For the better part of 18 years—either as a group or solo members—Outkast have served as the standard bearers for Hip Hop’s post P-Funk era of Psychedelic, Southern Hip Hop. There’s a consistent evolution in their approach whether Organized Noize, Stankonia disciples, The Flush, or Andre 3000 himself handled the production. For all the talk of spaceships and comets, Big Boi’s Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors marks the most drastic sonic departure from that traditional blueprint. How you receive that departure (or evolution) largely depends on your response to music’s, and more specifically Hip Hop’s, current iPod era of genre blending.
The next chronological step after ’70s inspired Funk, is the uptempo, big reverb drums and keyboard synths of the ’80s. If you’ve been following all the cross pollination between the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West and La Roux (“That’s My Bitch”) or Kendrick Lamar and Lady Gaga (“Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe”), then Hip Hop and EDM or Dubstep pairings aren’t exactly rare. After all, Afrika Bambaataa was sampling German electronic music 30 years ago while making “Planet Rock.” But as the monotonous thud of Pop candy like “Starships” and much of the recent work by David Guetta or will.i.am proves, organically crafting such collaborations that sober, die hard Hip Hop fans over the age of 14 want to listen to is a bit more nuanced. And that’s ultimately where Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors shines.
The critical acclaim and Number Three debut of 2010’s Sir Lucious Left Foot…The Son Of Chico Dusty was a reminder that Big Boi is a more than capable soloist. This time around he opts for riskier territory by enlisting the likes of Little Dragon and Phantogram on a sizeable chunk of Vicious Lies… These often play as true collaborations not just e-mailed verses and hooks. “Mama Told Me” is the only radio offering, with Little Dragon’s Yukimi Nagano being subbed out for the more Top 40 friendly Kelly Rowland. But the Prince-inspired production ensures that it’s not an overt crossover attempt. Despite the tempo of the album, Big Boi tackles heavy subject matter. Many of the rhymes are dedicated to love and loss, with “She Hates Me” hinting at his own domestic discord in a manner we haven’t heard since Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson.” Lyrically, Big Boi showcases a repertoire of flows and cadences built over the course of two decades. He paints within the negative spaces the electro-funk production provides, occasionally experimenting with singing—and he isn’t half bad. This isn’t any Cookie Monster crooning of the Ja Rule circa 2002 variety. And just to make sure he doesn’t take listeners too far out of their comfort zone, he returns back to familiar territory courtesy of the occasional Jodeci sample (“The Thickets”) or tried and true Atlanta braggadocio spitting with a few peers, as evidenced by both “In The A” and “Tom Pettie.”
Vicious Lies And Dangerous Rumors isn’t a perfect album, and the change in musical direction isn’t for everyone. For Outkast stans, a project without both Andre and Big Boi together will always feel a bit incomplete. But what is technically Big Boi’s third solo outing (if we’re counting Speakerboxxx), is a calculated risk that pays off for open-minded fans. General Patton walks a fine line between putting his troop of featured artists in their place, while still showcasing his own five star pedigree.
i loved this album, true piece of art
This is the best album I’ve heard it a long time. Incredible production and originality. Believe the hype, ignore the pitchfork review. This is some abstract genius shit!
Dope album
I don’t know why people think Big Boi isn’t a good lyracist just cuz he aint with 3000 right now. This is a great album.
As a rule, I ignore Pitchfork reviews.
Agree with this one though. One of the year’s best albums.
I really like this album great production and Big Boi is just an O.G a must have for all OUTKAST fans
Good Album…Great production n Big Boi stays fresh n swithes Flows n This Music sounds diff than what u expect. I Appreciate that!
this guy is a amazing solo artist, he’s made two classic albums now.
Nothing compared to Andre 3000
Better than andre, actually makes albums.
andre is overrated and big boi underrated
^ astute observation.
Not as good as his first solo but its still good..yall cant tell me some of those tracks arent weird as shit…just sayin
going to buy the album
really liked it 🙂
I liked the album it sometimes i got a little bit strangr imo but that what makes it stand out compared to other albums
first album is better and more hiphop, theres to much singing in this shit.
it is out there, not a whole lot of rapping on it. kind of sounds like an album you’d expect andre 3k to make. its good though, i honestly don’t know how to rate it just because it is so different, but on a pure musical scale i will vote it a 4 because its big boi, he knows what he’s doing.
I love the sound of the album. Sounds closer to OutKast than Sir Lucious Left Foot. Experimental but very solid and listenable. This album also sounds more complete than SLLF which sounded too simple and empty to me (still a good album though).
