“I don’t need the limelight/ That’s young nigga shit…”
Phonte draws a line in the sand between the real and suspect on his first single off his September 27 debut Charity Starts At Home. 9th Wonder hits the boards with some upbeat tweaking of Rose Royce’s classic “Love Don’t Live Here Anymore.” While more lively, the production is moderately paced enough to allow Phonte and Elzhi to balance some introspection mixed with aggression. Phonte’s two verses speak on how his faith in the spiritual and his own abilities allowed him to succeed as an underdog in Hip-Hop. The slick bars (“You know deep down you ain’t nice/ Just a little courteous…”) are intermittency placed well with the more heartfelt rhymes, letting you know Phonte is a “gentleman” as he says, but will still embarrass you on the mic if called for. As usual, Elzhi’s wordplay is sharp on the last verse (“I’m poetic while they’re pathetic…”).
I love Foreign Exchange, but it’s great to hear Phonte back rhyming. The game definitely needs his voice. Don’t be surprised if Phonte drops an Album of the Year contender next month.
PHONTE X ELZHI “NOT HERE ANYMORE”
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 