Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty [2010]
Written by Big D
The duo of Outkast has always been one of the most successful groups in hip hop history both critically AND commercially. But to me, they were almost more than just your run-of-the-mill rappers. Outkast’s musicanship has always stretched far beyond the hip hop ultraverse and it almost mirrors their evolution as artists, from basic southern trill emcees, to their integration of numerous versions of funk styles, to their use of techno/electronica beats, and everything around it.
However, when I heard was dropping a solo album, I didn’t really react with much enthusiasm. The first thing that popped in my head was the last Big Boi “solo album”, Speakerboxx, which in retrospect was sleep inducing. I could care less about all the Grammys that it won; Big Boi can take that Grammy, shine it up real nice, put it up to the light… turn it sideways and… well you know the rest. The other thought was that Big Boi releasing a solo record was a sign that Outkast was finished. Big Boi has insisted several times that Outkast is indeed not finished and that this is just his project. Fine, but to be honest, I wouldn’t miss them at this point. With Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, this was Big Boi’s chance to redeem himself with me.
I was pleasantly surprised with Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty. It’ s a very musical album, not all that far off from a lot of the moments on Speakerboxx, but the overall quality of the vocals, lyrics, and production is incomparable. Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty is an amalgam of euphoric positivity and hits you with haymaker after haymaker of sonic versatility. While Outkast’s more recent albums have all dabbled in eclectic and bizarre sounds (specifically The Love Below), perhaps none have really been this expansive and broad. It kind of like any other southern rap album by Geto Boys or Goodie Mob, except with a marching band as back up.
What I feel is a true credit to Big Boi and what really shines through on this album is his ability to be a versatile wordsmith; his flow can adapt and change tempo and pitch depending on what he’s rapping over. His rhymes and flow are always on point, and while he really doesn’t showcase much depth or introspection, but he really doesn’t need it here. The album is really just a grouping of up-tempo, borderline-electronica dance songs while retaining its core hip hop sound so the backpackers aren’t ashamed. You can tell Big Boi had fun recording Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty.
But he’s not the only star. For his first TRUE solo album, Big Boi brought along a massive crew of big-name guests, somewhat nullifying the term “solo album” a tad bit. Production-wise, the album stretches about as far as humanly possible across the spectrum. You’ve got Salaam Remi, infamous for his Nas compositions, alongside Scott Storch, infamous for some of the biggest hits ever in the industry. Organized Noize proves they are still a driving force as well as the other half of Outkast, Andre 3000, behind the boards. Long-time Big Boi collaborators such as Sleepy Brown return, but also an incredible assortment of dirty-south emcees including T.I., Too $hort, and Gucci Mane. That being said, no Andre 3000 at ALL on this record other than production. Doesn’t shock me, even though I think it’s supposed to.
Highlights on the first half of the record include the album’s opener, “Daddy Fat Sax”, the boppy “Follow Us”, and the fem-fatale tale “Tangerine”. What I find fascinating is that all three of these songs are equally energetic and bouncy, but the actual music is so vast and different that you literally don’t know what to expect as you truck through the record. “Daddy Fat Sax” has this very crisp assortment of synthesized violins and a thumping drumline beat, tailor-made for top-down vehicle bumping as Big Boi introduces us to his wacky world. “Follow Us” on the other hand, uses heavy pinball-esque electronica and addicting P-funk chords as the backdrop for Big Boi’s on-point lyricism, building up to a crescendo when the hook slams you in the face. I get the same feeling here that I got with a lot of the songs on How I Got Over. “Tangerine” is Big Boi’s take on the “Billie Jean” story; baby mama drama. Boi’s charismatic swagger really shines here, as does the incredibly thumping steel drums and of course, the constant tambourine in the background. The song is called “Tangerine”, but they use the word tambourine in the hook more often. Hmm. T.I. fits PERFECTLY with Big Boi, which really makes me hope for more collaborations between the two.
Not every song is a masterpiece and some of them are certainly better than others, but I can tell you that there are no bad songs on Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, and remember, consistency IS important. The second half of the album is filled with gems, highlighted by “Be Still”, which is my favorite song on the album. Ironically enough, the song really doesn’t highlight Big Boi as much as it does Janelle Mona, who brings a Marilyn Monroe-esque lounge-singer vibe to the song. This is a FAR cry from anything most would consider “rap”, but who really gives a damn – this is GOOD MUSIC. The fact that Janelle is the star here and it’s often on this record that his guests take center stage, it feels more like group effort than just Big Boi. “Fo Yo Sorrows” is another song getting a lot of attention because of its unique duo of guests: George Clinton and Too $hort, and it sounds EXACTLY as you’d expect: psychedelic, funky, bouncy, cadillac weed music. “Night Night” is about as wacky as it gets, with Big Boi’s most aggressive lyrical display on the album backed by distorted P-funk synths, and Joi and B.o.B. jaw-dropping energetic, game-changing hammering hooks.
Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty is musical insanity. If you thought The Roots pushed it in terms of experimentation, Big Boi is just as absurd. To me, when you do records like this, it’s really hit or miss. Big Boi however, has succeeded in making a record that is essentially Speakerboxx on steroids, with few lackluster moments and a focus on fun, energetic, in your face music. Everybody has always said Andre 3000 was ahead of Big Boi, but now its HIS turn to catch up.
4 Stars
