Outkast To Deliver Two Solo Albums And Another Group Effort in 2009

(swiped from MTVNews)

'Y'all gonna get three records from the 'Kast next year,' Big Boi says.

ATLANTA — Big Boi is getting his second solo album, Sir Lucious Leftfoot: The Son of Chico Dusty, back on the good foot. The street-embedded member of Outkast says that despite a delay, his record is still coming.

"The South got something to say, and we gonna keep on talking," he told us recently in Atlanta. The roll-out plan for his LP seems to coincide once again with that of his partner, Andre 3000, and the 'Kast have been putting their heads together in preparations.

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"Me and 'Dre were on the conference call [recently]," Big explained. "He's working on his album; my album is done. We're gonna wait until the top of the year — January or February — to put it out. Then 'Dre is gonna come hit y'all, and [then] we're gonna do the Outkast album. So y'all gonna get three records from the 'Kast next year."

Besides being holed up in the studio working on these records, Daddy Fat Sacks has also been spending time on the set — he's due to appear on "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" next Tuesday, November 25. He plays a rapper — Gots Money — who gets greedy. Instead of just relying on the loot he gets as an artist, he decides to get involved with an animal-smuggling ring — when the cops catch him, he turns sides and works undercover for the authorities.

Now, we have heard about the 'Kast pulling a trifecta of albums before, and it hasn't materialized — but it might actually happen this time. Andre 3000 told MTV News' Mixtape Monday in September he had finally started work on his album.

"To be honest, I work best when people doubt me," 'Dre explained. "Our whole Outkast career has been built on people doubting us. [Hip-hop fans] up North hated on us from the get-go. We wouldn't be Outkast if people didn't understand what people would call weird. You know, none of that would've happened. Actually, if you see me, tell me I'm wack. That's the best thing you can do for me. You know, if you want a greater album, say that. Say that!"

Andre 3000's Solo "Concept" Album Due Soon?

(swiped from Pitchfork Media)

He didn't exactly say much about it, but André 3000 of Outkast talked to Rolling Stone's Rock & Roll Daily about his forthcoming solo album-- which we mentioned was in the works some time ago-- and it sounds like it's coming together nicely.

"It should be dropping by the end of this year or early next year," André said of the disc, which is still without a title or anything else one might consider substantive. "I've pretty much been working with myself," he then explained, adding, "I've never really been that big on collaboration." Wonder how Big Boi/the Dungeon Family/Organized Noize feel about that one.

And then, of course, there's news that the record will, perhaps inevitably, surround a theme of André's choosing. "I have a concept, and all the soundscapes are already in my head, so I just have to figure out how to get there." Less talk, more rock: that's how, partner.

You can see André this weekend in Battle in Seattle, Stuart Townsend's film about the 1999 World Trade Organization conference protests, which opens in select cities on Friday. As for Big Boi, his solo debut Sir Luscious Left Foot ... Son of Chico Dusty is due from LaFace/Zomba sometime this fall.

• Video: John Legend [ft. André 3000]: Green Light [from the forthcoming Evolver LP]
• Video: Battle in Seattle: Trailer

Big Boi Welcomes Us to the World of Luscious Left Foot

"To get your dick sucked to a Conway Twitty record is something else."

(Interview given by Dave Maher; swiped from Pitchfork Media)

During the past couple years, Outkast's Andre 3000 has been making headlines and G.O.A.T. lists (rightfully) by returning to rhyming form. His partner Big Boi never stopped being a consistently excellent MC, but since it's easy to take consistency for granted, recently Big Boi has played Jan Brady to Andre's Marcia. It turns out that's just fine by Big Boi. He says, "I just don't need attention. That's not what I want. I just want people to hear what I'm saying."

