Phonte

Rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer Phonte Coleman is known for one of the richest and most consistent discographies in post-millennial hip-hop and R&B. The lifelong North Carolinian began in the early 2000s as one-third of <a href="spotify:artist:0s9MrSopEoAn8JqwBipgdO">Little Brother</a>, in which he honed casually clever wordplay that projected vivid realism with rare depth and sharp humor. Coleman branched out later in the decade with <a href="spotify:artist:60R4M19QBXvs0gO4IL6CpS">the Foreign Exchange</a>, an enduring R&B group whose "Daykeeper" (2008) was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Urban/Alternative Performance. As a solo artist, Phonte has released the rap full-lengths Charity Starts at Home (2011) and No News Is Good News (2018), as well as the R&B-leaning EPs Pacific Time (2019) and Pacific Time 2 (2024). His outside collaborations number in the dozens and include another LP, Tigallerro, recorded with <a href="spotify:artist:2ewAU3d4El7WSIxWUJaZJn">Eric Roberson</a>.

A native of Greensboro, North Carolina, Phonte Lyshod Coleman established himself beside producer <a href="spotify:artist:4s8ZGMVf3OiPktSP4ulpqU">9th Wonder</a> and fellow MC <a href="spotify:artist:2hfa22hIjNd79uMZlWb0UF">Big Pooh</a> in <a href="spotify:artist:0s9MrSopEoAn8JqwBipgdO">Little Brother</a>, a Native Tongues-inspired trio that developed into the leading alternative rap act of the 2000s. While the group was still thriving, he and Dutch multi-instrumentalist/producer <a href="spotify:artist:3I8ExTKigDuneCoO1D7aYS">Nicolay</a> established <a href="spotify:artist:60R4M19QBXvs0gO4IL6CpS">the Foreign Exchange</a>, who debuted with the accomplished multi-genre synthesis Connected (2004) and made a convincing shift into moody, left-of-center R&B with Leave It All Behind (2008). Among the latter album's highlights was "Daykeeper," a spine-chilling ballad on which Coleman shared lead vocals with <a href="spotify:artist:2xMBRdUYQjgJezQ8lNGQq5">Muhsinah</a>. The song was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Urban/Alternative Performance, a validation of Coleman's artistic diversification.

After the disbandment of <a href="spotify:artist:0s9MrSopEoAn8JqwBipgdO">Little Brother</a> and the release of <a href="spotify:artist:60R4M19QBXvs0gO4IL6CpS">the Foreign Exchange</a>'s third album, Authenticity, Coleman issued his first solo album, Charity Starts at Home (2011). Featuring a handful of cuts produced by <a href="spotify:artist:4s8ZGMVf3OiPktSP4ulpqU">9th Wonder</a>, it debuted at number nine on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop chart and at number 61 on the Billboard 200. One factor in its high placements was possibly <a href="spotify:artist:3TVXtAsR1Inumwj472S9r4">Drake</a>, who had recently dedicated his BMI Songwriter of the Year Award to his inspirations: larger-than-life superstars <a href="spotify:artist:5K4W6rqBFWDnAN6FQUkS6x">Kanye West</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:74V3dE1a51skRkdII8y2C6">André 3000</a>, and the comparatively under-the-radar Coleman.

Through the mid-2010s, Coleman's abundant and evolving output with <a href="spotify:artist:3I8ExTKigDuneCoO1D7aYS">Nicolay</a> remained his primary outlet as he continued to work beside fellow <a href="spotify:artist:60R4M19QBXvs0gO4IL6CpS">Foreign Exchange</a> family members, including <a href="spotify:artist:1OIFNnBQXsOyblFG9ZcGlE">YahZarah</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0XoDNlIZvfQP47lyLBVIsz">Zo!</a>, as a songwriter, producer, and guest vocalist. Meanwhile, Coleman also continued to stack appearances on tracks by other artists, including <a href="spotify:artist:78xUyw6FkVZrRAtziFdtdu">the Roots</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5cM1PvItlR21WUyBnsdMcn">Robert Glasper</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6qgnBH6iDM91ipVXv28OMu">Kaytranada</a>. He was especially productive across 2015 and 2016, a period that entailed a fifth <a href="spotify:artist:60R4M19QBXvs0gO4IL6CpS">Foreign Exchange</a> studio release, contributions to solo albums by <a href="spotify:artist:3I8ExTKigDuneCoO1D7aYS">Nicolay</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:0XoDNlIZvfQP47lyLBVIsz">Zo!</a>, and the creation of Tigallerro, a full-length collaboration with longtime associate <a href="spotify:artist:2ewAU3d4El7WSIxWUJaZJn">Eric Roberson</a>. Behind the scenes, Coleman wrote verses for multiple characters (including one he portrayed) in The Breaks, a VH1 TV movie that developed into a series.

