 "Photo: Courtesy Foreign Exchange Music, LLC")
Phonte Coleman is doing big things. Raised in Greensboro and still a North Carolina resident, Coleman is an acclaimed MC, Grammy- nominated R&B singer/songwriter, and a 2001 N.C. Central University alumnus.
His long-awaited solo album, "Charity Starts at Home," is slated for release Sept. 27. "In 1988 I bought my first hip–hop album, ‘Long Live the Kane,' by Big Daddy Kane and that pretty much changed my life," Coleman said on WUNC Radio's "The State of Things" with Frank Stasio.
In 2001 Coleman formed the hip–hop trio Little Brother with MC Big Pooh and producer 9th Wonder at NCCU. The crew split in 2010 after releasing four critically acclaimed albums.
In what may be considered a show of solidarity, 9th Wonder is releasing his newest album, "The Wonder Years," the same day.
Despite his success as a member of Little Brother, Coleman continued to explore other avenues of musicianship.
He grew up singing in a church choir and listening to R&B and soul albums. "Even when I got into hip-hop, I got into the hip- hop that sampled the music that I grew up listening to," Coleman said.
He met songwriting partner Nicolay Rook in 2002 on okayplayer.com. Rook was living in the Netherlands at the time; he has since moved to Wilmington, N.C.
Coleman and Rook made their first album, "Connected," by sending digital files to each other through message boards and snail mail.
The soul music group The Foreign Exchange was born. In 2008 The Foreign Exchange released "Leave it All Behind."
The album's first single, "Daykeeper," was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award in the Best Urban/Alternative Performance category.
It may seem paradoxical that an MC with Coleman's hip-hop credibility and accolades has merged two dissimilar music genres into a successful ascendant career, but his approach to longevity provides insight into his career trajectory.
"You have to do something that, you know, allows you to make music, but grow old in your craft," Coleman told Philadelphia Weekly.
Perhaps the secret to longevity for Coleman involves his willingness to reach for his true potential through musical metamorphosis.
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