Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (2010)

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”  In hip hop, words are often flipped, skewed and spun to mean different things.  And so it applies to this quote.  In terms of hip hop groups, the parts are often greater than the sum.  Lauren Hill is more than The Fugees, Cee-Lo is more than Goodie Mob and Scarface is more than Geto Boys.  But does it apply to Big Boi and OutKast with Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty?  Yes.

To say it was a rocky road for Big Boi to get the album out is a huge understatement.  Label problems that would give AZ nightmares ensued, and he was forced to approach Def Jam for distribution.  Fast forward to July 2010 and the album finally sees the light of day, taking over 3 years and a label jump to get there.  So what did we get?

Production is a mish mash of live instruments, vocal manipulators, a good amount of quality singing and interesting samples.  Running under all of that are strong bass lines, frenzied drum patterns and pure energy.  Big Boi gets help from some big names alongside the ever present Organized Noize crew, with Salaam Remi, Scott Storch and Lil Jon amongst others, on the boards.  This album never lets up, there’s no chance to pause, no gap in the line to take a breath, just 14 tracks that come at you over and over, forcing you to keep up or get run over.

Big Boi’s prowess on the mic is absolute and even with a large roster of guest rappers, he is never out-rapped.  He brings the laughs all over the album and manages to relay his funny antics without coming off far-fetched or corny.  You never feel the need to say “Boy, stop!” because he’s genuinely an entertaining MC.  That’s his main strength, incredibly likeable and always spirited.

A couple of issues.  The album is so upbeat, so animated, that you have no arc from intro to end.  It plateaus from start to finish, there’s no build up, no cool down and no ebb and flow in between.  You may find yourself saying ‘more of the same’ about the tracks, thanks to the near identical tempo of nearly every song.  This album only has one speed and it’s 6th gear fast, shifting down only once or twice before taking off again.

Another problem, which has no real bearing on Big Boi, is the exclusion of the songs “Lookin’ for Ya” and “Royal Flush” from the official release.  With guest verses from Andre 3000 and Raekwon, they not only fit right in with the other tracks but would have served to enhance the album tenfold.  The reason they were left off is a business one but that’s really not worth talking about, since both songs were leaked by Big Boi himself and are easily available online.  I suggest you add them to your digital copy of this album manually, in a sort of middle finger gesture to the spiteful record label.

Highs:  General Patton, Shutterbugg, Daddy Fat Sax, Shine Blockas, some of the most hilarious skits on any album and the general sense of fun and joy the album gives.

Lows:  The singing on Follow Us can be irritating.  Yelawolf’s verse on You Ain’t No DJ.  More of Big Boi or the gut-busting end skit and Yelawolf completely scrapped would’ve been great.

89/100