Coleman was comparatively quiet during 2017, though he continued co-hosting <a href="spotify:artist:1h2OVSKRdJHnVqyCKqCLkf">Questlove</a>'s Questlove Supreme podcast and received a writing credit on <a href="spotify:artist:78xUyw6FkVZrRAtziFdtdu">the Roots</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:4jCbgl5Dmt3uOh8WRQfpPs">Bilal</a>'s "It Ain't Fair," recorded for the Detroit soundtrack. The second proper solo Phonte album, the succinct but emotionally wide-ranging No News Is Good News, was released the following March with production from the likes of <a href="spotify:artist:0XoDNlIZvfQP47lyLBVIsz">Zo!</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:2bz6GlqjAN5fTFWvy0rmSP">Tall Black Guy</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6gU7qtF5B31WwdgkNwF1XK">DJ Harrison</a>. Pacific Time, a predominantly R&B-oriented solo EP, arrived in March 2019. Coleman and <a href="spotify:artist:2hfa22hIjNd79uMZlWb0UF">Big Pooh</a>, who made a surprise appearance together with <a href="spotify:artist:4s8ZGMVf3OiPktSP4ulpqU">9th Wonder</a> the previous September at Durham's Art of Cool Festival, announced in May 2019 that they would be continuing to perform and record as <a href="spotify:artist:0s9MrSopEoAn8JqwBipgdO">Little Brother</a>. The duo delivered May the Lord Watch, the fifth <a href="spotify:artist:0s9MrSopEoAn8JqwBipgdO">LB</a> album, three months later. By then, Coleman's television credits included work on Sesame Street, The New Negroes, and Sherman's Showcase.

Supporting roles as a producer and featured artist continued for Coleman over the first few years of the 2020s. Among the recordings to which he contributed were <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Foreign+Exchange+Music%22">Foreign Exchange Music</a> releases such as <a href="spotify:artist:0XoDNlIZvfQP47lyLBVIsz">Zo!</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:2bz6GlqjAN5fTFWvy0rmSP">Tall Black Guy</a>'s Abstractions, <a href="spotify:artist:2WDSk4ZbwCw2E99XV6gkRk">BeMyFiasco</a>'s Where I Left You, <a href="spotify:artist:4vGS9mc7YHh5Mpfd51X8MF">Sy Smith</a>'s Until We Meet Again, and <a href="spotify:artist:2yNKEtbsHXCHkkluxANoD8">Darien Brockington</a>'s Where Love Grows. He also appeared on <a href="spotify:artist:3BeQqzKdlARoOd6y30kCO2">Pete Rock</a>'s NY's Finest and <a href="spotify:artist:77zgRkcehIGCAtROXkXkb3">Black Milk</a>'s Everybody Good?, the latter of which featured one of his most moving guest verses on the track "No Wish." In 2024, amid a flurry of <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22FE%22">FE</a>-related projects, Phonte and <a href="spotify:artist:3I8ExTKigDuneCoO1D7aYS">Nicolay</a> released the <a href="spotify:artist:60R4M19QBXvs0gO4IL6CpS">Foreign Exchange</a> single "The Grey"/"Couldn't Love You More [Dub]" -- a new song backed by a <a href="spotify:artist:47zz7sob9NUcODy0BTDvKx">Sade</a> cover. Shortly thereafter, Phonte issued Pacific Time 2, his second four-track solo EP. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi