"May The Lord Watch": The Little Brother Story

May The Lord Watch: The Little Brother Story follows the rise, breakup, and reunion of Little Brother, the critically acclaimed and widely influential Hip-Hop group from Durham, North Carolina. A music documentary in the tradition of films like Beats Rhymes & Life, Zappa, or 20 Feet From Stardom, May the Lord Watch details the vast impact of the preeminent 2000s group, composed of rappers Phonte, Big Pooh and (formerly) producer 9th Wonder.

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.

Directed by filmmaker Holland 'vacay' Gallagher and written by 'Yoh' Phillips (of Rap documentary studio 'Rap Portraits’), the film includes a notable list of Hip-Hop's most influential people – from Questlove and DJ Drama, to cultural critics, industry execs, and more.

Ranked among Rolling Stone's "200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums Of All Time", Little Brother’s 2003 debut album The Listening helmed a pre-social media era where Underground Rap found its audience through online message boards. Now recognized as one of Billboard's "Greatest Rap Groups of All Time," Little Brother are regarded as the pioneers of "grown man" or "every man" Rap, bridging the gap between The Roots and Kendrick Lamar, A Tribe Called Quest and J. Cole, De La Soul and Drake.