well, I don't know where Big Boi is going with this, but I hope he stays on this road. A friend of mine linked me to Shutterbugg ft. Cutty one nighta few weeks ago, and after hearing one song I decided I needed to hear the album. After hearing the album, I said something about how I was surprised that Big Boi "finally did an album I love" and my DJ friend says "well you need to go back over his older stuff then, I think." So an Outkast discography listen later, I'm officially a fan of Big Boi AND Andre3000.
I always knew they had different styles. That's what makes Outkast so magical! I just never enjoyed Big Boi's stand alone style. It's very raw and, well, just ghetto sounding. It feels like it should, though, if that makes sense. He never pushes anything at you, but I just never enjoyed that particular style he produced and put out. Andre3000, he's a smooth operator and he won me over very easily with all his varying styles of music on The Love Below. (That's one of my top 10 albums of all time - easily. I'll have a post with those one day.)
This time however, Big Boi as Sir Lucious Leftfoot, you winned my heart.
I'm pretty sure there's no song on this album I don't like. I'm definitely NOT crazy about the damned Jamie Foxx song that somehow got on there (I really have NO idea why anyone keeps letting Jamie sing on their albums... he's such a cliche R&B singer, very basic and photocopied sounding... he's not BAD, just generic.) Hustle Blood isn't a bad song either - I really like the RAP verses. The chorus is just kinda bleh. But, I digress.
The stand outs are :
~Shutterbugg (ft. Cutty), linked above
~You Ain't No DJ (ft. Yelawolf) - surprisingly awesome, for a gerb. (In case you're wondering, "gerb" has many definitions, but to me, it's that poseur who tries a little too hard but seems to be stuck in another era, a goth mall kid who likes ICP, that kinda white trash feel... just LOOK at him in that link, haha - he confuses me but he raps like a motherfucker.) That's most likely my favorite tune, the verses are fantastic from Big Boi and Yelawolf, and the hook is catchy as hell. (Cool video too, but it's edited so I didn't link that one. You need this song UN-edited with every bad word for your ear.)
~Be Still (ft. Janelle Monáe). I really like this Janelle Monáe, she's just one of the cutest things ever. She's clever, has a hell of a voice, and dances her ass off. I was surprised to see her name on a track for this album, but it's totally tailored to her style. Which is a style I dig. But after hearing Cold War as the song introducing me to her, it was a bit odd. Love this track though, good stuff.
One of my favorite things about hip hop & rap is how everyone works together in that genre. Usher, and LUDACRIS, of all people, even sing with Justin Bieber. I've seen it and heard it! (The Usher one isn't bad, either.) I guess I'm cheesy, I enjoy the teamwork aspect of that scene. Don't argue gang fights and West vs East coast shit at me either, because that's so 1994. All I'm saying is that I like it when an artist finds an upstart and takes them under their wing, and then one day you see 'em solo and doing some rad shit, and you're like damn that's bitchin' how everyone helps each other out. Or alternately, I love how people LIKE Jamie Foxx or Janelle Monáe randomly pop up as featured on a song, it's like listening to a hip hop album is a fancy treat because you never know who knows each other. Fun, right?
Incidentally, here's a perfect example of how they all hang out on each other's albums:
~Janelle Monáe: Tightrope (ft. Big Boi). "Let's be on each other's albums, I'll give you a track for a track!" how CUTE are they? Gosh. Spiffy fuckin song, too.
As I said, I was surprised how much I liked this. I'm not a huge hip hop person, so when I say this is a stand out album, it's most likely the case.
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