Antwan Patton is never hesitant about having the final word. As one half of the Mighty “O”, Dungeon Family First Generation representer and an icon throughout The South and The World, Big Boi inarguably wins the “Plays Well With Others” award, thanks to being known to destroy sh*t when in groupings of two or more. If this honor ever was in dispute, we submit for consideration Mr. Cooler-than-a-polar-bear-toenail’s third solo release, BOOMIVERSE.
Ever since it was heard that Organized Noize would produce the album, it was expected to be nothing less than Big (pun totally intended), and BOOMIVERSE delivers right away. “The Next Day” (featuring Dirty South poet laureate Big Rube) sounds like it fell directly out of a Cindi Mayweather escapade* with both feet running and never quite looks back. “Kill Jill” might be the most infectious song of the year, complete with Killa Mike going bull in a china shop and Jeezy on the hook sounding like butter, but Big Boi still manages to completely shut it down seemingly at half speed, weaving hot topic references with those gentle reminders that he’s still running the show:
Daddy Fat Saxxx with three X’s, fuck niggas hit the exit
No S is on my chest but all these diamonds got me blessed
Usually I don’t do this, dumb it down, go stupid
Since 17 been countin’ M’s, my bank account’s on Goofy
They say Cosby gave ’em roofies
Now who know what the truth is (what?)
Chicago’s full of shooters
My garage is full of hoopties
“In The South” is somehow just as magical of a Gucci Mane feature for Sir Lucious Leftfoot as 2010’s “Shine Blockas” – draped in booming bass and syrupy synths, and Pimp C’s voice rings through the hook like it was born there. By the way, yes, Big Boi can and does rock for dolo – “Order Of Operations” is a tight groove (not to mention a pleasant Scott Storch sighting on the production credits) and “All Night” reminds us of an Idlewild flashback that leaves you bouncing trying to nail the hearty chorus like Lunchmoney Lewis. “Get Wit It” is almost TOO G, with everybodys big Uncle Snoop laying down heavy game (“Dynamic/ organic/ Iceberg Slim selling trim on the Titanic”), the only thing better is the fact that Big Boi is STILL the dopest through all the heavy hitters, effectively reminding everyone that with the exception of his original partner-in-crime, ain’t nobody seeing him on the mic.
Every big swing doesn’t necessarily equate to a homerun however – “Mic Jack” featuring Adam Levine and Sleepy Brown is technically a solid song with that top-20 sound, yet feels a tad contrived. “Made Man” with Kurupt (and our second Killa Mike sighting) is random at best, solid yet oddly placed. “Chocolate” is dirty and modulated on the bass, and the rhymes are great, yet also has that forced energy. The same can be said about “Freakanomics” and the Manny Fresh produced “Follow Deez” (despite stellar efforts by Curren$y and of course again, Killa Mike). Talent is something Mr. Patton is never in short supply of, that’s for sure. Almost every rhyme on the album is sharp, yet not necessarily memorable, in part because everything sounds SO different – there is something missing in cohesiveness. The album is indeed SO huge, Organized Noize and Big Boi make these ridiculously huge leaps AND LAND PERFECTLY only to have us wondering how in the world we got here and why we even left.
Ultimately BOOMIVERSE is a supercluster of good songs with a handful of great ones strewn throughout without the semblance of unity that every good universe needs to not fly off at random. It almost feels absurd to say an album full of timeless production and witty flows can fall short of expectations, but such is the burden of being the nicest cat in the room at almost any time.
Score: 82 of 100
Noteworthy Bangers: Kill Jill, In The South, All Night, Get Wit It