The newly released documentary, May The Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story, is shining a light on hip-hop royalty.
May The Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story chronicles the rise, breakup and reunion of Little Brother, the critically acclaimed and influential hip-hop group from Durham, N.C.
The documentary details the vast impact of the group, composed of rappers Phonte, Big Pooh, and (formerly) producer 9th Wonder.
As the official description reads:
The heart of the documentary lies in the unraveling and reconciliation between members Phonte and Big Pooh. Their relationship begins in the wake of their challenging upbringings in the South, strains while coming of age together in the music industry, and resolves with an enduring friendship, as the two men reunite and record their 2019 album May the Lord Watch. Told through never before seen archival footage, contemporary vérité scenes, and interviews from the group’s members, peers, and family, the film’s story unfolds in intimate detail under the framework of a ‘UBN Made-for-TV Documentary’, riffing on the fictional UBN Network created through comedy sketches on Little Brother albums.
Fans have anticipated the documentary’s release since the trailer dropped in 2022. Phonte and Rapper Big Pooh have hosted intimate film screenings for fans in Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Los Angeles and New York City to promote the film.
The film was directed by filmmaker Holland Randolph Gallagher and written by ‘Yoh’ Phillips.
“When you meet someone at the Uber line at LAX rarely does it coalesce into a years-long, soul-searching and feature-length-documentary-creating endeavor, but so it happened with Phonte and I in 2018,” said Gallagher in a statement. Four years, two scrapped cuts, and a pandemic later, we’re rounding the corner on completing the project that will tell the Little Brother story once and for all. I don’t take that responsibility lightly and I hope our film reflects that.”
Watch the film, which was released late last month, below:
Phonte and Big Pooh emphasized the importance of releasing the documentary on YouTube.
“Little Brother entered this business independently and based on the current landscape, we see no need to change course,” said Phonte.
He continued calling the film a “love letter to our fans.”
“A celebration of the people who made us and a testament to our core values of authenticity, ownership, and craftsmanship.”
Big Pooh said the platform is symbolic of how many fell in love with their music.
“One of the things I’ve been hearing people talk about is how our music was either shared with them, or they shared our music with someone else, sometimes even forming lifelong bonds. YouTube is the perfect intersection where all demographics meet,” he said.
“Having the ability to release our documentary via YouTube felt like the perfect way to share our story with Little Brother fans while leaving open the possibility of introducing ourselves to an entirely new group of potential fans.”
Shot in the tradition of films like Beats Rhymes & Life, Zappa, or 20 Feet From Stardom, director Holland ‘vacay’ Gallagher and writer ‘Yoh’ Phillips (of Rap documentary studio ‘Rap Portraits‘) included a notable list of the genre’s most influential people into the documentary – from Questlove and DJ Drama to cultural critics, industry execs, and more.
According to director Holland Randolph Gallagher, the film resulted from a once-in-a-lifetime run-in with Phonte in the Uber line at LAX.
“Four years, two scrapped cuts, and a pandemic later, we’re rounding the corner on completing the project that will tell the Little Brother story once and for all. I don’t take that responsibility lightly and I hope our film reflects that,” said Gallagher.
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Little Brother is a critically acclaimed hip-hop group from Durham, North Carolina. The group entered the height of its fame in the pre-streaming era of online message boards. Their 2003 debut album, The Listening, helped pioneer “grown man” or “every man” rap, relating to the working-class and everyday person.
The project was ranked among Rolling Stone’s “200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums Of All Time.”
Now recognized as one of Billboard’s “Greatest Rap Groups Of All Time,” the group has had an illustrious career working with some of the biggest names in music, including Kanye West, Kendrick Lamar, Lil Wayne and more.
In March of 2023, the duo commemorated the 20th anniversary of their debut album, The Listening. Their four-city tour sold out venues from California to New York.
The celebration ended with their nostalgic performance in their hometown at the “Made In Durham: A Little Brother Block Party.”
Fans can view and donate to May The Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story on Little Brother’s official YouTube page.
You can view the trailer below!