Big Boi will get his wish with the release of his first official solo album, Sir Luscious Left Foot ... Son of Chico Dusty, which comes out via La Face/Zomba this fall. It features production from Big Boi himself as well as longtime Outkast collaborators Organized Noize, Scott Storch, and Lil Jon, as well as guest spots from Andre 3000 and Raekwon (on "Royal Flush"), Mary J. Blige (on "Something's Gotta Give"), George Clinton, T.I., and Too $hort.

Pitchfork: How are you doing?

Big Boi: I'm doing better than excellent. How you doing?

Pitchfork: Very well. Tell me about Sir Luscious Left Foot.

BB: Sir Luscious Left Foot is just the grown version of Big Boi. I started out young-- 15, 16 in the game-- and now I'm older, so I'm your knight in rhyming armor. I got my knighthood and am just, lyrically and musically, as sharp as I want to be right now. So he's fierce about his music and takes it dead seriously. That's why you've got to address him as "Sir" Luscious.

Pitchfork: Are Daddy Fat Sacks or any of your other alter egos on the album?

BB: You also got Daddy Fat Sacks, he's on the album. Also, General Patton's on there as well, but, you know, Luscious is gonna take the forefront this time, just to let 'em know what's going on.

Pitchfork: Do you actually differentiate between these personas?

BB: No, Dre's [Andre 3000 --Ed.] been doing it for years. It's just different personas and different moods, actually, when you feel different ways. It's just different parts of you. I mean, I might be borderline schizophrenic sometimes...

Pitchfork: [Laughs.]

BB: You never know. This is where we're at right now.

Pitchfork: Who are some of the guests and producers on the record? I know you worked with Organized Noize a little bit, right?

BB: Always, with every album. We always work with Organized Noize. I actually got a chance to co-produce with them on the songs that they did on this record. I co-produced the whole record with all the producers. I mainly wanted to focus on the lyrical content and the melodies and things, so I co-produced. Some songs I produced with the producers that are in my stable with Boom Boom Room Productions. I got production from newcomer Scott Storch and also Lil Jon. Those are the DJs on there. You know, the usual suspects. I just threw in Storch and Lil Jon because they had specific tracks that they had tailor-made for me and just been holding.As far as artists that I've worked with on this album, of course Raekwon and Andre. Mary J. Blige on "Something's Gotta Give". I did a song with T.I. that's crazy, for the ladies. I also did a song with George Clinton and Too $hort. That shit's funky. It's called "Fo' Your Sorrows". It's gonna be like a cannabis cup anthem. What else we got on the album? Dungeon Family, most definitely. But, you know, it's mostly just me, bustin', killin' shit.

Pitchfork: Do you ever get writer's block?

BB: Sometimes. Yeah, sometimes you do get writer's block. This album right here took-- I started picking out the beats for it like four years ago, and I started recording actual lyrics 19 months ago. I started on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday just for that power and that spirit.Sometimes it pours out, and sometimes you've got to drop with it. It's gonna take longer when you're slow-cookin' it, like soul food, you know? Anybody can easily go in the studio in three months, throw together some bullshit, have one or two songs, and the rest of it be some bullshit and do that. But we take pride in the music that we make and making albums that you can push play from the beginning and just let that shit ride.

Pitchfork: So you do write? You're not one of those guys who takes pride in going into the booth and spitting everything off the dome?

BB: A lot of times, that is a bunch of bullshit. I mean, you can tell when shit comes spit straight off the dome because it's like, [affects funny voice] "What are you talkin' about?"

Pitchfork: [Laughs.]

BB: [Laughs] Yeah, it definitely takes time, thought, and effort to put into these songs that we write.

Pitchfork: Have you ever had a notebook stolen?

BB: No, never had a notebook stolen.

Pitchfork: Do you keep your stuff in notebooks?

BB: I keep them. I mean, pieces of tissue, any little piece of paper-- I might have ideas and write them down on just about anything. We got the studio Stankonia in Atlanta, and when I finish a session, I just lock everything in the vault.

