Earlier this week, amid another postponement, Big Boi revealed the Jimi Hendrix: Blues-esque cover art for his upcoming second solo album Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors just to let everyone know that the LP is in fact on the way. But in case you needed more evidence that Big Boi isn’t Detoxing, today brings “Lines,” another new single from the OutKast rapper’s follow-up to Sir Lucious Left Foot.
Big Boi is joined by A$AP Rocky, who is appearing on what feels like his hundredth song of 2012. Hearing Big Boi and A$AP on the track together isn’t quite like hearing, well, André 3000 and Big Boi on a track together, but Rocky does pay homage to the ATLiens by mentioning their classic “Da Art of Storytellin'” during his brief verse. Big Boi, who never takes a verse off, contributes some nostalgia-tinged bars that seamlessly mutate Play Clothes into Play-Doh into “We don’t play, though.”
On “Lines,” Big Boi, having already proclaimed his love of Kate Bush and performed live with Little Dragon, once again collaborates with yet another indie rock gal: Sarah Barthel of the electro-pop duo Phantogram, who provides the chorus — and likely the propulsive synth melody — to the track. (Big Boi seems to be sorting his features geographically: Two New York acts appear on “Lines,” while the south was represented on “Gossip” with UGK and Big K.R.I.T.) “Lines” is definitely closer to B.o.B’s “Airplanes” than anything Big Boi put on his gritty Sir Lucious, but hanging out with Modest Mouse will probably do that to you.
Read more: Spin