Its badass. That Objectum Sexuality song bumps
Its cool. I fucks wit it. I prefer songs like “In The A” and “Tom Pettie” but overall its still a good album that still needs to grow on me some more. 4.5/5
Super meh. 3.5/5
I get paid over $73 per hour working from home with 2 kids at home. I never thought I’d be able to do it but my best friend earns over 9k a month doing this and she convinced me to try. The potential with this is endless. Heres what I’ve been doing..WWW.youtubeJob.qr.net/jS8U/watch?v=wd_Sz59QTVk.com
I get paid over $73 per hour working from home with 2 kids at home. I never thought I’d be able to do it but my best friend earns over 9k a month doing this and she convinced me to try. The potential with this is endless. Heres what I’ve been doing..www.youtube.qr.net/jO4I/watch?v=bj0HlZWjcAQ.com
ok album
I’m not sure what Pitchfork was listening to when they reviewed this album. The most confusing part about it is that they primarily review Indie kind of music. Oh well. This album is easily a 4/4.5 out of 5. All of the featured artists work perfectly, and Big Boi fits just as nicely in this abstract style of music as Andre does. The opinion is going to be divided on this one, though. On one hand, you have the people that refuse to broaden their horizons outside of Hip-Hop, that will hate this, just like they did Speakerboxxx/Love Below and Idlewild. People that enjoy a large variety of music will love this.
I sit on my hand till it falls asleep then i jerk off and i call it a stranger. then i lick up the cum and i call that a woman
ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!
finally good music
big boi continues to put out awesome music, this one vibes
Second best Hip-Hop album of the year.
speakerboxxx > left foot > VL&DR
Exactly. What I love the most in Big Boi is he’s literally an artist, which is rare in hip-hop. You can feel his footprint in everywhere, from beat selection through delivery to lyrical content. Gotta love the guy’s creativity and courage to carry a cohersive concept through the whole album. This was one of the main reason why his last LP was straight fire, and at the same time what VL&DR somewhat lacks. Still better than 99% of the other products on the market.
agreed! go ahead and switch the style up, if niggas hate… you know the rest
Stop comparing Big Boi with Andre 3000, This Album Is Better Than Expected. This Year Has Been Very Good For Hip Hop/Rap.
Experiments With Indie And Electronic Stuff. Class.
Album of the year
HELL YEAH THIS SHIT IS DOPE MY NIGGAZ!!!!
Mama Told me….omg..
SICK.
Shit is raw
I didn’t like this album.
It sounded like a Lady GaGa album.. Not good.
very different album…some song are very good, some songs are not for me…one thing that is a must is that this is an album that you need either a very nice sound system or some studio quality headphones otherwise it just wont do its justice…definitely wont be as good if you listen to it with some standard ipod headphones or shit like that
this is true. I’m not really feeling most of the songs, but in a nice pair of headphones the album sounds amazing. Production is really detailed…maybe too overproduced though, for whatever that’s worth.
And fucking hhdx gave this 4 stars even with the very positive review?
This means Big Boi is no different from officer williams aka ‘ricky ross’ ?
Different….I kinda like it tho! Worth a buy! Its no Wu-Blocc but I will add this to my collection
WHAT THE F*CK IS THIS? i’m the biggest fan but this is just to much experimenting gone wrong, is this even considered a hiphop album? DX you gave this album 4 “X” come on at best it deserves “2 1/2″…..very disappointed!
Relax, just bc YOU didnt like it doesnt mean its bad. I thought it was pretty tight. You sound like another dime a dozen clown that thinks his opinion means more than it really does. Quit bitching
What If I Told You….
Most Hiphop fans have a narrow taste in music, but that’s ok because they are fans of a genre of music.
If by narrow you mean they have expectations, then yeah. To me, if you’re in the store and you see a Big Boi album, the first thing you think of is Outlast. Now they weren’t gangstas, but at least you knew what to expect. This solo shit is so out there I can’t imagine who could bump this and not be labeled a homo. It’s that castrating.
It’s goood. A lil too indie though. Gossip is a banger!
Very good album
Damn, haters gon hate, but this is pretty tight, I think the review is spot on it isn’t like his old shit but, to quote Jay-Z “Niggas want my old shit, buy my old album” he is staying relevant, who wants to make the same music for 20 years?
This cd is ok NO 4 or 5.. He needs to get with Andre 3 Stacks…
Vicious sounds incredible. Except for Big Boi’s singing, I actually have to disagree about that (on the track Raspberries, although it’s still a great song). This is high quality music, and anybody who doesn’t think so probably downloaded the shitty leak. The physical album came with cool artwork and lyrics for every song, I’m glad I bought it.
Great album.
So after reading alot of the reviews and comments on a few different blogs and sites I was a bit leery about this release which IMO is uncharted territory when dealing with any part of the Kast. So I finally purchased this album (deluxe edition) over an hour ago and took a long drive to soak up the project which I figured would be a let down judging from some of the reviews its been getting… I’ll say this upon the first listen. I WILL NEVER EVER EVER IN MY FUCKIN DOUBT THIS FUCKIN DUDE EVER AGAIN!!!!! I dont know what some of these reviewers were listening to when they copped this joint but this shit right here is a certified BIGBOI AT HIS FINEST. Man this album is fuckin banging.