Pitchfork: A lot of your best lyrics tend to be narrative, like your verse on "Spottieottiedopaliscious". Have you ever thought to yourself, "I'm out of stories," or "I forgot how to tell a good story"? Do you ever feel a temporary blank like that?

BB: Sometimes your mind might go blank, but you don't forget how to do it. You might not feel it on certain days, but you never forget because it's a God-given talent. It's just like, when you feel it, you feel it, and you go and record. The beauty of having a studio is I can go in and record any time I want to, so you can always put down your ideas or whatever. You use your voice recorder and, you know, take your voice notes down and just preserve all the little jewels and gems when you're in there, putting that song together.

Pitchfork: What do you consider to be the elements of a good story?

BB: The elements of a good story are most definitely details, little bitty details. That does it, especially when you're describing, when you're setting the scene and everything. It's like you're painting a picture, so details are very important. Also, the music gotta be right. The music can really set the tone for the story and let you know what the story is gonna be about, but definitely, it's the vibe in the place where you at and the detail.

Pitchfork: When you're starting to write, what do you do to get your creative juices flowing? What music do you listen to? Do you read?

BB: Of course. Me, personally, I don't listen to a lot of rap music. I listen to a lot of old school rap music, or I really listen to things like Bob Marley. I'm a Kate Bush fan. She's like number one on my list. She's my favorite. Anything from Guns N' Roses all the way down to Too $hort, Geto Boys, UGK-- I listen to stuff like that. Right now, I definitely listen to some Jeffrey Osborne. I listen to a lot of old soul and funk music.

Pitchfork: You're not a fan of any really embarrassing show tunes or anything like that?

BB: I don't know, maybe Conway Twitty. I listen to some Conway Twitty, but that's not really embarrassing because to get your dick sucked to a Conway Twitty record is something else.

Pitchfork: [Laughs] I can imagine.

BB: [Sings "Hello Darlin'"] "Hello darlin'/ How ya doing?/ I'm doing just fi-iiine!" [Laughs] That's how you do it! I like to have fun in my life. I don't know what these other dudes are doing out here, but I like to have fun.

Pitchfork: What's the last good thing you read?

BB: The last good thing I read was, I guess the newspaper. I was reading-- in Atlanta they were talking about this whole construction thing they've got going on downtown that has been causing a lot of traffic jams and stuff like that, and, you know, just trying to see what's going on in my city for a minute.

Pitchfork: That makes sense, since you've said your record is going to address things like the recession and gas prices and stuff like that, right?

BB: I mean, just on a song or so. My album is not about the recession. I don't know. Someone took that quote and ran with it. Somebody needs to slap the fuck out of whoever said that. I did an interview for another publication, and they heard the song with me and Mary [J. Blige], "Something's Gotta Give", and they was like, "Hey man, this song is like a recession special." And I was like, "Word, that's dope," but then somebody else took it and was like, "My album is a recession special."We jamming the whole way, you know. You can't be preachy. I hate being preachy. Nobody wants to hear somebody being preachy. It's all about really educating people on what's happening, but we do it in such a specific way. If you ever really got any Outkast albums, you'd know how we do it. The record is all over the place. It's like different songs you take different things from.

Pitchfork: A lot of the Outkast albums tend to be really long. Have you ever thought about releasing a shorter one?

BB: It just depends, man. It's like: whenever it's done, it's done, depending on how many songs and how long the songs are and all. It's like a feeling that it's complete, that you've covered everything you wanted to speak about and gotten your whole complete thought out. We don't try to make them purposefully long. But I think my album is a little bit over an hour long, and it's great.

Pitchfork: You have your solo record coming out, and then Andre's got his solo record coming out...

BB: And then we're going to put out the next Outkast album. That's the plan. That's definitely the plan. At the same time, when I turn this record in right here, while Dre's working on his solo album, I'll be working with the Outkast album and, also, probably starting on my next album after this one. It's like you've got so many thoughts and feelings and emotions, you want to get them all out. And you just record while you feel it. So there's going to be plenty of music coming from us in the coming years. Believe that.

