Where did the organic and soulful sound in Hip-Hop go? Nowhere!
I’ve been a fan of Phonte ever since i heard ‘The Listening’ by Little Brother and I’ve been a fan of Nicolay ever since i heard the production he did for Kay’s song ‘My Story’. But I was blown away when i heard them collaborate together on the album ‘Connected’ as a duo called ‘The Foreign Exchange’.
The story of how the two met is magical. Nicolay and Phonte met on the website okayplayer.com and got in touch with each other. Nicolay sent his beats via the net to Phonte from the Netherlands and Phonte recorded the vocals in the USA. They used this same strategy when they made the whole album Connected (without meeting each other in the flesh).
What i love about Connected is every song lives up to the title. Nicolay takes you on a journey with his soulful and mellow beats that have so much life and depth to them. Phonte lyrically is one of the best rappers in the rap game. He has a diverse flow, meaningful lyrics, good punchlines, a charming swagger and a honest approach to his music.
Since Connected The Foreign Exchange have released two more albums (‘Leave it all Behind’ and ‘Authenticity’), but i still feel that Connected is my favourite.
Earlier this month The Foreign Exchange announced that Connected had been re-released and you can purchase the album as a double disc CD (getting both the album CD and Instrumental CD)
HERES THE LINK TO CHECK IT OUT:
http://www.theforeignexchangemusic.com/2011/05/connected-cds-are-back.php
The duo got a grammy nomination for their song ‘Daykeeper’ (in 2009) and i believe they’ll being winning awards in the future if they keep up their good work.
“be consistent and develop a solid work ethic because at the end of the day, no one can take that away from you.” Zo!
Follow Nicolay:
www.twitter.com/nicolaymusic
Follow Phonte:
www.twitter.com/phontigallo
Follow The Foreign Exchange:
www.twitter.com/FEOfficial
-Jay-
