Born on December 28, 1978, in Greensboro, North Carolina, Phonte is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and producer.
He is a founding member of the hip-hop group Little Brother and one half of the R&B/electronica duo The Foreign Exchange. Phonte began his music career in 1998 while attending North Carolina Central University, where he met fellow Little Brother members Rapper Big Pooh and 9th Wonder. The group released their debut album, The Listening, in 2003, followed by The Minstrel Show in 2005. After 9th Wonder's departure in 2007, Phonte and Big Pooh continued as a duo, releasing Getback (2007), Leftback (2010), and May the Lord Watch (2019). In 2004, Phonte formed The Foreign Exchange with Dutch producer Nicolay. Their debut album, Connected, was created entirely through online collaboration before the two met in person. The duo's second album, Leave It All Behind (2008), marked a shift toward R&B and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Urban/Alternative Performance for the track Daykeeper. Phonte's solo work includes Charity Starts at Home (2011) and No News Is Good News (2018), both released under the Foreign Exchange Music label. He has also collaborated with artists such as Zo!, Eric Roberson, and Black Milk, and co-hosts the Questlove Supreme podcast as part of Team Supreme.