Album Review: Big Boi – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty

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Marcus Krzastek Twitter: @marcusKRZ

If you’ve been paying attention, you knew that Big Boi was capable of putting out this album. Although Andre 3000’s half of Speakerboxxx/Love Below is more discussed due to the eccentric direction he took it, Speakerboxxx stands on its own as one of the better releases of 2003. When “Royal Flush” leaked over two years ago (it’s really been that long), the hype machine started up for this release. Subsequent leaks of songs like “For Your Sorrows” and “Shine Blockas” only served to increase the anticipation, with each song finding ways to top the last. A few great songs don’t make a great CD, however, and the onus was still on Big Boi to deliver on the promise the leaks indicated.

To say that Big Boi succeeded is an understatement. Sir Lucious Left Foot isn’t just the front-runner for best rap album of the year, it’s a classic that people will be listening to in ten years. Through this CD, Big Boi has delivered a powerful statement to anyone who attributes Outkast’s success primarily to Three Stacks. From front to back there isn’t a single song that deserves skipping, and even after multiple listens, the only aspect of the album that grows old are the skits (which are actually pretty good). Big Boi attacks the soulful “Hustle Blood” with the same success as he does the frantic “General Patton“, showcasing the lyrical dexterity and sharp punchlines that have become his signature as an MC.

Big Boi – “Follow Us” (Vonnegutt)

While “Daddy Fat Sax” and “Turns Me On” are both great songs, when the first few bars of “Follow Us” hit, it’s obvious that this CD is going to be serious.

“With one stroke of the pen,
I tune in to your satellite radio or FM station,
I’ve been patiently waiting to an end,
Been under construction for two years,
But now it’s ’bout time I double-dutched my way in,
Left-foot, right-foot,
Stepping over biters,
It’s like the game is haunted cuz there’s so many ghostwriters.”

The way Big Boi dances through those lines over the plucking guitar notes that make up the beat sets the tone for the album.  It also showcases Big Boi’s talent for switching up his flow to complement a track. The rap landscape is littered with failed attempts at rock choruses over the past few years, and the fact that Big Boi integrates Vonnegut in this track so easily is a testament to his own and producer Salaam Remi’s talent. Which brings me to the next big theme of the album, production.

Big Boi – “Shutterbug”

If you had asked me at the end of 2009, who the 25 most likely producers to make the hottest beat of 2010 were, Scott Storch wouldn’t have even been an honorable mention. There’s no denying Shutterbugg’s production, however, as it channels Zapp and Roger to create the funkiest beat hip-hop’s seen in years. Big Boi’s ear for beats is on-point throughout the album, bringing the best out of the project’s producers including Lil’ Jon, Mr. DJ (whose credits include B.O.B. and Ms. Jackson), and of course, Organized Noize, who contribute four beats to the effort.

Big Boi – “You Ain’t No DJ” (Featuring Yelawolf)

It’s not just Big Boi by himself on the album, however. He brings in some friends along the way, including Yelawolf on the ridiculously frantic “You Ain’t No DJ”.

“My momma gave birth to a 10 pound, 6 ounce dream,
And god said,
Look for the burning bush,
Now it turned to weeds,
So I jumped in my Chevy when I saw my momma burning trees,
Hard white, I trickle nickle bags,
Ice cold crew shit,
In the booth with blue lips,
In the grave like a tulip,
In the bar like a pool-stick,
808 Toomp Shit, magic mike, poof bitch,
Aint nowhere to rest, nowhere for you to sit,
I stole your couch and I took your truck to move it with,
Sofa (so fer’), any one of you who wanna get to’ up,
Imma tattoo, Kodak you, close up,
Aint no UFO, no, Yeller’s a supernova,
Dogs are barkin’ as soon as that trooper roll up,
30 ought six, momma don’t gotta load up,
‘Cuz I’m from the varsity it may be hard to get narci cola.”

Yelawolf makes sure his hype keeps growing as he battles the beat on “Ain’t No DJ” like he’s trying out for the next season of The Jersey Shore. His raw, rapid-fire flow acts as a perfect complement to Big Boi’s smooth effort, leading to one of the album’s best tracks. Other guest highlights include T.I.’s verse on “Tangerine” (which also features an addicting drum break and Khujo Goodie in a small cameo) and Gucci’s verse on “Shine Blockas.”

Big Boi – “The Train Part II”

Big Boi isn’t just an empty flow, as he demonstrates on one of the album’s later tracks “The Train Part II.”  The track doubles as a fitting follow up to its successor, the best song on the Idlewild soundtrack. On the track, Big Boi discusses Outkast’s contributions to hip-hop before diving into a second verse that delivers an indictment of the current state of the game.

“Look up up and I pray,
Channeling that heavenly energy,
There’s plenty we can say,
See the Anime is winning cuz your punk ass be afraid,
But I spray what’s on my brain to educate and entertain,
KRS he said it best,
I learned from listening to the tapes,
Before iTunes came out and made a CD obsolete,
‘For reality TV would seem to be that big mistake,
Now big brother’s got these cameras deep in each and every state,
While each and every rapper claims to be the heavyweight,
‘Cuz he mention cocaina and ’bout everything he make,
And then wonder why them people try to pin him with that case,
Cuz his blow was dixie crystal pistol play was just for play, fake,
Just for play, play, got them babies,
Believing that bullshit,
I said just for play, play, got them babies,
Fucked up.”

Plenty of people have expressed similar sentiments, but very few have backed it up by putting out an album that raises the bar. Big Boi talks the talk, but he also walks the walk. At 35 years old, Big Boi has laid down the gauntlet for the current crop of upcoming rappers. How they respond is up to them.

I could spend another 1000 words going into every other song on the album and breaking them down, but I’ll stop myself here. The only two things that could have made this album better would have been Jive not acting like donkeys and allowing “Royal Flush” and “Lookin’ For Ya’” on the album as well as a verse from Mike Bigga. Of course, the two songs with Andre 3000 are available online, and I can also enjoy “Flip Flop Rock” and the rest of the tracks that Big Boi and Mike Bigga did together before their falling out (and thankfully, reconciliation). Big Boi has mentioned in interviews that Sir Lucious Left Foot is dedicated to the memory of his deceased father, and it’s undeniable that the ATLien has succeeded in honoring him fittingly.