Pitchfork: When it comes to Outkast, it seems like Andre's been getting most of the attention recently. Do you feel underrated by people?

BB: Not really underrated. I just play the back, you know? I've never really come out with my own thing nor was one to date the famous girl. I always got my own girl, my own life. My family life really took a front seat to all this stuff. I love making music, and I go out and do shows and stuff, but I'm not seen on the scene like that because I don't really get out like that.

Pitchfork: Speaking of your kids, did they see "Big", the performance you did with the Atlanta Ballet?

BB: You damn right they saw it.

Pitchfork: Did they like it?BB: They loved it, just like everybody else did. Six shows, standing ovations every night. That was another barrier that was kicked down, another door that was blasted open by the B-I-G, and we're going to take that on the road, worldwide, as well. I do things, but I just don't need attention. That's not what I want. I just want people to hear what I'm saying. I guess when I put this record out then they'll see what's really going on, what's happening. Did you see the ballet?

Pitchfork: I only saw YouTube clips.

BB: You really had to be there, man, because if you wasn't there, you wasn't really knowing. It was definitely all the way me, and the dancers were just choreographed to my music, which was great because both music and dance are forms of art and expression, and we put them together to make one funky-ass movement. I had fun.

Pitchfork: Did you do any dancing yourself?

BB: The same sort of dancing I do onstage at a concert. There was nothing choreographed for me. I think the only time I ever really interacted with the dancers was when they lifted me up high and put me on my throne. That was fun.

Pitchfork: You had an actual throne?

BB: Yeah, it was high up on the wall, and at the end of the set-- I think it was after we did "B.O.B."-- everybody comes and grabs me and whisks me away to the back wall and puts me on the throne.

Pitchfork: Did you get to talk to any of the dancers? Were they fans?

BB: They were definitely big fans. We've been around here for a minute, so we've got some people that grew up on our music that are die-hard fans. We got a chance to have a little mixer, like when I was doing rehearsals, the whole ballet troupe came out to my band rehearsals and kind of jammed, and my band and the ballet all became like family. After we did the last show in Atlanta we threw a big party at Stankonia, and it was like everyone is fam right now.

Pitchfork: It must be strange to go from rapping with your best friend in high school to hanging out with a ballet troupe who's performing your songs.

BB: Not really, because people are people. It just depends on who's in the room. I still hang out with my buddies and everything, and the whole ballet thing, that was something experimental and groundbreaking. I documented the whole thing, DVD-style, and I closed the ballet out with one of the songs from [Sir Luscious Left Foot]. There's going to be a live version of that that I'm going out put out for the fans real soon.

Pitchfork: Is it going to be a single?

BB: It may be. I have like 10 singles on a 15-song album, maybe 14.

Pitchfork: So this is your Thriller, basically?

BB: Not really. It's just dope, just to see it, because it's never been done like that.

Pitchfork: Your career has been such a wild ride.

BB: It's great, man, if it's you, if you're true to it. I love it: people being themselves. That's the problem right now: You've got a lot of people out here acting like somebody else.

Pitchfork: I wanted to ask you about your acting career. People talk about Idlewild, but I'm actually more interested in the not-directly-Outkast-related movies. You played the hero in Who's Your Caddy? and a villain in ATL. What's next? Is there a next? Do you like that stuff?

BB: Oh yeah, most definitely. And Hollywood's been calling. The phone's been ringing off the hook ever since I did Idlewild. Who's Your Caddy? was a funny-as-hell movie.

Pitchfork: What I've seen was really funny.

BB: It's ridiculous. You've got to watch the whole thing. It's hilarious as a motherfucker. I actually put the movies on hold so I could finish my record, but as soon as I get the album out and get out here touring and really talking to people, kissing the babies and shaking hands... I've got a couple of projects lined up, and I'm definitely going to be back on the big screen and on the small screen, so y'all just look forward and stay informed and in tune with what Big Boi's doing. 'Cause I'ma stay in your baby mama's jaw, you know what I'm talking about?

