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Phonte and Nicolay have released two new songs to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their Grammy-nominated duo The Foreign Exchange.
The Little Brother rapper took to Instagram earlier this week to share the news, writing: “THE FOREIGN EXCHANGE The Grey b/w I Couldn’t Love You More (Dub). New 12” single commemorating our 20th anniversary. Midnight on all platforms.”
He added: “180g numbered color vinyl pre-order available now at link in bio. Limited to 300 copies worldwide. No re-presses. Thank you for listening! #FEMusic.”
Featuring a woozy beat from Dutch producer Nicolay, “The Grey” finds Phonte sprinkling in social commentary alongside clever, confident rhymes and nods to some of his Hip Hop heroes like LL Cool J, Kool G Rap and Raekwon.
“God blessed me with the best of life, but I still look at my sons and see two Trayvons,” he raps before adding: “So good, took me out the hood to a subdivision/ For real, but still we being attacked/ They say consider both sides but I don’t see it as that/ Tell us to see the grey when all they see is the black.”
“I Couldn’t Love You More,” meanwhile, is a remake of the Sade song of the same name and captures Tigallo — who has showcased his smooth singing voice throughout FE’s catalog — doing his best impression of the airy-voiced songstress
“The Grey” and “I Couldn’t Love You More (Dub)” mark The Foreign Exchange’s first new music since 2018’s “June” and comes two decades after the release of their breakout debut album Connected.
The R&B-influenced project was created entirely remotely, with Europe-based Nicolay sending Phonte beats over the internet after they connected on the Okayplayer message boards. They would not meet in person until after the album was released.
The transatlantic distance didn’t hamper the pair’s chemistry as Connected earned widespread critical acclaim, while “Come Around” became a modest hit.
Phonte and Nicolay have since released four more albums together — Leave It All Behind, Authenticity, Love in Flying Colors and Tales from the Land of Milk and Honey — and earned Grammys recognition in 2010 when “Daykeeper” was nominated for Best Urban/Alternative Performance.
Phonte’s other group, Little Brother, is also still going strong more than two decades later, with the North Carolina native reuniting with partner-in-rhyme Big Pooh in 2019 for May the Lord Watch.
The album came after the pair fell out and ceased contact for several years. It was only after the death of Phife Dawg, one of their mutual idols, in 2016 that they began talking again and mended their relationship.
“It was the right time for us. If anything was going to happen, as far as us doing the album together, it just had to happen organically,” Pooh told HipHopDX following the album’s release. “We didn’t talk for a few years, and then when we started back talking, we didn’t even do any music together. We just built on our relationship.
“I can say it was just something that just magically and organically happened after that reunion concert. That just ended up being the right time. Everything was right. Everything was in place, and it finally happened.”