It was around summer of 2004, I was visiting a friend from college.  I was about to start grad school at UCLA and he was going to law school at UCLA, and we were talking about being roommates.  Before I left, he asked,
“Yo, you heard that Foreign Exchange?  It’s the new album from Phonte of Little Brother and this cat Nicolay from the Netherlands.”

He played me a few tracks and burned it for me to play on the way home.  As soon as I put that CD in my player and heard that amazing intro, I was zoned out.  The music was everything I’ve always wanted to hear.  It was melodic, but still funky, and hard hitting.  It had different changes.  It was that next level I was looking for.  And I always knew Phonte could sing from little things he did on The Listening album, but now he was doing full songs as a singer.  I wore that CD out that summer.

When I heard Leave it All Behind, I was a bit confused.  I wasn’t sure how to feel.  There wasn’t nearly as much rhyming on this. But after a second listen, I figured maybe Hip Hop wasn’t challenging them to enough musically.  I wore that album out too, and sing along with it from beginning to end.

Well now I finally got the chance to find out.  After chatting with the Dir. of Operations, Aimee Flint downstairs, I got a chance to chill with them in their hotel room and just have a straight up conversation with them.  Asking them the questions I’ve always wanted to ask.  Their influences, how they create, and their thoughts on Hip Hop.

Part 1- Motivations

- How they fell in love with music.

- Albums they suggest you study

- Is Hip Hop not challenging enough?

Be sure to get the new album Authenticity in stores, Itunes, and everywhere else, NOW

EXTRA EXTRA- Read all about it!

Foreign Exchange are USA Today’s Pick of the Week!

How fresh is that!?

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Take a listen to that song below the news clip

USA Today's Pick of the Week 10-19-10

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