The Foreign Exchange

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The Foreign Exchange
General information
origin Raleigh , NC , USA and the Netherlands
Genre (s) Hip-hop , alternative R&B
founding 2002
Website www.theforeignexchangemusic.com
Founding members
Rap, singing
 Phonte
production
 Nicolay

The Foreign Exchange is an alternative R&B duo, consisting of the little brother rapper and singer Phonte from North Carolina , United States and the Dutch music producer and multi-instrumentalist Nicolay (real name Matthijs Rook).

history

Producer Nicolay in 2006
Rapper and singer Phonte performing in 2008

Phonte and Nicolay first came into contact when Phonte discovered an instrumental by Nicolay on the Okayplayer.com website . He then asked him if he could rap about it. After the agreement, the B-side Light It Up was created for the Little Brother single Whatever You Say . The duo decided to keep making music together and recorded their debut album Connected , which was released in 2004. During the entire manufacturing process, the two never met or spoke to each other over the phone. Communication took place exclusively through instant messaging and emails .

Then Nicolay moved to the USA and the second long player Leave It All Behind was created. While Connected was still very much influenced by hip-hop , Leave It All Behind went more in the direction of R&B , a development that continued in other works - supported by Phontes change from rapper to singer. Leave It All Behind was released in 2008 and contained, among other things, the single Daykeeper , which was nominated for the 52nd award of the Grammys in the category Best Urban / Alternative Performance . However, the award was won by Pearls from India, Arie and Dobet Gnahoré .

In 2010, The Foreign Exchange initially worked on projects by their fellow musicians YahZarah and Zo !, both of which were published on the duo's label , Foreign Exchange Music . The Foreign Exchange released their third album, Authenticity, later that year . This was the first time it entered the Billboard 200 , at number 145.

The following year the duo gave a private acoustic concert in front of 40 listeners. The performance was recorded and released as a CD and DVD package entitled Dear Friends: An Evening with The Foreign Exchange . A double CD followed in 2013 with The Reworks , which included remixes of old songs by the duo as well as new pieces by the so-called Foreign Exchange Family , a music collective from The Foreign Exchange.

The official fourth studio album was also released in 2013 with Love in Flying Colors . Ranked 115th on the Billboard 200, it became the group's biggest chart success.

Then Nicolay and Phonte went on a world tour, which took them to South Africa , among other places . Inspired by the atmosphere there, Nicolay recorded the solo album City Lights Vol. 3: Soweto before the duo's fifth album, Tales from the Land of Milk and Honey , was released in 2015 . With influences from house , latin jazz and funk , it became even more experimental than its predecessor.

The next publication followed in 2017 was the compilation Hide & Seek . This was the beginning of a series of compilations in which the Reel People Music label selected artists - in this case The Foreign Exchange - who then put together an album of songs by lesser-known musicians close to you.

Discography

Chart positions
Explanation of the data
Albums
Authenticity
  US 145 10/30/2010 (1 week)
Love in Flying Colors
  US 115 10/12/2013 (1 week)

Studio albums

  • 2004: Connected
  • 2008: Leave It All Behind
  • 2010: Authenticity
  • 2013: Love in Flying Colors
  • 2015: Tales from the Land of Milk and Honey

Live albums

  • 2011: Dear Friends: An Evening with The Foreign Exchange

Remix albums

  • 2013: The Reworks

Compilations

  • 2017: Hide & Seek

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dear Friends: An Evening With The Foreign Exchange. theforeignexchangemusic.com, June 1, 2011, accessed August 14, 2016 .
  2. ^ Allmusic : + FE Music: The Reworks - The Foreign Exchange | Songs, reviews, credits
  3. ^ Allmusic: Tales from the Land of Milk and Honey - The Foreign Exchange | Songs, reviews, credits
  4. ^ Hide & Seek (Compiled by The Foreign Exchange). Foreign Exchange Music, August 22, 2017, accessed September 17, 2017 .
  5. ^ Billboard : The Foreign Exchange - Chart history