The Foreign Exchange Takes Over the Globe

Phonte and Nicolay, better known as The Foreign Exchange

A dynamic duo was born without any words spoken. 


Phonte of North Carolina rap group Little Brother heard a instrumental track on okayplayer.com. He liked the beat and contacted the producer and asked if he could rap over it. The tracksmith, a Dutchman known as Nicolay, said yes, and the track that came of it "Light It Up," became a B-side on Little Brother's "Whatever You Say," from LB's debut, "The Listening." Happy with the outcome, the two kept exchanging beats and rhymes through e-mail. The end product was the 2005 album, "Connected," released with the two billing themselves as The Foreign Exchange. The album, with had the songs "Let's Move," "Sincere" and "Happiness," "Connected" overshadowed LB's second album, "The Minstrel Show," with Phonte rising to match producer 9th Wonder's status as the latter group's breakout star. The rapper's vulnerable lyrics were the perfect match for Nicolay's laidback, headclapping beats, some of which hearken back to those of J.Dilla. 


The group's follow up, 2008's "Leave It All Behind," released on the group's self-titled imprint, found Phonte embracing singing more fully and featured "Daybreaker" and "Take Off The Blues," the former garnering the group a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative performance. Feeling the need to capitalize on the attention brought by the Grammy nomination, the duo buckled down and had their third album, "Authenticity" in the marketplace in October of last year. The LP finds Phonte dealing with a breakup. ("The Last Fall" trumps anything found on "808s and Heartbreak," and "Maybe She'll Dream of Me" has a sublime hopefulness.)  There's a debate among fans as to which album is the best. No matter which one you choose, The Foreign Exchange will have you feeling right at home.

Byron Lee, contributor