The Rundown: Big Boi, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors

A look at the bold new solo album from one half of Outkast.

Big Boi, Vicious Lies & Dangerous Rumors - It's not an Outkast record, but it's the next best thing. Big Boi continued the Dungeon Family of tradition of pushing hip hop in bold new directions on his second solo album, collaborating with indie and electronica acts including Little Dragon, Phantogram and Wavves to create a futuristic mash-up that's all his own.  (Photo: DEF Jam Records)

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The Rundown: Big Boi, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors - Andre who? The pined-for Outkast reunion still seems like a pipe dream, but Big Boi's second solo album, Vicious Lies & Dangerous Rumors, which drops on Tuesday, Dec. 11, is very real. But more importantly, is it very good? And this might be asking too much, but will it help ease our Outkast withdrawal symptoms? Find out with our track by track rundown of Big Boi's latest. —Alex Gale (Photo: Def Jam)

"Ascending" - With its meditative acoustic guitar and vocal coos courtesy of Little Dragon's amazingly talented Yukimi Nagano, who shows up all over the album, the album's brief intro recalls the beautiful plaintiveness of the opener of Outkast's Aquemini, "Hold On, Be Strong." Big Boi doesn't shy away from the throwback vibe either: "One half of the mind of Outkast, one whole of me," he says, introducing himself.     (Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

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"Ascending" - With its meditative acoustic guitar and vocal coos courtesy of Little Dragon's amazingly talented Yukimi Nagano, who shows up all over the album, the album's brief intro recalls the beautiful plaintiveness of the opener of Outkast's Aquemini, "Hold On, Be Strong." Big Boi doesn't shy away from the throwback vibe either: "One half of the mind of Outkast, one whole of me," he says, introducing himself.    (Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images)

"The Thickets" feat. Sleepy Brown - Big Boi and co-producers Cy Frye Mouche cook up an epic mix of gospel-choir testifying, courtesy of a Jodeci sample, and trap-rap drums here, and Sleepy Brown's ageless falsetto brings it all home. But Big doesn't let the beat do all the talking; "The Thickets" starts off strong with one of his most spirited rhymes on the album. (Photos from left: Brad Barket/PictureGroup, Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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"The Thickets" feat. Sleepy Brown - Big Boi and co-producers Cy Frye Mouche cook up an epic mix of gospel-choir testifying, courtesy of a Jodeci sample, and trap-rap drums here, and Sleepy Brown's ageless falsetto brings it all home. But Big doesn't let the beat do all the talking; "The Thickets" starts off strong with one of his most spirited rhymes on the album. (Photos from left: Brad Barket/PictureGroup, Scott Gries/Getty Images)

Big Boi on the chances of a reunion with André 3000 - "I think it's very much possible because we have L.A. Reid in our corner now, and he was the first to sign Outkast.  L.A. has permission to make it happen now. So I hope it does, and I don't really see why it won't." (Photo credit: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

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"Apple of My Eye" - The album's indie-pop fascination introduces itself on "Apple of My Eye," with its guitar plucks and surf-rock drums. The hook may be full of Outkast down-home wisdom, but the uncredited voice recalls Damon Albarn of the Gorillaz' alt nonchalance. Remarkably, unlike most rap-rock digressions, it all gels here, thanks to producer and forgotten Outkast member Mr. DJ. A New Orleans brass section even blasts in at the end.  (Photo: Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

"Objectum Sexuality" (feat. Phantogram) - Like many songs on this album, there's no reason this song should work, but it undeniably does just that. Produced by upstate New York indie duo Phantogram, and featuring the sprightly vocals of one half of the group, Sarah Barthels, "Objectum" is an incredibly successful mash-up experiment — on an album full of them.(Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Get Schooled Foundation)

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"Objectum Sexuality" (feat. Phantogram) - Like many songs on this album, there's no reason this song should work, but it undeniably does just that. Produced by upstate New York indie duo Phantogram, and featuring the sprightly vocals of one half of the group, Sarah Barthels, "Objectum" is an incredibly successful mash-up experiment — on an album full of them.(Photo: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Get Schooled Foundation)

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"In the A" feat. T.I. and Ludacris - On an album that sometimes seems more Williamsburg than Bankhead, Big Boi brings it back home here. With help from A-game verses from Ludacris and T.I. and a monstrous beat that sounds like Godzilla in the trap, Big delivers a true hometown anthem.  (Photos from left: John Ricard / BET, Jemal Countess/Getty Images, Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

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"In the A" feat. T.I. and Ludacris - On an album that sometimes seems more Williamsburg than Bankhead, Big Boi brings it back home here. With help from A-game verses from Ludacris and T.I. and a monstrous beat that sounds like Godzilla in the trap, Big delivers a true hometown anthem. (Photos from left: John Ricard / BET, Jemal Countess/Getty Images, Rick Diamond/Getty Images)

"She Hates Me" feat. Kid Cudi - It's appropriate that Kid Cudi makes an appearance: He's the obvious precursor to the album's mix of rap and indie, particularly for "Pursuit of Happiness," his hit collaboration with Ratatat and MGMT. That song's synthy spaciness is definitely noticeable here as well, but Cudi's vocals, a purposely amateurish mix of talking and singing, are woefully overexposed, providing a sour note on an otherwise soaring song.   (Photos from left: Brad Barket/PictureGroup, Mike Coppola/Getty Images for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research)

