Connected (Foreign Exchange album)
Encyclopedia
Connected is the debut album by The Foreign Exchange, a hip hop
group
consisting of American rapper Phonte
from Little Brother and Dutch
producer
Nicolay
. It has since been widely regarded as a classic alternative hip-hop album, contributing to the high reputation of Phonte, member of the critically acclaimed hip-hop group Little Brother.
Their group name comes from how they produced their songs: Nicolay would produce a beat in the Netherlands and send the beat to Phonte through instant messaging
, email
, and traditional mail
to lay down the vocals. Phonte would return the product, so Nicolay could then master the track; they did not meet until after the album was completed.
Von Sees
Let's Move
All That You Are
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
consisting of American rapper Phonte
Phonte
Phonte Coleman, better known as Phonte, is a Grammy nominated American rapper, formerly of the now defunct North Carolina trio Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. He has also recorded R&B-flavored output as a singer...
from Little Brother and Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Nicolay
Nicolay
Nicolay may refer to:* Nicolay , Dutch musician* Nicolay de Caveri, Genoese cartographer* Nicolay , an influential French family in the 15th to 18th centuriesPeople with surname Nicolay:...
. It has since been widely regarded as a classic alternative hip-hop album, contributing to the high reputation of Phonte, member of the critically acclaimed hip-hop group Little Brother.
Their group name comes from how they produced their songs: Nicolay would produce a beat in the Netherlands and send the beat to Phonte through instant messaging
Instant messaging
Instant Messaging is a form of real-time direct text-based chatting communication in push mode between two or more people using personal computers or other devices, along with shared clients. The user's text is conveyed over a network, such as the Internet...
Email
Electronic mail, commonly known as email or e-mail, is a method of exchanging digital messages from an author to one or more recipients. Modern email operates across the Internet or other computer networks. Some early email systems required that the author and the recipient both be online at the...
, and traditional mail
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
to lay down the vocals. Phonte would return the product, so Nicolay could then master the track; they did not meet until after the album was completed.
Tracklisting
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Performer(s) | Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Foreign Exchange Title Theme" | Nicolay | YahZarah YahZarah Dana Nicole Williams is an American singer. She is commonly known by her stage name, Yahzarah or Purple St. James.Yahzarah rose to fame when she became a back-up singer for Erykah Badu in 2000. In 2001, Yahzarah signed to Keo Music Records released her first album, Hear Me... |
2:28 | |
| 2 | "Von Sees" | Nicolay | Von Pea Tanya Morgan Tanya Morgan is an American hip hop group from which consists of MCs Donwill and Ilyas, and MC/producer Von Pea. Both Donwill and Ilyas are from Cincinnati, Ohio, while Von Pea is from Brooklyn, New York. Their debut album, Moonlighting, was acclaimed upon its release in 2006 .-History:Tanya Morgan... |
2:11 | |
| 3 | "Raw Life" | Nicolay | Phonte Phonte Phonte Coleman, better known as Phonte, is a Grammy nominated American rapper, formerly of the now defunct North Carolina trio Little Brother and one-half of the duo The Foreign Exchange. He has also recorded R&B-flavored output as a singer... , Joe Scudda |
4:48 | |
| 4 | "Hustle Hustle" | Nicolay | Critically Acclaimed, Phonte | 3:39 | |
| 5 | "Let's Move" | Nicolay | Big Pooh, Phonte | 5:27 | |
| 6 | "Nic's Groove" | Nicolay | Big Pooh, Phonte | 5:37 | |
| 7 | "Be Alright" | Nicolay | Median, Frank Ford, Phonte | 4:16 | |
| 8 | "Sincere" | Nicolay | YahZarah, Phonte | 4:47 | |
| 9 | "Brave New World" | Nicolay | Phonte | 4:58 | |
| 10 | "The Answer" | Nicolay | Oddisee, Sean Boog, Phonte, Kenn Starr | 4:39 | |
| 11 | "Come Around" | Nicolay | Darien Brockington Darien Brockington Darien Brockington is an American singer, songwriter, vocal arranger and actor. Born in Washington, DC and raised in Durham, NC, Brockington was exposed to music early on in life and began singing at the age of 2. He was brought up in a Seventh-Day Adventist Church and sang his first solo at 6... |
4:01 | |
| 12 | "Happiness" | Nicolay | Phonte, Big Pooh | 4:42 | |
| 13 | "Foreign Exchange End Theme" | Nicolay | YahZarah | 2:01 | |
| 14 | "All That You Are" | Nicolay | Median, Phonte, Darien Brockington | 5:23 | |
| 15 | "Be Alright" (Nicolay's Easybreezy Sunday Afternoon Remix) | Nicolay | Median, Frank Ford, Phonte | 3:04 | |
| 16 | "Call" | Nicolay | Darien Brockington, Phonte | 2:45 | |
| 17 | "Downtime" (Nicky Troutman's Bounce To The Ounce Remix) | Nicolay | Phonte | 2:55 | |
Samples
Foreign Exchange Title Theme- "Love's Holiday" by Wilbert Longmire
Von Sees
- "Sunken City" by Les BaxterLes BaxterLes Baxter was an American musician and composer.Baxter studied piano at the Detroit Conservatory before moving to Los Angeles for further studies at Pepperdine College. Abandoning a concert career as a pianist, he turned to popular music as a singer...
Let's Move
- "A Gal in CalicoA Gal in Calico"A Gal in Calico" is a song by American composer Arthur Schwartz introduced in the 1946 film The Time, the Place and the Girl. The words were written by Leo Robin. Johnny Mercer and Tex Beneke had hit single records...
" by Bing CrosbyBing CrosbyHarry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
All That You Are
- "That's What Love is Made Of" by The SylversThe SylversThe Sylvers were a popular R&B/soul and disco family group during the 1970s. Originally from Memphis, Tennessee, the family would later relocate to Watts, California.- Beginnings :...
Additional personnel
- Rapper Big PoohRapper Big PoohBig Pooh is an American rapper, who, along with fellow rap artist Phonte, was a member of the acclaimed North Carolina hip hop group Little Brother. In addition to numerous records and EP's by Little Brother, Pooh released a solo album in 2005 entitled Sleepers to positive critical review...
appears in "Let's Move", "Nic's Groove", and "Happiness" - YahzarahYahZarahDana Nicole Williams is an American singer. She is commonly known by her stage name, Yahzarah or Purple St. James.Yahzarah rose to fame when she became a back-up singer for Erykah Badu in 2000. In 2001, Yahzarah signed to Keo Music Records released her first album, Hear Me...
appears on "Title Theme", "Sincere" and "End Theme" - Von Pea appears on "Von Sees"
- Joe Scudda appears on "Raw Life"
- Darien BrockingtonDarien BrockingtonDarien Brockington is an American singer, songwriter, vocal arranger and actor. Born in Washington, DC and raised in Durham, NC, Brockington was exposed to music early on in life and began singing at the age of 2. He was brought up in a Seventh-Day Adventist Church and sang his first solo at 6...
appears on "Come Around" and "Call" - Median appears on "Be Alright" and "All That You Are"
- Kenn Starr, Oddisee, and Sean Boog appear on "The Answer"
- Frank Ford appears on "Be Alright"