Big Boi of Outkast headed to Def Jam

July 18, 5:39 PMColumbia Urban Music ExaminerGeorge Butler

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Def Jam Recordings used to be the "capital of hip-hop" with the likes of the Beastie Boys, LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Jay-Z (by way of his Roc-a-Fella Records), Slick Rick, Onyx, Warren G, T La Rock, and DMX becoming big stars for the label and producing quality hip-hop, along with the usual mainstream stuff, which was better than today's commercial crap.

Today the label has some real hip-hop acts like longtime Def Jam stars Method Man and Redman (who released their second collaboration album earlier this summer), Jadakiss, the Roots, Ghostface Killah, Nas, Fabolous, Ludacris and Kanye West (whose recent album wasn't hip-hop at all, but instead auto-tune BS, whcih followed three hip-hop classics), while the acts of the past have moved on to greener pastures. All that is left besdies that are pop-R&B acts like Rhianna, Mariah Carey, Chrisette Michelle, Amerie and Ne-Yo, and D-boy rappers like Young Jeezy, Rick Ross, and Ace Hood, who can give a little hip-hop when they want to.

Now add Outkast's Big Boi to that list, after his dealings with Jive Records turned sour. His Purple Ribbon Entertainment will still be distributed by Virgin Records for the most part. But his upcoming solo, tentatively titled Sir Luschious Leftfoot, will be a Def Jam release. Although it is unknown if Andre 3000, the eclectic Atlanta duo's stranger half, will follow suit and leave Jive, Big Boi has said the group is intact and that after Andre's solo (listen to Andre 3000's new single, "Lookin' 4 U") and his own, Outkast will release another album. Two years, Andre 3000 and Big Boi said the same thing. Things like these take time and I'm patiently waiting for the newest projects from these fellows.

Here's Big Boi to EyeWeekly.com about his switch:

"The lawyers just have to finish their lawyering. [L.A. Reid, current chairman and CEO since 2004 of Island Def Jam, a part of Universal Music, Def Jam's parent since 1996] been with us since the beginning." As Big put it, "I just gave you the scoop of the century, man."

Reid founded LaFace with songwriting and producing partner Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds in 1991. The label was acquired by distributor Arista Records' parent. BMG, then a unit of Bertelsmann (now BMG's labels are fully owned by Sony Music) in 1999. Reid was put at the head of Arista. LaFace was then placed within Zomba Label Group during the joining of Sony Music and BMG. Sony purchased Bertelsmann's half of the joint venture in 2008.

LaFace signed Outkast in 1992. The duo was formed the previous year in Atlanta. While Andre is from Georgia's capital, Big Boi's origins trace back to the city of Savannah. The group's extensive library of hits for LaFace include "Player's Ball", "Elevators (Me and You)", "Rosa Parks", and "B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad)". This was on their first four albums. Andre started focusing on singing and acting in 2003. That year, Outkast released a double album called Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, with Speakerboxxx featuring Big Boi rapping, and The Love Below showing Andre singing. Andre's "Hey Ya!" and Big Boi's "The Way You Move" were released simultaneously as singles that year. The only song on that album featuring the duo together was "Roses" on Andre's half. Three years later, Universal Pictures released the film Idlewild, with the duo supplying the soundtrack album, although they appeared in only a few scenes in the film and a few cuts on the album as a duo. Andre recorded "Idlewild Blues" and produced Big Boi's "Morris Brown".

Def Jam was founded by Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin in 1984. Columbia Records, then a unit of CBS, bought by Sony in 1988, distributed (and once co-owned) this label. Polygram bought the label in 1994, then merged with Universal Music's parent, Seagram, who in 2000 merged with Vivendi of Paris and Canal+. The label is now owned by Vivendi and operated by its Universal Music. Also of note, General Electric Company and Vivendi merged GE's NBC with Vivendi's Universal Pictures and Universal Television Networks together in 2004 to form NBC Universal, which UMG is not a part of. GE owns a majority of this company.

Now for my two cents: whatever you may think of Big Boi's move to Def Jam, the music business is 90% business and 10% music, or so they say. Money talks unfortunately, and few artists rely on talent rather than marketing and promotion. I just hope Big Boi, a veteran of sorts, doesn't fall into the trap of trying to stay relevant by collaborating with talentless fools that saturate the industry nowadays.

Good luck, Big Boi. Nuff said.