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"She Hates Me" feat. Kid Cudi - It's appropriate that Kid Cudi makes an appearance: He's the obvious precursor to the album's mix of rap and indie, particularly for "Pursuit of Happiness," his hit collaboration with Ratatat and MGMT. That song's synthy spaciness is definitely noticeable here as well, but Cudi's vocals, a purposely amateurish mix of talking and singing, are woefully overexposed, providing a sour note on an otherwise soaring song.  (Photos from left: Brad Barket/PictureGroup, Mike Coppola/Getty Images for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research)

"CPU" feat. Phantogram - This song almost sounds like a mixtape "remix" — Big Boi spitting over a fully formed indie-electro song that he otherwise had nothing to do with. At points on the album, Big Boi's ATL drawl sometimes seems like window dressing to the fantastic production and collaborators. But here, considering the pretty, wispy hook from Phantogram's Sarah Berthals, that's not necessarily a bad thing.  (Photo: Don Arnold/Getty Images)

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"CPU" feat. Phantogram - This song almost sounds like a mixtape "remix" — Big Boi spitting over a fully formed indie-electro song that he otherwise had nothing to do with. At points on the album, Big Boi's ATL drawl sometimes seems like window dressing to the fantastic production and collaborators. But here, considering the pretty, wispy hook from Phantogram's Sarah Berthals, that's not necessarily a bad thing.  (Photo: Don Arnold/Getty Images)

"Thom Pettie" feat. Little Dragon and Killer Mike - Despite the hilariously nonsensical hook — we can't even begin to understand what "Thom Pettie that h-" means — this song's plodding synth line drags, wasting the talents of Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano, whose more inspirational lyrics ("You're shining like the sun and moon") don't fit in.   (Photos from left: Rick Diamond/Getty Images, Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

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"Thom Pettie" feat. Little Dragon and Killer Mike - Despite the hilariously nonsensical hook — we can't even begin to understand what "Thom Pettie that h-" means — this song's plodding synth line drags, wasting the talents of Little Dragon's Yukimi Nagano, whose more inspirational lyrics ("You're shining like the sun and moon") don't fit in.  (Photos from left: Rick Diamond/Getty Images, Mike Coppola/Getty Images)

"Mama Told Me" feat. Kelly Rowland - With this song's happy space-funk vibe, which brings to mind out-there production trio Sa-Ra, Big Boi and Kelly Rowland take the listener to a 1980s skate jam. Throwback fun — though we can't help but wonder if Solange would've been a better fit for the song's sunny retro leanings.  (Photos from left: Def Jam, Mike Flokis/Getty Images)

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"Mama Told Me" feat. Kelly Rowland - With this song's happy space-funk vibe, which brings to mind out-there production trio Sa-Ra, Big Boi and Kelly Rowland take the listener to a 1980s skate jam. Throwback fun — though we can't help but wonder if Solange would've been a better fit for the song's sunny retro leanings. (Photos from left: Def Jam, Mike Flokis/Getty Images)

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Big Boi Featuring A$AP Rocky and Phantogram - This Outkast legend recruited one of rap's biggest new stars to spit on this spacey standout from his last album, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumours.   (Photos from left: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Heineken, Christie Goodwin/Redferns via Getty Images)

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"Lines" feat. ASAP Rocky & Phantogram - Big Boi links back up with old Dungeon Family production swamis Organized Noize here, but the results aren't what you'd expect, thanks mostly to Berthal's most haunting performance on the entire album, light years away from ATLiens redux. ASAP Rocky's opening verse invites you in, but the musical digressions — from the hook, to the double-time tempo switch at the end, to the atmospheric closing — are the best example of Big Boi and his collaborators' near-constant attempts to surprise listeners and take songs to new places. (Photos from left: Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Heineken, Christie Goodwin/Redferns via Getty Images)

"Shoes for Running" feat. B.o.B. and Wavves - Under supervision of frequent Santigold producer John Hill, Big Boi once again skillfully brings together disparate elements — whistles, a children's choir, lo-fi guitars — as if they belong together. Nathan Williams, frontman of Socal beach-punk band Wavves, sings and plays guitars, and this song sounds more like like his comfort zone than Big Boi's or even B.o.B.'s, but the three still blend seamlessly somehow. (Photos from left: Don Arnold/Getty Images, Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

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"Shoes for Running" feat. B.o.B. and Wavves - Under supervision of frequent Santigold producer John Hill, Big Boi once again skillfully brings together disparate elements — whistles, a children's choir, lo-fi guitars — as if they belong together. Nathan Williams, frontman of Socal beach-punk band Wavves, sings and plays guitars, and this song sounds more like like his comfort zone than Big Boi's or even B.o.B.'s, but the three still blend seamlessly somehow. (Photos from left: Don Arnold/Getty Images, Neilson Barnard/Getty Images)

