Going solo from being on one the best hip-hop groups of all-time with arguably one of the best rappers ever is not an easy task. With Big Boi's first debut, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, it simply fell short of all the expectations we had for it. I would say it's fair that we all don't have the same expectations for a solo album as his former rhyming partner 3 stacks, but we all know that Big Boi has it in him to deliver a great album. So with that being said I am happy to say that, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, is the kind of album we have been waiting for from Big Boi. The progressive sound on VLADR stocks up on a plethora of genres; from funk, soul, electro, indie & pop. Big Boi has definitely embraced a different side of the possible with VLADR from the collaborations with Phantogram, Wavves, Little Dragon & Jai Paul. "Shoes For Running" is one of the best tracks on the album that features the unlikely Nathan Williams (of Wavves) with a chorus that will forever be stuck in your head: Shoes for running and I'll race ya / sun is coming it'll chase ya / through this dead beat town (x2) / the end is coming I would will race ya / but there's no running it'll chase ya / death will hunt you down (x2) When the creeping beat drops on "Shoes For Running", Big Boi perfectly steps in and blows everything away. This kind of material is the stuff that sticks with you for months on end so be prepared to have this album on steady play for the next 2 months at least. Check out a few more highlights below if you must, but definitely head on over to itunes and grab this album ASAP.
Big Boi