The Foreign Exchange

Few groups come by their names so honestly: The Foreign Exchange is the product of a relationship forged on the Okayplayer message boards between Phonte (the rapper from North Carolina’s beloved underground rap trio Little Brother) and Nicolay (a Dutch producer given to beds of lush R&B filtered through turn-of-the-century digitization). Before they ever met in person—or even spoke on the phone—the pair had recorded much of their 2004 debut, Connected, an album so rapturously received that Phonte was forced to clarify on Little Brother’s next record that he wouldn’t be leaving to focus on this new act. That LP, together with 2009’s sophomore effort, Leave It All Behind, proved not only deeply intoxicating to fans, but widely imitated: Drake, who debuted shortly after Leave It All Behind dropped, has acknowledged this pair of LPs as formative influences. In a series of daring experiments to follow, Phonte and Nicolay have continued to push the boundaries of hip-hop, R&B, and whatever lies just beyond.