Video: Big Boi [ft. Mary J Blige]: Something's Gotta Give [from the forthcoming Sir Luscious Left Foot ... Son of Chico Dusty LP]

Stream: Big Boi [ft. Andre 3000 and Raekwon]: Royal Flush [from the forthcoming Sir Luscious Left Foot ... Son of Chico Dusty LP]

Pimp C Died From Accidental Cough-Medicine Overdose, Sleep Condition: Autopsy

(Swiped from MTVNews)

UGK member rapped about his affinity for codeine in Three 6 Mafia track.

UGK rapper Pimp C's death was the result of an overdose that was triggered by a large consumption of codeine medication combined with a pre-existing sleep condition, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.

The autopsy ruled that the rapper (real name: Chad Butler) died accidentally.

Pimp C was found dead December 4 in a Los Angeles hotel after headlining a few spot tour dates in California with Too Short. He was 33.

As one-half of UGK, along with rhyme partner Bun B — who reflected on his friend to MTV News shortly after his passing — Pimp C was instrumental in shaping the sound and influence of Southern rap, which dominates hip-hop today. On "Sippin' on Some Syrup," a track for which UGK collaborated with Three 6 Mafia, Pimp C boasted of his affinity for codeine. Cough medicine combined with a number of mixers is a popular beverage in some Southern regions.

"I got the red promethazine, thick orange and yellow 'Tuss," Pimp C rapped on the track.

According to the autopsy report, Pimp C had prescription promethazine/codeine in his system when he died. Initial reports at the time of his death suggested the rapper had over-the-counter codeine in his possession. Pimp C also suffered from sleep apnea, which causes blockage of the airways during sleep.

The assistant chief coroner in the L.A. County coroner's office, Ed Winter, reportedly said the effects of codeine when combined with a condition such as Butler's are deadly.

"Sleep apnea, you stop breathing," Winter told the Houston Chronicle. "Coupled with a medication that suppressed your respirator abilities, you end up with an accidental death."

For more on Pimp C's passing, read:

"UGK's Pimp C: An Underground Legend Who Defied The Mainstream"

"UGK's Pimp C, Remembered By Sway Calloway"

"Bun B, Outkast's Big Boi, Swizz Beatz Remember 'Real Honorable, Real Cool, Really Respected' Pimp C"

"Pimp C Is Given Uplifting, Heartfelt Farewell At Funeral"

Outkast's Big Boi, Swizz Beatz, Slim Thug Remember 'Real Honorable, Real Cool, Really Respected' Pimp C

(Swiped from MTVNews)

When your first name is Pimp, obviously you are a bold, bold man. But aside from his endearingly brash appeal, Pimp C was somebody who his friends and industry counterparts describe as genuine, big-hearted and funny.

Pimp C (real name: Chad Butler) was found dead Tuesday in his Los Angeles hotel room. As half of UGK, named one of MTV News' Greatest Hip-Hop Groups of All Time, Pimp's influence was far-reaching, both personally and professionally.

"He was one of the funniest guys I ever met," Swizz Beatz, who worked on UGK's most-recent LP, Underground Kingz, said Tuesday night. "His character had me on the floor the whole time. I thought I was the only person in this industry who had some humor, not trying to act like a killer all the time. ... It's sad he went out. It's sad for hip-hop."

"You kept it trill way before I had a deal," Lil' Flip raps in a Pimp C tribute song, "RIP Pimp C," released Wednesday morning (December 5). "I can't believe we lost you and [Big] Moe the same year/ We miss you, homie/ We got your back though."

Pimp wasn't just a person his peers looked up to professionally; many also considered themselves fortunate to become friends with him.

"My initial reaction was disbelief," Slim Thug said Wednesday. "I just talked to him the other day. Me and Pimp were cool, for real. I always talk to him and Bun B on the regular. He always reached out to me and made it be known, 'I got love for Slim Thug,' in interviews he did and everything. He always showed me a whole lot of love. So that's why it hurt to see a good dude like that go.

