Thug Life Army

Acclaimed North Carolina Hip-Hop trio Little Brother is set for the release of their eagerly anticipated new album, "THE MINSTREL SHOW." The wildly imaginative collection -- which follows the Durham, North Carolina-based hip-hop trio's critically acclaimed 2003 debut, "THE LISTENING" -- arrives in stores coast to coast on September 13th and marks the group's Atlantic premiere.

"Lovin'' It (feat. Joe Scudda)," the first single from "THE MINSTREL SHOW," has just arrived at Urban radio nationwide. A companion video was recently filmed in New York City and is set to premiere in the coming weeks.

Little Brother -- MCs Phonte and Big Pooh, with inventive DJ/producer 9th Wonder -- are heralding the release of "THE MINSTREL SHOW" with a major North American tour that kicks off today in New Orleans. The trek -- which includes a performance at Seattle's internationally renowned Bumbershoot Festival on September 2nd -- will culminate in early October with a trio of home state shows in Asheville, Carrboro, and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Equal parts soul and satire, "THE MINSTREL SHOW" is a darkly humorous concept album detailing the rise of fictional television network, UBN (U Black N***as). When UBN purchases radio station WJLR (aka Justus League Radio, chronicled on "THE LISTENING"), the network scores a hit with the new series, "The Minstrel Show," starring Little Brother. Realized like a low-budget episode of "Saturday Night Live," complete with commercial breaks and musical guests, "THE MINSTREL SHOW" is a unique and powerful record, blending organic grooves and big ideas into an important work of hip-hop self-reflection.

"THE MINSTREL SHOW" has already begun to draw ecstatic advance critical praise. XXL -- which called it one of the 10 Most-Anticipated Hip-Hop Albums of 2005 -- has awarded the collection an "XL" rating, while Scratch has rated "THE MINSTREL SHOW" a 10-out-of-10.

Since officially coming together as a trio back in 2001, Little Brother has been hailed as among the hip-hop's most provocative and ingenious groups. They struck an instant chord within the rap community, garnering praise from the likes of Pete Rock and the Roots, as well as catching the ears of super rap artist Jay-Z, who recruited 9th Wonder to craft tracks for both him and Destiny's Child. 9th Wonder has gone on to produce a wide array of artists, including Memphis Bleek, Jean Grae, Masta Ace, and Buckshot, among others.

With the ABB release of "THE LISTENING," Little Brother broke full on into the hip-hop mainstream. The group received rapturous coverage on MTV as well as in such publications as Vibe, XXL, Trace, Elemental, URB, and The Source, where "THE LISTENING" received 4-out-of-5 mics. Little Brother also earned praise for their live performances, sharing stages alongside such like-minded groups as Dilated Peoples, The Roots, Gang Starr, and Floetry.

LITTLE BROTHER

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR 2005

AUGUST

22  New Orleans, LA       House of Blues

23  Houston, TX           Engine Room

24  Austin, TX            Emo's

25  Dallas, TX            Gypsy Tea Room/Ballroom

27  Albuquerque, NM       Sunshine Theatre

28  Phoenix, AZ           Old Brickhouse Grill

29  San Diego, CA         Canes

30  West Hollywood, CA    The Troubadour

31  San Francisco, CA     Slim's

SEPTEMBER

2   Seattle, WA           Bumbershoot Festival

3   Portland, OR          Berbati's Pan

5   Boulder, CO           Fox Theatre

6   Colorado Springs, CO  Darkside

7   Lawrence, KS          The Bottleneck

8   Chicago, IL           Abbey Pub

9   Ann Arbor, MI         Blind Pig

10  Toronto, ON           The Reverb

11  Lansing, MI           Temple Club

15  New York, NY          BB King's Blues Club & Grill

16  Philadelphia, PA      The Trocadero & Balcony Bar

17  Boston, MA            Paradise Rock Club

18  South Burlington, VT  Higher Ground

19  Montreal, QC          Foufounes Electriques

21  Providence, RI        Century Lounge

23  Northampton, MA       Pearl Street

24  Baltimore, MD         Ottobar

26  Lexington, KY         The Dame

29  Gainesville, FL       Common Grounds

30  Cincinnati, OH        University of Cincinnati

OCTOBER

2   Tallahassee, FL       Club Downunder

3   Jacksonville, FL      Fuel

4   Orlando, FL           The Social

6   Asheville, NC         Orange Peel

7   Carrboro, NC          Cat's Cradle

8   Charlotte, NC         The Room