Tim Fite created one of the most talked-about albums of 2007 by taking a novel approach to releasing a concept set about hip-hop and the consumer culture -- giving it away for free. Tim Fite was raised in a rural community along the border of Pennsylvania and New Jersey by parents who raised him with a sense of frugality and social purpose. Fite developed an interest in music, and began creating tunes that mixed samples of found music with his own organic instrumental accompaniment and lively sense of humor; Fite also points out that every tune he samples comes from an album he found in a bargain bin, which not only saves money but allows him to draw from music many listeners haven't heard before. Fite's first break came as a member of the rap duo Little-T and One Track Mike, who in 2001 scored a minor hit with the song "Shaniqua" from their album Fome Is Dape. The group's success was short-lived, and they parted ways in 2002. In 2004, Fite re-emerged with a self-released EP, Two Minute Blues, and in the fall of 2005, after signing with the artist-friendly independent label Anti-, Fite released his first solo album, Gone Ain't Gone, which combined his sample-delic style with folk-influenced melodies and gained him many comparisons to Beck.