Big Boi Reveals Surprising Favorite Musicians — Exclusive
Big Boi is quickly approaching two decades in hip-hop, but he routinely finds inspiration in other genres. The upcoming release of his second solo LP, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, due Nov. 13, will feature a few of the Atlanta MC's favorite artists, both within and outside of rap. Little Dragon, indie band Phantogram and possibly even Brit rock legend Kate Bush are collaborations fans can look forward to on the album. When asked about the personal meaning behind such an unprecedented combination, General Patton was candid.
"Aww man, that's the only collaboration I would want," he tells The BoomBox. "It used to be Sade but she said she don't f--- with people, doing collaborations. So I was like, 'F--- that s---.'"
Instead of chasing his features, the one-half of OutKast decided to commit fully to musicians who were more than willing to join in the recording process.
"The best studio session that I've had while recording has to have been with Phantogram," he enthuses. "And that's because [members] Josh and Sarah are just so cool and they came out for like a whole week. We camped out and made so much music and had so much fun.
"That's why Sarah appears on like two or three songs, because she just came in here and took to certain beats that we played and we just vibed off each other."
In true creative fashion, Big Boi emphasizes the need to travel outside the norm in an effort to push himself musically.
"I have a global taste in music just because I've been touring the world for years," he shares, "Just being exposed to different types of music and not just being stuck in a bubble. That's what it's about. You have to broaden your horizons and look farther than your corner and where you're from."
Even in exploring the world, Sir Lucious has always been proud of lessons learned right at home. He reveals that the title of Vicious Lies is a sort of dedication to his recently deceased grandmother.
"She was the matriarch of our family," he says, "She used to always say, 'If you gon' tell it, you've gotta tell it all. Might f--- some households up but you've got to tell it all, because it's a lot of s--- floating around.' That was gonna be the name of her book or movie that she did. This album's really a search for the truth and I am that."
Big's truth should have some interesting backing on the LP, as he describes the feel to be "electro-funk" driven. Vicious Lies is the product of two years worth of work, as the rapper began recording just after the 2010 release of his first solo project, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. This second offering could be the perfect melding of Big Boi's ever-growing musical faves.
"It's all music," he says matter-of-factly, "I'm engaged in different artists just because of my love of music."
The 37-year-old rapper shed light on some of those musicians and his choices may surprise his core fanbase.
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