I was in the mood to listen to Phonte so you get to listen to Phonte too. This rapper/singer/comedian has made varied music during his career as a part of several groups and with multiple alter egos. Honestly most of the music here falls during  2007-2008 but that probably has mostly to do with what I was going through during the time. Anyway, below are 8 videos showing the many sides of Phonte Coleman.

1. The Foreign Exchange – Daykeeper ft. Muhsinah (2008)
This song alone cemented The Foreign Exchange as legendary in my mind. Leave It All Behind is a masterpiece. I remember where I was sitting (the back corner of Magic’s Starbucks in Inglewood) the first time I heard Daykeeper.

2. Zo! & Tigallo – Take On Me ft. Carlitta Durand (2008)
This song is from an EP with Zo! where they refashioned several classic 80s songs. You can download the EP for free at the Foreign Exchange site!

3. Little Brother – After the Party ft. Carlitta Durand (2007)
This song, from my favorite Little Brother album Getback (not on Spotify and not to be confused with Leftback which shares many songs including this one), shows just how in touch Phonte is with pop culture. Here he alludes to the Emmitt Smith Roast where Jamie Foxx hilariously embarrasses a fellow comedian on stage.

4. Lil B – Base for Your Face ft. Jean Grae & Phonte (2011)
Phonte works with so many artists that although it was a little unexpected I wasn’t completely surprised when this came out.

5. Little Brother – Cheatin’ ft. Percy Miracles (2005)
This is one of the few songs on Youtube with the short-lived alter ego of Phonte’s known as Percy Miracles. Percy was sadly retired after the infamous Fry That Chicken video by Ms. Peachez in 2006. This album, The Minstrel Show, is where I discovered Little Brother.

6. Phonte – Gonna Be A Beautiful Night ft. Carlitta Durand (2011)
From his only solo album so far. This is my favorite song with frequent collaborator Carlitta Durand.

7. 4hero – Give In ft. Phonte, Darien Brockington (2007)
Another amazing album that just shows Phonte knows how to pick the best people to work with.

8. The Foreign Exchange – NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert
A little taste of the comedy show and concert that is any Foreign Exchange performance. I’ve seen Phonte perform at least five times in four cities.

Fun fact: the first time I listened to Drake was a collaboration with Little Brother and Dwele in 2007. I was too much of a music snob to listen to a Canadian rapper named after a duck otherwise.