That’s cool you liked it, but to say it’s fucking bangin? I was listening to snippets and it almost put me to sleep. Real talk. This isn’t hip hop.
This album is really really good. Flows, beats, lyrics. It’s a fucking hit!
Great year for hip-hop but this takes album of the year. The creativity and vibe of this album can’t be matched. I especially love the tracks with Cudi and B.o.B because their styles are so influenced by ‘Kast. Good music!
CLASSIC Big boi is very underrated
Underated and unappreciated!
“She Hates Me” is easily one of the best tracks of the ear, maybe even in Big Boi’s career with the help of Kid Cudi. “In The A” with T.I. and Ludacris is great, impressed with T.I. “Gossip” with Big K.R.I.T. and UGK is another great collabo, better then any song on Big K.R.I.T.’s “Live From The Underground”. Perfect album (nope), creative (yep), Big Boi’s best (nope), should you buy it (yep).
It’s official Big Boi > Nas. Why? Big Boi can take a group of mostly mediocre beats and still make an exciting album off his performance alone.
Drake > Nas & Big Boi
like this one as a whole. foound some of the beats/hooks a bit questionable, but goof to see him trying something different
good album 4/5
Big boi will never make a wack records or outkast they make complete cd’s the greatest rap group in my opinion
Big Boi greatly unrated and unappreciated, he took u from pimps to aliens funk jazz rock and u fools acting this is unexpected material. Ya think Andre did all the beats came up with all the hook and concepts for Outkast LOL! Big Boi do what u do real fans gone support, I got my copy and I’m satisfied for my 15 bucks. Also purchase game and satisfied as well, support real hip hop if u love it.
GARBAGE!!!
CLASSIC ALBUM BEST ALBUM of 2012 With KENDRICK
The only good songs are the 4 that were released before the album. The rest of the album sucks. Wow, he introduced new concepts! Who cares, the concepts don’t work.
Weakest album he EVER dropped, I need the old Big Boi back…
“I wish a would, say this ain’t hip-hop” Dude Big Boi is HIP-HOP.. crushing Jesus Piece.. that album doesn’t do much of anything for me.
This album is simply AMAZING. Do not listen to this record if all you want is the same product Big Boi has put out before. Be open-minded. Appreciate this for what it is because this is no different than a piece of art hanging on the wall. Crafted, thought out, and executed.
This album is really good. listened to the whole album twice in two days and still enjoyin it. Nice fuckin work on this one Big Boi
.
it was when he did Shutterbug that I was like “enough with this horseshit”
Jesus Piece > VLDR
The Red Album > VLDR
This album is So dope, I have no idea why some people are hating on this album. The first Listen I was kinda shocked because it’s totally different from his last album. Once you accept that and go for the ride this Album is amazing.
joint dope as a mf
Big Boi is back strong.
Through and through
momma told me to give this a 5
nice
This album for me just might be my favorite of 2012. There’s just something about the way Big Boi puts his albums together that allows me to just hit play on track 1 and listen all the way through. I did not listen to any of the tracks pre-release and did not read any reviews prior to listening and immediately felt the 80’s influence here and loved the concept and the end result.
With all the crap that sells 80-150k first week. The fact that this one only sold 30k is disappointing because I want him to do well, but I am hoping word of mouth will push this one to where it deserves to be sales wise.
If you are an Outkast fan, this is a must own album. If you are a fan of good music…this is a no brainer.
this album is hot. big boi never fails to impress i like how hes going with the new pop music but not to much. Genius
I”m not knocking the album, but this review is flat out fucking terrible. Did it take you 30 mins to write this?
Not as solid as his last album, but much respect for not being afraid to try something new. Little Dragon was a good match as well. They are indie, slightly electronic, but with a funk sound that blends well with hiphop.
This was just silly….
What sucks for Big Boi is that no matter what kind of album he brings to the table, people can’t help but imagine what it might be like had Andre 3000 hopped on a few of these tracks. I wonder which ones General Patton had in mind for 3 Stacks?
This is a solid effort that could be appreciated by a wide audience. My real question is how are they going to find out about it? Those of us who like it really need to get the word out… any chance he’ll be touring on this?
Weak.
This was solid & fresh!
Top 5 2012 Album for me.
Can’t stop playing it. It’s different and not what cha hear from these garbage gimmicks these days. Can’t wait for a new Outkast album.
Well done album…however he is missing that important element…Andre 3k!!! The song “Cpu” needed his (Andre 3k) presence….just saying
Amazing album, Big Boi can hold it down by himself. I miss Outcast, but this will suffice. The album arrangement is very well done, great guest appearances, the sound of the album is all over the place. One of the few albums I brought last year.
Excellent offering. I was very suprised at the flow of this album, as I can listen to this from start to finish without skipping a track. My only knock on this is, there wasn’t enuff! I was left wanting more! Good Job Big Boi! Way to walk that fine line!
best album of 2012
This that fire! Easy listen he has some sexy ladies singing some of the hooks and the beats put you in the Kast mindest