Grammy-nominated rapper/singer/songwriter/producer Phonte Coleman was raised in Greensboro, NC.

Phonte got his musical start by singing in his grandmother’s church choir and making beats on a Gemini sampler in high school. After entering North Carolina Central University in 1997, Phonte met future bandmates Thomas Jones (Big Pooh) and Patrick Douthit (9th Wonder) and formed the group Little Brother in 2001. The group released four critically acclaimed albums before finally disbanding in early 2010. Afterwards, Phonte focused his career on singing, songwriting, and producing with longtime Foreign Exchange partner Nicolay.

-The Story of U.S. (2001)
-The Listening (Little Brother) (2002)
-Connected (The Foreign Exchange) (2004)
-The Minstrel Show (Little Brother) (2005)
-Getback (Little Brother) (2007)
-Zo! & Tigallo Love the 80's (2008)
-Leave It All Behind (The Foreign Exchange) (2008)
-Leftback (Little Brother) (2010)

-Has never seen any Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Lord of the Rings movie
-Graduated Magna Cum Laude from North Carolina Central University in 2001 with a degree in English
-Recorded the first Foreign Exchange album solely via internet without having a computer of his own. Median, then a student at NC State University, let Phonte use his password for the campus computer lab.
-Has "336" tattooed on his right arm in honor of his hometown (Greensboro, NC), and "919" on the same arm in honor of his current city of residence (Raleigh/Durham)
-Husband and father to two sons, both of whom appeared inside the cover art for Leave It All Behind. Oldest son, Dylan, appears on a rap interlude on Kev Brown's "I Do What I Do" LP
-Has yet to beat Contra without using the code for 30 men
-First met his wife in 2004 by asking her to dance at a Rich Medina party and later referenced it in "Something About You" from Zo! & Tigallo Love the 80's. "Are you gonna smile at me all night, or are you gonna dance with me?" were the exact words he first said to his wife upon meeting her.
-Was a strict vegetarian for two years before finally giving in to his favorite food, fried chicken.
-Contributed voiceover work to the Catcher Freeman episode of The Boondocks and sang over the end credits
-At 6 years old, appeared in the movie The Color Purple as an extra
-Cites Big Daddy Kane, Q-Tip, and Queen Latifah as his biggest professional influences

"If you see my mother, tell her I'm alright. We're just funkin around....for fun." -Parliament