"I remember soon as he got out of jail, I went to his video shoot," Slim added. "And just approaching him like, 'What's up? I'm Slim Thug.' And he was like, 'Man, I already know about you. I got love for you, and I respect what you doing. Here goes my number. Call me if you need anything.' I still got his card. Man ... I just want to send my condolences out. I'm just sitting here seeing this happen and wishing Pimp would just wake up."

"He was cool as hell," said Outkast's Big Boi, who was noticeably distraught when he spoke of his friend and "Int'l Players Anthem" co-star during a Tuesday phone call. "He was real laid-back, down-to-earth. We would talk from time to time. We hung out at a couple of clubs a couple of times. He was the real thing. He wasn't putting on a front or acting out a character: That was really him. Real good dude. So much fun and charisma.

"Once [Outkast] got in the game, we recorded a couple of tracks with each other," Big added. "We kicked it. Pimp C was living in Atlanta. ... He came to the house when we had our little parties. He's just my dog. Real honorable, real cool, really respected."

Big said being around Pimp and Bun B was definitely like being around family — his longtime musical clique, the Dungeon Family. "It's like having a crew," Big said of working with UGK. "They're like an extended part of our Dungeon Family. They were real close with [Big] Gipp and Rico [Wade] and pretty much everybody down with us all the way down. When the studio came, it was time to bomb on the tracks and make hits. It was like having Goodie Mob in the room, you know?"

Like many hip-hop fans, especially in the South, Big and Andre 3000 were influenced by the Underground Kingz at a very early age. "We had UGK tapes; we would listen to them on the way to high school," Big Boi said. "[We listened to] them and 8Ball and MJG. They were two of the groups we looked up to when we was coming up.

"It was the lyricism, man," Big added about what attracted him to UGK. "They were so real and blunt and honest with it. They said what they wanted to say. They were from Port Arthur, Texas, and represented that and told you what they went through. People have to realize the legacy of Pimp C is gonna live through the music. The boy got a hellafied catalog."

A lot of the classic songs in that catalog were produced by Pimp. "Dope," Big said of Pimp's beats. "Some of the most funkiest, vintage, country rap tunes you ever heard. If you go back and get the CDs and read the credits, you'll see some of your favorites were produced by Pimp C, as well as him and Bun B together. His talent went a long way as an MC and as a producer.

"A lot of people don't know that he made damn near all the beats on the old UGK albums," Big Boi continued. "He had a whole other sound. He gave Texas its sound. He was our Lil Jon, when it comes to a sound. You hear Jon and you know ATL, crunk music. Well, Pimp gave us our own sound out here, with what him and Bun were doing with UGK. He was cold with it. He was a genius at what he did with that."

The UGK legacy grew by leaps and bounds in 2007. The legends were finally able to capitalize on years of adulation with their first #1 album, Underground Kingz, and their biggest single, "Int'l Players Anthem."

"I think that [2007] was the rebirth of UGK," Swizz Beatz said. "They came with a fresh sound, got a new audience, stepped up their lyrical, reached out to a lot of people like myself and Outkast, brought in another side of UGK that was embracing the industry and showed everybody was rocking with them. It was amazing. And the album was good music."

"Bun B stayed down with him 300 percent [while Pimp was in jail]," Big Boi said. "He kept the UGK name and the Pimp C name alive. When Pimp got out, them boys reconvened and put the album together like [Pimp] ain't miss a day. It's a shame to see it go down how it went, now especially with them doing what they doing. It's a sad situation."

Pimp's mother, Weslyn "Wes" Monroe, told Port Arthur's KFDM News, "It's a terrible loss to the industry."

"What a nut he was," she added with a light smile. "C loved this community. He didn't leave, even when he came home [from jail], he chose to live here. ... So we need a tremendous support from the community."