Table of Content
First thing I noticed was that he gave a shout out to Fashawn. We have all had that feeling like everything we have worked for is falling around you. Phonte takes an amazing beat to deliver that raw emotion on record. First and foremost I want to apologize for how late this is hitting the site. I am normally much quicker with my reviews, but unfortunately sometimes my life interrupts my passion for all things Hip Hop.
Production was handled by 9th Wonder, E. Jones, Fatin "10" Horton, Khrysis, Stro Elliott, Swiff D, Symbolyc One, Zo! And Phonte, who also served as executive producer together with Nicolay. It features guest appearances from Big K.R.I.T., Carlitta Durand, Elzhi, Eric Roberson, Evidence, Jeanne Jolly, Sy Smith, and fellow Justus League member Median. That sixteen sums up why Phonte has been one of the best kept secrets in hip hop for quite some time now. The dude could probably be in the conversation with the Kanye’s, Wayne’s and the Hova’s as one of the best MC’s in the game, but by his own admission, ‘Te just simply would rather take much less of a mainstream route.
Music
The guest spots on the project are well selected and equally well executed. With each artist ensuring not to get outdone by their track-mate, collaborations with Elzhi (“Not Here Anymore”), Pharoahe Monch (“We Go Off”) and Evidence and Big K.R.I.T. (“The Life of Kings”) result in outstanding outputs. Undeniably, Charity Starts At Home reminds why the rapper has been a darling of the underground for years. The latest album for the rapper who also is a member of Little Brother and The Foreign Exchange features guest appearances by 9th Wonder, Big K.R.I.T., Evidence, Elzhi, and Pharoahe Monch. Median and Tigallo go back in fourth on this track the entire time. I have never been a fan of this format for two emcees on a mic.
The production sets up the rest of the album perfectly. There’s definitely a lot to like about “Charity Starts at Home,” but it’s fair to say that it is uneven at times. There are no tracks that sound like huge mistakes or mediocre phoned in efforts, but some beats do seem to shine brighter and inspire Phonte a little more lyrically. The only complaint I have with it is that Phonte doesn't change up his style, and the beats and his flow can be repetitive. Eternally, The Good Fight, To Be Yours, and We Go Off are my favorite tracks of the album. Like I said earlier, I knew Phonte was a great rapper, but his singing is what really surprised me.
Nick Urb – Until The End Of Days
When he's rapping, his flow is very confident and polished, while his singing voice adds a great element to his body of work. Simply put, aside of Mos Def and Lauryn Hill, I can't think of an MC who can use both techniques as effectively as Phonte does. If we do another FROCAST with music and I finally get to pick the tunes, this will definitely be one of the tracks on it.
Nothing lasts, everything is gimmick, what was considered new and fresh one week is now passé and retired the next. No one style is consistent; rulers of the past keep trying to reinvent themselves into modern day rap jesters playing to the throne, and their subjects criticize them for it. There is no imagination, no thoughtful intelligence, no real lyricism, it’s all just gibberish set to a drum beat; which consequently was what our parents said about the music of our era so in that it’s cyclical.
User Reviews
What he did with Charity Starts At Home was craft an outstanding project that should come up in our discussions for album of the year. There are plenty of Emcees who claim that they could sell records if they decided they wanted that, but hearing Phonte here, I believe he really could. But obviously Phonte is in love with the art more than he is the fame. Outside of me not really liking one song off of here the album is almost flawless. This is one of the realest joints that I have heard. He is rapping about the everyday man and the struggles that he faces in today’s economy.
Phonte doesn’t need to be the focal point of each track, and it is this understanding that allows songs to be truly effective. It’s cool that he wants to experiment, and he’s not even that bad of a singer, but most listeners who buy a Phonte solo NOT marketed as a collaboration with Nicolay would probably prefer rhymes to crooned tunes. This is an overall above average album that needed a little more of something – a little more 9th Wonder, a little more swagger, a little more about the world of today – and possibly just a little less angst. Similarly, the moments when Phonte chooses to display his singing abilities - which there are not many of on here - all seem perfectly chosen.
Someone the other day said K.R.I.T. is like ketchup, he just makes everything better. This is a romantic track about a perfect type of date. The first verse has Phonte singing about how he feels about a young lady, then the second has Carlitta Durand doing the same. Phonte explains the urge that all man have to sew their oats. He also speaks on the reason for hunting other women verses the desire to keep the good woman that you already have. Production is amazingly simple, but it does its job perfectly.
However, instead of Rapper Big Pooh, who is noticeably absent on the album, Phonte spits along side Elzhi who kills his verse with multiple multi syllable rhymes. With his gloriously grown-up solo debut, one of the smartest, most incisive lyricists alive proves it's possible to grow older in hip-hop while retaining your dignity. The first thing you hear when the song starts is a voice that made me think nappyafro’s own Saule Wright was given the opportunity to introduce Phonte. This is a great start to the album as Phonte introduces people to who he really is.
Charity Starts at Homesees Phonte avoid the pitfalls that have been becoming all too common in modern hip-hop. At 12 tracks, the album doesn’t stretch on for too long, but it still moves in distinct directions. “Gonna Be a Beautiful Night,” produced by Symbolyc One, has an R&B backbeat that lends itself to Carlitta Durand’s soul singing. It’s moments such as this that show Phonte knows when to lay back and let his presence stay understated.
I’ve always been a fan of Phonte the rapper, but this track made me want to go find all the Foreign Exchange music I could. When I first found out that the release date for Phonte’s Charity Starts At Home album was dropping on the 27th of September, I began to get giddy. Cole’s album, 9th Wonder’s album, & Big K.R.I.T.’s album (K.R.I.T.’s album was later pushed back) were all dropping that day. I felt like this would be a great day for Hip-Hop. I actually bet my friend that Phonte would put out an ablum just as good, and maybe even the best of that day.
When I first heard this, I thought Jamie Foxx was on the vocals. It took awhile for me to figure out that this was Phonte. Anyway I expected this song to be about a significant other. Like the wife is my “Ball And Chain” and well, it is exactly that.
Since 2007 saw 9th Wonder quit working with Little Brother, Phonte is without a doubt the former member who has had the most success. Most recently, he has delivered strong contributions to the last Roots and Pharoahe Monch albums, among others. But curiously, among so many projects , he has never found the time to record a solo output.
Therefore not many people outside of the “Hip Hop Head” community are going to pay much attention to this album. But as he states on “Dance In The Reign”, that’s okay with Phonte, and I’m sure it’s more than okay for all of his fans who cherish ‘Te as he continues to shine as Hip Hop’s hidden gem. “I don’t need the lime light, that’s young nigga shit.”That line right there almost completely describes Tigallo. Even to this point he has stayed true to himself 100% and on this track 9th gives Phonte another track to spit that real world type of music.
‘Charity Starts At Home’ starts strong and ends even stronger, making this an unchallenged classic in circles where real music still matters. And if it really does, then come award time I hope to see Phonte accepting his well earned and long deserved accolades for all he has given to us. Charity does indeed start at home but it does not have to end there. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 88, based on seven reviews.
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