked for him.

Murs really likes working that way though, and was pretty adamant that he thinks most rappers should trust producers more than they do.

So if he does have any gripes with 9th I don’t think it’s about what I just mentioned. I only met Murs once and was never around any of their sessions but I do know they’ve both said they argue a lot in them.

 

[Humble (Not) Mike Tyson]

Listen to the Premium Pete interview (one hour in), they made the 9th shyt CRYSTAL CLEAR.

9th

 

[Tetris v2.0]

It's too bad to see all this 9th slander. I mean it makes sense, his former associates have a lot of the same issues and his moves have been consistently weird over the years. Still, he set this whole thing off. His vision and sound was the catalyst.

As a fan it sucks to see it play out like this...

 

[UserNameless]

What's your current relationship with 9th Wonder? Because he posted a congratulations post on Instagram.

Both: That was bullshyt!

Big Pooh: We didn't get a text in our group chat that we've had...well...it hasn't been active. [Laughs.] Real talk, if you have my number, right? Before you do all that for the Gram, say it to me first. If he was to send the text, like, "Look, man. I know we done or whatever, but I just wanna congratulate ya'll for pushing through. The record dope," and then he put that [on Instagram], it would be cool. But for you to do that and we haven't heard from you... I ain't talk to that n---a since March.

Do you think it's also a competitive thing -- being that he executive produced Rapsody's Eve album, which dropped just around the same time?

Phonte: That ain't have shyt to do with that shyt, man. Very quickly, just to clear it up -- we did start this project as the three of us, together. We started it. And then, it became very clear that we just bumped on two very big issues. One was we had wildly different ideas as to what production meant. He thought of production in the sense of just beat-maker. We were thinking of production in a classical Quincy Jones sense.

To him, he wanted to produce all the beats on the album. Not only did he want to produce all the beats on the album, he wanted to refuse the right to any other producer to work on the album. So any other producer that we wanted to work with -- from Notts, !llmind, and all these brothers that helped keep the LB name alive while he wasn't in the picture -- he thought he had the right to say, "No, these guys shouldn't be a part of this." We was like "N---a, hell nah. You not making that call." The Soul Council, he didn't even want his own crew on the record.

He said, "Y'all gonna give me my spot back."

Phonte: And about that, we ain't giving you shyt back. Earn your fukking spot back. Like when a n---a gets hurt and you're the star running back, the back-up comes in and starts beasting, you come out of rehab and you're not automatically back in.

Big Pooh: You seen what happened to Le'Veon Bell.

Phonte: We gotta figure out how to work you back into this whole existing framework. We can figure it out together and have conversations as a team. We're still with you, but you're going to participate in this. You're not going to dictate a goddamn thing. That was one.

The second thing was that we both had wildly different ideas of what commitment meant. So when it came down to, "Hey, man. What if I just come out and do the festival shows with y'all, and [tour DJ] Flash do the regular shows." It's like, get the fukk out of here. You're either all in or you're out. There's no beef. It's just clarity.

During this process, it's been a real journey. Just seeing things twist and turn, it was God's time. This was something to where at the end of this process, it really just put a period at the end of our relationship with him both personally and professional. It was cool. There's no beef because it was based on a true understanding of I see who you are. Just like how I got to know Pooh as a man, I got to know you as a man, and I can accept that. In my acceptance of that, I can also say, "N---a, I'm good on that."

How Little Brother Learned to Be a Family Again

They pretty much confirm and make it clear in this billboard interview that they're not fukking with 9th anymore period.

Let the whole clip off

 

[TheDarceKnight]

It's too bad to see all this 9th slander. I mean it makes sense, his former associates have a lot of the same issues and his moves have been consistently weird over the years. Still, he set this whole thing off. His vision and sound was the catalyst.

As a fan it sucks to see it play out like this...

FWIW in these actual interviews it’s taking up very little air time. I think I’ve made it worse here by focusing on it. But on these podcasts and interviews the overwhelming vibe is very positive and they’re mostly talking about how they’re so happy to be genuine friends with each other now.

So yes, there’s a bit of 9th drama, but honestly I’m glad that it’s over with. It sounds like they’re putting it out there and deading it. I’m honestly glad they aren’t pleading the 5th when interviewers are asking them about it.

It can just be cleared up and moving forward no one will ask about it on the next album, ya know?

 

[NYK Loyalist]

The reality is they don’t need 9th. They have made a lot of great music without him. I really love Getback and I think the reason why I like it so much was hearing them over different production. I like 9th but his sound can get stale and boring when he’s producing a whole project

 

[x-factor7]

They will reconcile again with 9th like they have in the past, I'm sure of it. 9th will probably not be on any future LB albums, but they'll be cool again.

 

[Yayo Toure]

They will reconcile again with 9th like they have in the past, I'm sure of it. 9th will probably not be on any future LB albums, but they'll be cool again.

Yeah maybe he gets them for the next Jamla album, where they can totally outshine Rapsody on a record.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

The reality is they don’t need 9th. They have made a lot of great music without him. I really love Getback and I think the reason why I like it so much was hearing them over different production. I like 9th but his sound can get stale and boring when he’s producing a whole project

I'm on the same wavelength. Real talk, all of this is a blessing in disguise. We only got 2 albums of 9th production so it never got a chance to get stale, but I promise that cats would've complained about wanting more diversity in production if not on the 3rd album, certainly on the 4th. If I recall correctly, there were even a few people during The Minstrel Show rollout that said they were hoping for some different sounds.

Anyone can test the theory right now. Make a playlist with LB/Phonte/Pooh joints that only 9th produced from The Listening, Chitlin Circuit 1, Chitlin Circuit 1.5, NC State of Mind, and Dream Merchant Vol. 1. So take off the 15-20 joints produced by Pete Rock, Khrysis, Nicolay, Illmind, Oddisee, etc.

You can't listen to that playlist and not wish for a little variety by the time you're at the end.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Yeah maybe he gets them for the next Jamla album, where they can totally outshine Rapsody on a record.

I'm so confused about Jamla, and who is on Jamla, and who isn't, etc. I really miss Halo and Remo. They were the two most unique cats in the crew. I'm glad Act Proof is back though.

That last album and some bangers on it for sure.

 

[Ziggiy]

It's too bad to see all this 9th slander. I mean it makes sense, his former associates have a lot of the same issues and his moves have been consistently weird over the years. Still, he set this whole thing off. His vision and sound was the catalyst.

As a fan it sucks to see it play out like this...

I mean this is the same guy who had the AUDACITY to insinuate that his little remix project was better than Nas’s OG Gods Son album. An album with some of Salaam Remi’s BEST production, alongside Alchemist’s best production. 9th’a always had a huge ego and inflated sense of importance

 

[Shade]

I'm so confused about Jamla, and who is on Jamla, and who isn't, etc. I really miss Halo and Remo. They were the two most unique cats in the crew. I'm glad Act Proof is back though.

That last album and some bangers on it for sure.

Truthfully at this point the only people I know is on Jamla is Rap and Heather Victoria and Rap is the only one getting any kind of push.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Truthfully at this point the only people I know is on Jamla is Rap and Heather Victoria and Rap is the only one getting any kind of push.

GQ still is too.

That’s all I know for sure though. I do kind of miss the early 2010’s where it really did feel like a team, and everyone was on each other’s projects, and the production sounded really unique. I thought they did a really good job also of highlighting everyone’s different personalities

But definitely gone is Skyzoo, Remo, Halo, Tom Hardy, and Add-2. I’m not sure about Act Proof or TP. And on the producer tip I think Hi-Tek and Fatin are gone too but I’m not sure.