| finally, on par with 3K |

// Big Boi //

// Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty //

4.8 out of 5

Despite being one half of hip-hop's most famous duo, it seems Big Boi has never gotten his due. Andre 3000 was always the flashier one, leaving Big Boi to look plain and boring by comparison. In discussions of the top emcees in the game, he's always taken back seat so badly that his name never even came up. All of that's about to change.

Since the modest success he enjoyed with Speakerboxx, Big Boi has quietly continued to step his game up. When asked about his evolution over the years, Big Boi confidently stated: "I'm just really serious about my craft, I've mastered it, and I'm very skilled at it, and I take pride in making this music". After listening to Sir Lucious Left Foot, the said mastery is evident, making the rapper's second solo foray a near-perfect marriage of skill, art, and musicality.

It began with the advance release of "Royal Flush", which put us in the middle of one of the sickest ciphers not involving Eminem or Black Thought. Although it never made it to the final product, the track was both significant and very, very good. Then came last year's release of "Shine Blockas", a candidate for song of the year (regardless of genre). The production values and whip-smart rhymes from both Big Boi and guest Gucci Mane hit all the right notes. It's incredibly rare to find a rap song that is so wholly satisfying; if you've somehow managed to make it this far without having this in your life, Merry Christmas. Combined with third pre-release single "Shutterbugg", Sir Lucious quickly began to look and sound like one hell of an album. Having spent only an hour and a half with the album, I already know that this album is something special.

The album is wonderfully varied but never feels unfocused. The bassy guts of the album hit hard and almost jellify my eardrums. It is relentless, yet welcome. Beginning from "Feel Me", a Western-ish intro track, the tone is set: he's about to put in some work. From there, it's a smorgasbord. Please believe me when I say that each song is just deadly. Musically, the contributions from multiple discplines and genres are evident. There are nods to old-school hip-hop, rock, R&B, funk, and contemporary rap. All of these influences are fused seamlessly to produce a very exciting experience for the attentive music listeners out there. Lyrically, the acrobatics on display here are staggering - the dude is effing exquisite.  I could go on, but there is no way you could listen to this album and get hooked on 5, 6, or 10 songs.



Summary: The son of a retired American Air Force ace (nicknamed "Chico Dusty"), Big Boi does his old man proud and pilots his own career to astounding heights. It's stunning to see how far he's come; there should be no doubt whether he can hang with today's top lyricists, let alone his own groupmate. He's confidently leapt out of Andre's shadow and can no longer be considered an afterthought. No way. Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty just might be one of the best rap albums of this era. Just imagine how good the next Outkast will be, now that we've witnessed this..


// Torrent //    // DL //