Big Boi “Ringtone”
Every six months we fall for the same damn line. One of those Outkast boys emerge from their Stankonian hibernation to unleash the heart-stopping news that they’re hard at work in finishing up a solo album. They then announce a somewhat vague release date, then further tease that their partner’s individual project will arrive soon after followed by that long-anticipated, non-soundtrack or double album, full-on Outkast LP. And then we wait…and wait…get all excited over some lone single or hot mixtape feature…and then wait and wait some more…only to get nothing, but a repeat of the same announcement we had received a half a year earlier.
What’s the deal!?!?! It’s not like we haven’t built up enough depression anticipating those new Dre, Lauryn and D’Angelo albums!!
Anyways, to help calm our hysteria, something new from the OK camp has arrived with the leaking of a new Big Boi track from his long pushed-back Sir Luscious Left Foot set…and it unfortunately has Maestro’s second favorite Outkast halve (by a hair!!!) dabbling within a slick, but ultimately far too un-exciting, R&B soundscape.
A texted XOXO to a woman so precious she’s awarded her very own personalized ring, “Ringtone” is highlighted by Big Boi’s naughty rhymes and nimble flow patterns and features a cool synth bass mid-way through that subtly shouts-out the rapper’s undying love for all things old-school funk. Too bad we’re delivered small doses of that and in their place, beat over the head with a boring, over-reliance on lengthy talkbox-affected hooks and a backing track that casually bounces along without really going anywhere.
“Ringtone” might hold a sliver of low-key charm to it’s benefit (Big “The Way You Move” lovers will likely admire this one the most), but after waiting so damn long for Sir Luscious to arrive, we expected something a bit more eventful to surface.
DL: “Ringtone” (alt)
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