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'{{Infobox album | name = The Listening | type = studio | artist = [[Little Brother (band)|Little Brother]] | cover = Little Brother - The Listening.jpg | alt = | released = February 25, 2003 | recorded = 2001–2002 | studio = | genre = [[Hip hop music|Hip hop]] | length = 65:13 | label = [[E1 Entertainment Distribution#E1 Entertainment distributed labels|ABB]] | producer = * [[9th Wonder]] * Eccentric | prev_title = | prev_year = | next_title = [[The Minstrel Show]] | next_year = 2005 | misc = {{Singles | name = The Listening | type = studio | single1 = Speed | single1date = August 2001 | single2 = Whatever You Say | single2date = November 26, 2002 | single3 = The Way You Do It | single3date = May 20, 2003 }} }} '''''The Listening''''' is the debut album of [[North Carolina]] trio [[Little Brother (band)|Little Brother]]. It was released in early 2003 on ABB Records. == Overview == {{unreferenced section|date=May 2018}} As the main producer for the group, [[9th Wonder]]'s instrumentals consist of chopped and manipulated samples of old soul records, reminiscent of [[Pete Rock]] and [[DJ Premier]]. Complementing the backdrops are [[MC]]'s [[Phonte]] and [[Rapper Big Pooh]] with their tag-team wordplay and raps. On "Speed", they rap about the pressures of working a regular job while trying to survive in the [[rat race]], while on "Make Me Hot", they make fun of people who hassle them for beats and studio time. They also do some uncanny impressions of [[Old school hip hop|old school]] era [[MC]]'s on "So Fabulous". The underlying theme of ''The Listening'' concerns the group's effort to engage their listeners on a deeper level, and their frustration at casual listeners who pay little attention to lyrics and content and simply want to hear a "hot song". The interludes are performed by the members of a fictional radio station called WJLR (Justus League Radio). On the last song, "The Listening", the group addresses the album's main theme directly: they abruptly stop the song, exchange dialogue, then restart. ==Reception== {{Album ratings | rev1 = [[AllMusic]] | rev1score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref name="AllMusicRev">[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r634798|pure_url=yes}} AllMusic review]</ref> | rev2 = ''[[HipHopDX]]'' | rev2score = 4.0/5<ref name="HHD">[http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.275/title.little-brother-the-listening HipHopDX review]</ref> | rev3 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' | rev3score = 8.5/10<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/little-brother-the-listening/|title=Little Brother: The Listening Album Review|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|last=Green|first=Dylan|date=January 29, 2022|access-date=January 30, 2022}}</ref> | rev4 = ''RapReviews'' | rev4score = 10/10<ref>[http://rapreviews.com/archive/2003_08_listening.html RapReviews review]</ref> | rev5 = ''[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]'' | rev5score = {{Rating|3.5|5}}<ref>[http://www.tower.com/listening-little-brother-cd/wapi/106492101 Vibe review]</ref> }}<!-- Automatically generated by DASHBot--> [[AllMusic]] generally praised the album, concluding that it "a finely crafted musical document, composed by artists who want nothing more than to provide even just a glimpse of hip-hop purity within an ever-expanding maze of cultural deterioration."<ref name="AllMusicRev"/> ''[[HipHopDX]]'' praised the album's consistent quality, in that the music worked best in the album format, and the message was lessened when the listener skipped tracks.<ref name="HHD"/> ==Track listing== <!--this section is for album credits only--> {{Track listing | collapsed = | headline = | extra_column = Producer(s) | all_writing = | all_lyrics = | all_music = | title1 = Morning | note1 = [[Chaundon]] | extra1 = 9th Wonder | length1 = 0:45 | title2 = Groupie, Pt. 2 | note2 = Big Pooh | extra2 = 9th Wonder | length2 = 2:58 | title3 = For You | note3 = Phonte, Big Pooh | extra3 = 9th Wonder | length3 = 3:03 | title4 = Speed | note4 = Phonte, Big Pooh | extra4 = 9th Wonder | length4 = 3:57 | title5 = Whatever You Say | note5 = Big Pooh, Phonte | extra5 = 9th Wonder | length5 = 5:27 | title6 = Make Me Hot | note6 = Phonte | extra6 = 9th Wonder | length6 = 1:36 | title7 = The Yo-Yo | note7 = Big Pooh, Phonte | extra7 = 9th Wonder | length7 = 3:35 | title8 = Shorty on the Lookout | note8 = Phonte, Big Pooh, Median | extra8 = 9th Wonder | length8 = 5:24 | title9 = Love Joint Revisited | note9 = Phonte, Big Pooh | extra9 = 9th Wonder | length9 = 4:25 | title10 = So Fabulous | note10 = Phonte, Big Pooh | extra10 = 9th Wonder | length10 = 4:43 | title11 = The Way You Do It | note11 = Phonte, Big Pooh | extra11 = 9th Wonder | length11 = 4:32 | title12 = Roy Lee, Producer Extraordinaire | note12 = Phonte, 9th Wonder | extra12 = 9th Wonder | length12 = 0:58 | title13 = The Get-Up | note13 = Phonte, Big Pooh | extra13 = Eccentric | length13 = 3:17 | title14 = Away from Me | note14 = Big Pooh, Phonte | extra14 = 9th Wonder | length14 = 5:23 | title15 = Nobody but You | note15 = Big Pooh, Phonte, Keisha Shontelle | extra15 = 9th Wonder | length15 = 3:01 | title16 = Home | note16 = 9th Wonder | extra16 = 9th Wonder | length16 = 2:49 | title17 = Nighttime Maneuvers | note17 = Phonte | extra17 = 9th Wonder | length17 = 3:03 | title18 = The Listening | note18 = Big Pooh, Phonte | extra18 = 9th Wonder | length18 = 6:07 }} ==References== {{Reflist}} {{Little Brother}} {{9th Wonder}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Listening}} [[Category:Little Brother (group) albums]] [[Category:2003 debut albums]] [[Category:Albums produced by 9th Wonder]]'