• Reviews

• All
• Music
• DVDs
• Live
• Cinema
• TV
• Books
• Comic Books
• Video Games

Nov 12, 2015 Web Exclusive By Scott Dransfield

Since the dissolution of OutKast, Big Boi has proven himself to be a restless worker, creating Southern rap epics like 2010’s Sir Lucius Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty as well as experimenting with other genres and collaborating with a bevy of often surprising artists. Primary among them is the indie electro-pop group Phantogram, who appeared a couple times on Big Boi’s last record, Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors. During the sessions for that album, Big Boi revealed that he was pursuing a continued project with the band, and now we have the BIG GRAMS EP. It’s been a few years, and despite the curiosity about the success of such a collaboration, the EP works surprisingly well.

If you thought that Big Boi’s funky Southern rap wouldn’t quite mesh with the smooth, woozy electronic pop of Phantogram, you’re not alone. And while the EP really sounds like an exact collision of the two sounds, Big Grams, as the group calls themselves, nail a lot of the hooks and psyched-out verses. “Lights On” is the lead single and clear starting point for Phantogram fans, as it sounds like a song of theirs with a Big Boi verse added in. Most of the other tracks, though, come across as more democratic, with Phantogram members Josh Carter and Sarah Barthel slithering their way around Big Boi’s impeccable flow. Barthel even trades bars with Big Boi on the EP’s most joyous moment in “Goldmine Junkie.”

Occasionally the songs jump and jitter without really settling into a groove, as in the uncertain “Put It on Her.” But when the dynamic production of Skrillex closes out the project with the irresistible “Drum Machine,” after a great appearance by Run the Jewels on the previous track, it’s hard not to crave a full album from Big Grams. (www.biggrams.com)

Author rating: 7/10