New Sounds: Big Boi

Legendary Outkast rapper Big Boi is set to release his second solo effort "Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors" later this year, and "Gossip" is the first track to be released from the record. On "Gossip", Big Boi moves away from the glossy, pop- inflected hooks of his 2010 effort "Sir Lucious Left foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty" and heads into much darker and more minimalistic territory. A pensive low- end buzz rumbles throughout the tune, and there's not much in the way of a melody either. Dark, electronic pulses spring forth every now and again, and a eerily twinkling synth bleep- a- thon rises to the fore in places too. This is a much darker and colder sound from Big Boi, although still irresistibly smooth in its swagger, as the man himself and Southern brother Big K.R.I.T. lay down some impressive  lines.