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The dynamic group Little Brother is in the midst of a controversy involving their first two albums and their former label ABB Records’ shady moves behind new reissues of both. The MCs are humbly asking fans not to purchase or stream a paif of their first albums.
Rapper Big Pooh broke the news of the indie label’s behavior via Twitter on Tuesday (September 21), claiming that they re-issued their second album from 2005, The Minstrel Show, without the group’s permission. He also stated that the group hadn’t been paid appropriately for that album and for their 2003 debut project, The Listening.
Pooh closed by asking fans to not buy or stream those album reissues. “I see ABB Records has decided to put up a repress of The Minstrel Show on vinyl instead of answering for 16 years of nonpayment on TMS or answering for 18 years of nonpayment for The Listening,” he wrote. “Humbly asking that you not support bad business practices. Thank you for listening.”
Phonte co-signed Rapper Big Pooh’s request, clarifying through Instagram that he wasn’t implicating Fat Beats in the situation. “I have no smoke with @fatbeats, but @abbrecords can get the entire fuck outta here,” he wrote in the caption. “Either way, my brother @rapperbigpooh and I are asking that you don’t support any LB vinyl represses and stop running The Listening on all streaming platforms until Ben Nickleberry Jr. aka Beni B. of @abbrecords honors his fucking word and pays us what we’re owed. Thank you for listening. #LBbizness.”
He later posted a video to Instagram, thanking all of the supportive fans and shedding further light on what exactly took place between the group and ABB Records, stating that the group hadn’t received any royalties since 2004 for The Listening despite significant streaming numbers. Phonte also shared that the vinyl rights to The Minstrel Show were given to Atlantic Records in the deal made between the label and ABB Records and that he had spoken with Nickleberry as late as 2019 to try to resolve the issue quietly. “We tried, but now it’s time to get loud,” he said.
Check out the full video below.
