Little Brother

Little Brother’s final album, Leftback, began life as an EP and those humble origins sometimes show—most notably in a pair of gratuitous remixes of tracks from its last album, Getback. But if Little Brother is going out on a less than triumphant note, it’s nevertheless amassed a formidable legacy of impeccable albums and mix-tapes. The group began as Native Tongues revivalists, but beginning with its ill-fated major label debut, The Minstrel Show, it carved out a niche as smart, funny, casually profound realists who eschew rap’s game-playing and posturing in favor of a funny, clear-eyed analysis of both hip-hop’s myriad faults and the joys and heartbreaks of becoming a man and an artist in a culture of instant gratification and disposable pop culture. 

Updated 05/04/2010