Q&A with Big Boi

IDS What are you currently listening to?

BIG BOI MGMT, Little Dragon, some Bob Marley, some Kate Bush, some Johnny Cash. I listen to a lot.
 
IDS And what about those artists do you like?

BIG BOI Just the music in general, you know what I’m saying? The creativity, the different grooves and the unpredictable patterns they use when they’re making songs. That’s what I like.
 
IDS And how do you integrate that into your music?

BIG BOI I don’t know if I’d really integrate it into my music, it’s just, you know, if you’re listening to somethin.’ ...Actually it’s something you can feel, and I guess I think I can say that I make feel-good music. So music that makes me feel good is kind of an influence in the fact that it evokes feeling, you know what I mean? That’s what it’s about.
 
IDS And growing up, what artists influenced you?

BIG BOI The same ones. A lot of Bob Marley, a lot of Aretha Franklin, Parliament Funkadelic. I listened to INXS, Eric Clapton, Nirvana, Metallica, Genesis, UGK, Geto Boys, 2 Live Crew, Janis Joplin, the Beatles, Zepplin, Teddy Pendergrass, The Spinners, The Four Tops, the list goes on and on.
 
IDS Can you talk a little bit about the new album and the intentions behind it?

BIG BOI The new album, “Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty,” is a graduation album for me. My best way to describe this is when Luke Skywalker became a Jedi, so it’s just me at my best, you know what I mean? I’m a master at my craft. I know how I want my music to sound, and I know how to make it. And I know how to make the fans dig it, and as long as the fans dig it, I’m gonna keep going go back and bustin’ off
some more.
 
IDS Do you already have another album planned?

BIG BOI Yeah, the plan is now Andre 3000 gonna release his album, then we’re going to do another Outkast record, and I’m working on another solo album in the meantime, too, called “Daddy Fat Sax Soul Funk Crusader.” I think if you got the ability to do it, you gotta give people what they want, and it’s all about making music that people can feel. So you just gotta keep putting your ideas down.
 
IDS You’ve been hitting a lot of college towns. How come?

BIG BOI I’ve been hitting a lot of college towns because they want me. We’ve been going to colleges, rocking shows, then going to the frat house, kickin it. It’s been fun. The whole ride has been fun. Being that we’ve been doing music for so long, we have fans ages from 2 to 82, 92, you know what I mean? So it’s generations of people out there that listen to our music, so you know you just got to give them that music, man. They want it, they starving for it, they feigning for it, and we gonna give it to them.

 IDS Angelo [Big Boi’s tour manager] was talking a little bit outside about how there is a difference between Outkast fans and fans of your solo album. So how has that been on tour?

BIG BOI Its been great. It’s kind of like a mixture. It’s a hodgepodge of who’s who, you know what I mean? It’s just really fans of good music, man, and as long as you up there and gonna put on a good show, they gonna be there, they gonna dig it, they gonna give you the energy and you give it right back to them, and it’s all about moving the crowd. So, I could say we got some of the best fans in the world. It’s all races, religion, ages, coming together to have a good time.
 
IDS What’s your favorite nickname that you have named yourself?

BIG BOI I’d have to say “Daddy Fat Sax” might be my favorite. Yeah, that’s my favorite. So the next album is going to be very personal and dear to my heart, near and dear to me.