Mixing the Sincerity of R&B With The Energy of Hip-Hop: The Foreign Exchange
They didn't decide to call their project The Foreign Exchange just because it sounded cool. The name actually describes how their music is made quite accurately.
In 2002, rapper/singer/songwriter Phonte (of hip-hop outfit Little Brother) and producer Nicolay came together via online hip-hop message boards. At the time, Phonte was living in Raleigh, NC and Nicolay was living in his naive Holland. After trading files via instant messenger for over a year, the two completed their debut album before they had even met in person. So, the music is almost literally a foreign exchange. It's kind of like the story behind Ben Gibbard and Dntel's The Postal Service, except more international, with more internet, and less trademark infringement.
Their first album, Connected, was released in 2004 and received praise from the hip-hop community for its "inventive mix of hip-hop, R&B, and electronica." They followed up their successful debut with Leave It All Behind in 2008. And even though their sophomore record saw the duo moving away from their hip-hop roots and more towards R&B and neo-soul, the album is their most critically acclaimed. They even snagged a Grammy nod for the song "Daykeeper". Their third full-length, Authenticity, came out at the end of last year to the same high praise that their first two albums received.
And despite making three full-length albums together, they still have never recorded a song in the same studio at the same time.
Having recently released a live CD/DVD, Dear Friends: An Evening with The Foreign Exchange, they are hitting the road this summer with a full band. The duo's particular mesh of R&B and hip-hop fare well in a live setting too. Even though Phonte does more singing than rapping in this project, he is an emcee at heart and it shows in his performances. Meaning that there will be a lot of energy coming from the stage and many requests for audience participation. It might be a R&B/neo-soul show, but expect lots of hands in the air and head nodding.
These guys are consummate performers. They know their craft so well that they have even said that each show is "tailor-made for the audience in that city." So, the audience at Thursday night's show at the Crocodile can look forward an evening that mixes the sincerity of R&B with the energy of hip-hop to create something that they are unlikely to experience anywhere else.
Thursday, 8 pm // The Crocodile // $18