"Raspberries" feat. Mouche and Scar - This song recalls the randomly funky trappings of one of Outkast's classic sung interludes ("Funky Ride," "Toilet Tisha"), but the tongue-in-cheek, purposefully pitchy vocals make it come off like jokey filler instead.  (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

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"Raspberries" feat. Mouche and Scar - This song recalls the randomly funky trappings of one of Outkast's classic sung interludes ("Funky Ride," "Toilet Tisha"), but the tongue-in-cheek, purposefully pitchy vocals make it come off like jokey filler instead.  (Photo: Scott Gries/Getty Images)

"Tremendous Damage" feat. Bosko - The album's first real miss, thanks to singer Bosko's shaky performance, the poppy lyrical platitudes and Big Boi's Auto-Tuned singing, which unfortunately outshine the raw emotion and personal details of Big's second verse.  (Photo: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)

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"Tremendous Damage" feat. Bosko - The album's first real miss, thanks to singer Bosko's shaky performance, the poppy lyrical platitudes and Big Boi's Auto-Tuned singing, which unfortunately outshine the raw emotion and personal details of Big's second verse.  (Photo: Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)

"Descending" feat. Little Dragon - It's not easy to criticize a verse that mourns a musician's dead parents and grandparents, but Big Boi's off-key singing stands out among the gorgeous guitar arpeggios, Prince-inspired drum programming and Yukimi of Little Dragon finally getting to soulfully spread her wings a little. Thankfully, his verse is among the most concise on the album, and over the song's five minutes, the production's delicate beauty takes over.  (Photo: Rick Kern/WireImage)

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"Descending" feat. Little Dragon - It's not easy to criticize a verse that mourns a musician's dead parents and grandparents, but Big Boi's off-key singing stands out among the gorgeous guitar arpeggios, Prince-inspired drum programming and Yukimi of Little Dragon finally getting to soulfully spread her wings a little. Thankfully, his verse is among the most concise on the album, and over the song's five minutes, the production's delicate beauty takes over.  (Photo: Rick Kern/WireImage)

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"Higher Res" feat. Jai Paul and Little Dragon - The weirdest song on the entire album — that's probably why it's a bonus track — thanks to the constant snare downbeat and purposefully lo-fi mix. But the soulful vocals of Nagano and Brit singer-songwriter Jai Paul bring the song back from the edge of helter-skelter cacophony.   (Photo: Craig Bromley/Getty Images for GREY GOOSE)

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"Higher Res" feat. Jai Paul and Little Dragon - The weirdest song on the entire album — that's probably why it's a bonus track — thanks to the constant snare downbeat and purposefully lo-fi mix. But the soulful vocals of Nagano and Brit singer-songwriter Jai Paul bring the song back from the edge of helter-skelter cacophony.   (Photo: Craig Bromley/Getty Images for GREY GOOSE)

Photo By Photo: Craig Bromley/Getty Images for GREY GOOSE

"Gossip" feat. UGK and Big KRIT - Big Boi, Big K.R.I.T., Organized Konfusion and UGK — yes, there's even an awesome verse from the late Pimp C that someone dug up — team up for a Dirty South all-star game, and the woofer-shaking result lives up to the names on the marquee.  (Photos from left: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Get Schooled Foundation, John Ricard)

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"Gossip" feat. UGK and Big KRIT - Big Boi, Big K.R.I.T., Organized Konfusion and UGK — yes, there's even an awesome verse from the late Pimp C that someone dug up — team up for a Dirty South all-star game, and the woofer-shaking result lives up to the names on the marquee. (Photos from left: Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for The Get Schooled Foundation, John Ricard)

"She Said OK" feat. Theophilus London and Tre Luce - The wah-wah guitar and Sleepy Brown-inspired hook from Tre Luce make this bonus track sound more like classic Outkast than anything else on the album (though the juvenile bluntness of the freaky chorus is more Bourbon Street than Peachtree Street). But after the unexpected musical excursions on the LP — from indie to electro to funk to rap and back — it almost seems like an unnecessary after-thought. Yes, it would've been great to hear a verse from Andre 3000 instead of perfectly capable Brooklyn pop-rapper Theophilus London, but with this album Big Boi has taken a big step out of the shadow of his permanently-on-hiatus band and reclusive partner. Andre may be the more nimble rapper, but Big Boi's wide artistic scope here is a marvel in itself.     (Photo: Def Jam)

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"She Said OK" feat. Theophilus London and Tre Luce - The wah-wah guitar and Sleepy Brown-inspired hook from Tre Luce make this bonus track sound more like classic Outkast than anything else on the album (though the juvenile bluntness of the freaky chorus is more Bourbon Street than Peachtree Street). But after the unexpected musical excursions on the LP — from indie to electro to funk to rap and back — it almost seems like an unnecessary after-thought. Yes, it would've been great to hear a verse from Andre 3000 instead of perfectly capable Brooklyn pop-rapper Theophilus London, but with this album Big Boi has taken a big step out of the shadow of his permanently-on-hiatus band and reclusive partner. Andre may be the more nimble rapper, but Big Boi's wide artistic scope here is a marvel in itself.     (Photo: Def Jam)