There was a point when Big Boi’s solo debut seemed to be nothing more than a myth. Three years in the making and several pseudo release dates later, one half of the legendary group OutKast has finally unleashed the highly anticipated Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty.
From the outset, Big Boi comes out swinging and proves that he can maintain his lyrical potency without trading hooks and verses with his partner-in-rhyme, Andre 3000. On “Daddy Fat Sacks” Big Boi rhymes, “I’m Antwan Andre Patton the only one/bloodline of a champion with the heart of a lion/I’m defying all the laws like caterpillars flying/Way before my timing/ residing in the dirty dirty where they still hanging nooses like we in the early thirties.”
A master of manipulating his cadence and rhyme flow to merge with his production, Big Boi stays away from repetitive themes and offers a new sound with each track. He’s as aggressive as a school bully on the theatrical “General Patton,” he’s reflective on “Be Still,” and he rhymes over a hard-core track and uses a rapid flow to give listeners a bit of social commentary on “Fo Yo Sorrows.”
“And may be needed for survival/like the Bible or any other good book that you read/Why are 75 percent of our youth reading magazines? /Because they used to a fantasy and that’s what they do to dream/call it fiction addiction because the truth is a heavy thing/remember when the levees screamed made the folks evacuees? / yeah I’m still speaking about it ’cause New Orleans still ain’t clean.”
Big Boi also does an amazing job of using his featured guests (T.I., Gucci Mane, Jamie Foxx, B.o.B, George Clinton and Janelle Monae) in songs that complement, without overshadowing, his vision.
Throughout the album, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, Big Boi is chaotic, witty, imaginative and the overall adventure never wanes. Musically, it takes listeners to a place where hip-hop rarely goes and serves as a reminder of what the genre has been missing for the last three years. –amir shaw
