Phonte – “No News Is Good News” (Release)

What a special and great surprise we received Friday, as Phonte released his long-awaited No News Is Good News project. Ten tracks deep, with features from Freddie Gibbs and Eric Roberson, Phonte does what Phonte does: create a beautiful work of musical art through harmony, dope production, and lyricism delivered in a way that feels he’s speaking directly to us – in a humble yet honestly precise manner.

After sitting on on the release for a day, I’ve come to realize that Phonte has really been one of the most important artistic voices of my generation. I’ll be 35 this year, and I first got hip to Little Brother in 2004. Phonte’s words carved and defined so many of me and my friends’ life, from LB to him working with Nicolay on his first Foreign Exchange project. He’s put into words so many things that many of us were thinking yet didn’t hear anybody else speak on. My BDTB cohort DJ Jay Diff and I even dressed up as Phonte and Nicolay this past Halloween.



Fast forward to 2018, and he’s long carved out his place not only as a great emcee, but also an artist that many of us look up to because of his candid and real-life testimony through his songs. Speaking on No News Is Good News, Phonte has delivered what we expected and wanted: an update on him and his life – through rap. I like every song, but my personal favorites are “So Help Me God,” “Cry No More,” “Change of Mind,” “Euphorium (Back To the Light),” and the musical progressions and beauty in “Sweet You” that he and Tall Black Guy carved out. Purchase from iTunes or from FE’s website.