Interview: Big Boi - Just Kate Bush & Eminem Left To Work With, Then...

There are very few acts in music these days who can sell records by the multi-million and still make critics swoon almost universally. But then Big Boi – one half of always-ahead-of-the-game duo OutKast – is not just one of the most creative forces hip-hop has ever produced; he's arguably one of the most dynamic musicians at work in any genre right now. His new record, the typically madly-titled Sir Lucious Left Foot... The Son Of Chico Dusty, has added substantial weight to such claims since its release back in July, and word has it that he’s already busy planning his next step. So Ragged Words felt hugely privileged earlier this week when we got to speak to one Antwan Andre Patton ahead of a clutch of upcoming UK live dates.

Hi there, thanks for taking the time to speak to us! How have the live shows been going since Sir Lucious Left Foot... came out? Given that there are so many guests on the record, is it a bit of a challenge performing those songs on your own?

“Oh, no. Not at all. There are so many different songs that I'm doing, it's a breeze actually. I'm mixing them with hits from Southernplayalistic... all the way up, you know what I'm sayin’? The way I put it together, it flows freely.”

You're probably sick of talking about the label problems surrounding the release of the album at this stage, but are you any closer to understanding why Jive wanted ‘radio hits’? Were there different people at the label than those you'd worked with before?

“No, it was just a difference of opinion really. They just didn't understand what was going on, that's all.”

It seems like you were able to stay positive – or at least sane – throughout the entire delay period. How did you manage to keep your cool?

“Just being in the studio recording. My main goal was to just create as much material as I could; it's all about putting down your ideas and that's what I stayed doing. Just staying creative.”

Was it an easy choice in the end to move to Def Jam, or was there a lot of other interest?

“Yeah, there was plenty of other interest, I won’t lie… But to me, I wanted to be in a space where the music was understood, and L.A. Reid was at Def Jam – and that's who I started my career with – so it was a natural fit for me to go there.”

I know Dre (Andre 3000) is making his own solo record now, and he's still on Jive. Is he likely to be faced with similar problems do you think?

“I don't know, I really couldn't even tell you about that situation. I don't even really know!”

How's his album coming along do you know? Have you heard any of it? I know you guys like to bounce ideas off each other.

"Yeah, yeah. I heard quite a bit of it a couple of months ago, but I've been out on the road on tour since then. So I didn't really get a chance to get into that fully, because we've both been in and out of town.”

Long term, I know you’ve started planning a new OutKast album for when Dre's done with his solo record. Have you anything written, any ideas formed or any idea what it's going to be like?

“Ummm, it's going to be like... it's top secret right now (laughs)! We made a pact not to discuss it until it's about to come out but, we're both just putting down our ideas right now.”

You're also working on a new solo record at the same time, and I read somewhere in June that you already had about half-a-dozen tracks down. Have you had a chance in-between touring commitments to get many more completed?

“Oh yeah, I'm constantly working while I'm on the road. I've been on tour for maybe four months now, and there's a lot of down time, a lot of time on the bus, so it's just about really flooding pen and pad with ideas, you know what I'm sayin’? And I listen to the music a lot you know; I listen to the music years in advance before I even sit down to record. I've probably put down maybe around, ummm, a nice block of thirty beats to marinade with, and then I plan to just start attacking from there.”

Sir Lucious… was certainly as eclectic as ever, but to me anyway, it had a heavier synth sound than most of your previous work. Can you give us any hints about where the new stuff might be heading sonically?

“Again, that's top secret!”

That's fair enough, I understand! You had an impressive rollcall of guests on the last LP. Did anyone actually say no to you?!?

“Only Sade – she’s not really into collaborating. I'd been wanting to work with her for a minute, but turns out she's just not into doing them. I am trying to get Kate Bush though, that's who I really want to get.”

Cool. Have you made any approaches to try make that happen?

“Yeah, I've been reaching out for a minute. Hopefully I can get to her this time.”

Wow, that’d be huge. Who else is there left to work with after that? Is there anyone still on your hitlist that you're aiming to go for next time?

“Kate Bush and ummm… I wanna rock with Eminem! I never got a chance to do a song with Eminem.”

One esteemed guest on the last album was George Clinton. Is he the type of guy you might look up to and think “I want to still be a creative force like that later in my career”?

“Oh yeah, most definitely. You know, he's the source of the funk really. The base of all my music is funk music and I like to get funky and nasty and gritty, so you got to go to the source. I'm working with him on the new album too, on a song called 'Synthesiser'. I've been seeing plenty of George over the years, so I can just call him up, send him something and we just jam out, you know what I mean?”

You're nearly 20 years recording at this stage. How do you keep staying hungry, keep that creativity level so high and not let any complacency creep in?

“Music is what makes me tick, you know what I'm sayin’? Every time you find that new song with that new groove, or that perfect line that'll fit that particular record, it does something to me. I love to create and love just looking for that new sound, that's what it is. It's like being in a goldmine looking for gold, man. You're just in the studio trying to find that perfect groove and put the perfect rhythms together to keep it funky and solid.”

You released a few teaser singles before Sir Lucious… came out – and that's something Kanye West is doing now too. Are you planning on doing something similar again next time?

“Top secret! (laughs)"

Haha, you're not giving too much away!

“Nah, nah nah. I want to kinda leave an element of surprise, I wanna keep that open, so I don't want to give too much away.”

No, we get it. That's totally understandable! I mentioned Kanye there, and he's obviously entertaining everybody on Twitter these days, and doing web chats etc. Is that a side of things you're interested in too?

“Definitely. With this record, my whole approach to it was through social networking. After being stuck in a contract with a label that didn't really understand the music, I just went straight to the fans and started giving them songs. I was releasing a song every couple of weeks; that was my formula. It was good to do it that way, ping it straight from the horse's mouth and just really stay in contact with the fans, and get a taste of what they want and what they like. I think it's really neat being able to do that.”

Last of all, how was Martha Stewart?!?

“Yeah, it was real good, man. I got a chance to take my mommy. My mommy flew up and it was different, you know what I'm sayin’? I'm a big-time family-orientated person, and to be able to do stuff that I can incorporate my family into – that’s when we're having a blast!”

Big Boi plays the following dates next week:
Nov 1, HMV Forum, London, 7.30pm, £25
Nov 2, Manchester, The Ritz  7.30pm, £22.50
Nov 3, Glasgow O2 Academy 7pm, £22.50
(Tickets: www.seetickets.com)