"Unlikely" and "serendipitous" lack weight in describing the sequence of events and circumstances that placed
Phonte,
Big Pooh, and
9th Wonder on-stage at Durham's Art of Cool Festival in 2018. Arranged in a few hours -- scheduled performer
Royce da 5'9" missed his flight, necessitating a replacement act -- the surprise hometown reunion went over well enough that
Phonte and
Big Pooh opted to officially reinstate
Little Brother with their fifth album together. Proficiently trading verses and vocalizing in tandem not long after they weren't even on speaking terms, the MCs resume without trackmaster
9th, yet continuity is maintained with the bulk of the productions supplied by past
LB collaborators Khrysis, Focus..., and
Nottz, who keep it steady, soulful, and glinting with adept sample flips and nuanced live instrumentation alike. The ancillary voices on hooks and in the background, from
Darien Brockington to
Madison McFerrin, are also familiar and otherwise on the same wavelength. As for
Phonte and
Pooh, they're compatible as ever and sound closer as individuals, invigorated by bonding after nearly a decade's worth of gains and losses since LeftBack.
Pooh excels most with rhymes that are humbled and resolute, whether he's relating the stress of supporting his family with long hours as a rideshare driver or projecting the kind of unshakable will attained only with a near-death experience. The bar for blue-collar poetry is still set by
Phonte, whose lines are most moving when they confront instability, embrace simple pleasures of adulthood, and profess his "work ethic and a hard drive -- now back it up." Guest-filled interludes courtesy of UBN, the fictitious network that framed
The Minstrel Show, add a comedic element (with a little sharp social critique) and make another connection to the back catalog. While this LP might seem like a present custom made for expectant deep-listening fans who have grown with the makers, it's plainly evident that
Phonte and
Pooh needed to make it for themselves. Like the return from their idolized
A Tribe Called Quest,
May the Lord Watch strengthens a legacy of an act crucial to hip-hop. ~ Andy Kellman