Big Boi

‘Verzuz’ Expands To The Gaming World With A ‘Bigs Vs. Lils’ ‘Call Of Duty’ Tournament

by
Big Boi And Lil Jon
Getty Image

After over a year of dominating the live music and live streaming spaces, the Verzuz brand is expanding to encompass live streaming video games with the next evolution of its competition format, Verzuz Gamez. While the musical hits battles have always been more about celebrating the legacies of those performers who have had a huge impact on hip-hop culture throughout the years, this time, the battle will be a straight-up fight to the finish as the inaugural edition of Verzuz Games will pit a pair of “big” rappers against two “lil” ones in a Call Of Duty: Vanguard tournament.

On Wednesday, November 3 at 6 pm PT, Big Boi and Big Sean will face off against Lil Jon and Lil Tecca for gaming supremacy in a three-hour, multi-round tournament format hosted by T-Pain with a performance by Migos. Aside from having a pretty cool theme, the teams also seem pretty well-balanced, what with pairing the oldest contestant with the youngest (you gotta handicap the zoomer, who was forged in the fires of online multiplayer chaos, by sticking him with the one guy who was around for Pong, otherwise Tecca would definitely run amok and clean up the field). Meanwhile, we’ll have to see if Big Boi and Big Sean can share chemistry as well as a misnomered moniker against one of rap’s first Twitch streaming adopters (Lil Jon — forever ahead of his time).

Tune in tomorrow night at 6 on Instagram, Triller, and Fite network.

Masego Invites JID And Big Boi To Attend His Dream-Like ‘Garden Party’

by

Virginia rapper-singer-saxophonist Masego hasn’t confirmed that he’s working on a new project yet, but he’s definitely been working, capitalizing on the additional attention he’s received from his participation on Drake’s new album Certified Lover Boy. Today, he released a smooth new single with Atlanta rappers Big Boi and JID, “Garden Party.” A celebration of all the things these boys enjoy, the Iman Omari and Jack Dine-produced single makes references to the film Stomp The Yard and the seminal 1985 Doug E. Fresh and MC Ricky D (aka Slick Rick) song, “La Di Da Di.”

The new track is the latest in a run of impressive guest verses for JID, who has popped up throughout the year on releases from Conway The Machine, Doja Cat, and fellow Dreamville rapper Lute. Conway’s song “Scatter Brain” also linked JID to another Atlanta legend, Ludacris, so it’s fair to say JID is making the most of the wait for his own next album.

Big Boi, meanwhile, recently celebrated the 25th anniversary of his and Andre 3000’s pioneering sophomore Outkast album ATLiensreissued pieces of vinyl. Big Boi also has a joint album with Sleepy Brown titled The Big Sleepover coming soon. Maybe he and JID can bond over their apparent shared love of Raymond Chandler adaptations.

Listen to Masego’s “Garden Party” featuring JID and Big Boi above.

Andre 3000 Went With Big Boi To Watch His Son, Cross Patton, Play For Oregon

by
Getty Image

For over a decade, hip-hop fans have been hoping that Outkast will get back together to make new music. There have been brief reunions to tour or do one-off shows, but for the most part, Andre 3000 seems content to pursue his new passions in music, art, and film, while Big Boi continues to put out albums and tour with Sleepy Brown.

While new Outkast music may remain simply a dream for many rather than a reality, we can take solace in the fact that the two legendary artists remain close friends, even as they’ve moved on to separate ventures. That’s not always the case when groups go their own ways after a long time together, but it is truly heartwarming to see how Big Boi and Andre 3000 continue to support each other and their families.

On Saturday night, we saw the latest instance of this when a photo from a pair of Oregon fans went viral of Big Boi and Three Stacks sitting together at the Ducks game against Arizona in Eugene, cheering on Big Boi’s son, Cross Patton, who plays for Oregon.

There is real joy in seeing the two members of Outkast still hanging out and supporting each other’s kids at games and graduations.

That’s real friendship as you get older and, whether we ever get new music or not, it’s cool to see they haven’t lost that connection.

Outkast Drop An Animated Video For ‘Two Dope Boyz’ To Celebrate Their 25th-Anniversary ‘ATLiens’ Reissue

by

This Friday, August 27, the iconic Atlanta-based rap duo who put the Dirty South on the map with their cosmic slop-washed ethos is reissuing the album that saw them break through to the mainstream 25 years ago. Andre 3000 and Big Boi, better known as Outkast, are putting out a 25th-anniversary edition of ATLiens and to celebrate, they’ve shared a new Rafatoon-directed animated video for the album’s fan-favorite track “Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac).” The psychedelic visuals capture the duo in their mid-90s aesthetics (you know, before Andre started dressing like a mid-century dandy) and yes, cruising in a Cadillac convertible.

The ATLiens reissue will come with newly mixed, hi-res 24-bit sound with the previously unreleased instrumental tracks, in multiple formats. Legacy Recordings is dropping a limited-edition four-LP version, Get on Down’s version will come with a custom gatefold jacket and a glow-in-the-dark 45rpm single of “Elevators,” and Vinyl Me, Please has a two-LP neon green and blue galaxy vinyl. You can find out more here.

In addition to the collector’s edition vinyl re-releases of ATLiens, the boys will celebrate their breakthrough classic with a mobile video game being produced by F That digital agency that will find them defending their hometown from — what else? — an alien invasion. The release date is still TBD.

Watch the “Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac)” video above.

Outkast Drop An Animated Video For ‘Two Dope Boyz’ To Celebrate Their 25th-Anniversary ‘ATLiens’ Reissue

by

This Friday, August 27, the iconic Atlanta-based rap duo who put the Dirty South on the map with their cosmic slop-washed ethos is reissuing the album that saw them break through to the mainstream 25 years ago. Andre 3000 and Big Boi, better known as Outkast, are putting out a 25th-anniversary edition of ATLiens and to celebrate, they’ve shared a new Rafatoon-directed animated video for the album’s fan-favorite track “Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac).” The psychedelic visuals capture the duo in their mid-90s aesthetics (you know, before Andre started dressing like a mid-century dandy) and yes, cruising in a Cadillac convertible.

The ATLiens reissue will come with newly mixed, hi-res 24-bit sound with the previously unreleased instrumental tracks, in multiple formats. Legacy Recordings is dropping a limited-edition four-LP version, Get on Down’s version will come with a custom gatefold jacket and a glow-in-the-dark 45rpm single of “Elevators,” and Vinyl Me, Please has a two-LP neon green and blue galaxy vinyl. You can find out more here.

In addition to the collector’s edition vinyl re-releases of ATLiens, the boys will celebrate their breakthrough classic with a mobile video game being produced by F That digital agency that will find them defending their hometown from — what else? — an alien invasion. The release date is still TBD.

Watch the “Two Dope Boyz (In A Cadillac)” video above.