NEW YORK, NY (Atlantic Records) - "THE MINSTREL SHOW," the eagerly anticipated new album from ABB/Atlantic recording group
Little Brother, arrives in stores today,
September 13th. The wildly imaginative collection follows the Durham, North Carolina-based hip-hop trio's critically acclaimed 2003 debut, "THE LISTENING." "THE MINSTREL SHOW" marks the group's Atlantic premiere.
"Lovin' It (feat. Joe Scudda)," the first single from "THE MINSTREL SHOW," recently arrived at Urban radio outlets nationwide. A companion video clip - filmed in New York City - is set to debut in the coming weeks.
Little Brother is currently heralding the release of "THE MINSTREL SHOW" with a major North American tour. The trek will wrap up in early October with a trio of home state shows in Asheville, Carrboro, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
Equal parts soul and satire, "THE MINSTREL SHOW" is a darkly humorous concept album detailing the rise of fictional television network, UBN (U Black N*****s). When UBN purchases radio station WJLR (aka Justus League Radio, chronicled on "THE LISTENING"), the network scores a hit with the new series, "The Minstrel Show," starring Little Brother. Realized like a low-budget episode of "Saturday Night Live," complete with commercial breaks and musical guests, "THE MINSTREL SHOW" is a truly unique and powerful record, blending organic grooves and big ideas into an important work of hip-hop self-reflection.
"THE MINSTREL SHOW" has already begun to draw ecstatic critical praise. The album garnered a four-star rave review in today's USA Today, while XXL - which called it one of the 10 Most-Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums of 2005 - has awarded the collection an "XL" rating and Scratch has rated "THE MINSTREL SHOW" a 10-out-of-10.
Since officially coming together as a trio back in 2001, Little Brother has been hailed as among the hip-hop's most provocative and ingenious groups. They struck an instant chord within the rap community, garnering praise from the likes of Pete Rock and the Roots, as well as catching the ears of Jay-Z, who recruited 9th Wonder to craft tracks for both him and Destiny's Child. 9th Wonder has gone on to produce a wide array of artists, including Memphis Bleek, Jean Grae, Masta Ace, and Buckshot, among others.
With the ABB release of "THE LISTENING," Little Brother broke full on into the hip-hop mainstream. The group received rapturous coverage on MTV as well as in such publications as Vibe, XXL, Trace, Elemental, URB, and The Source, where "THE LISTENING" received 4-out-of-5 mics. Little Brother also earned praise for their live performances, sharing stages alongside such like-minded groups as Dilated Peoples, the Roots, Gang Starr, and Floetry.
