Listen: Big Boi, Mary J. Blige Back Obama

Big Boi
"Something's Gotta Give" [ft. Mary J. Blige]

With his work in OutKast, Big Boi has always managed to sound like the smoothest guy in the room and the smartest guy in the room — wise enough to include some intelligence in his party jams and smooth enough to make it all go down easy. The first single from his upcoming solo album is marked by a spare melancholy funk, and Big's flow sounds as effortless as ever. But his message — which touches on hot topics including spiked gas prices — sounds oddly holier-than-thou this time around. He's not indignant a la Public Enemy as much as he's complain-y a la Talib Kweli as he shits on hip-hop at large: "I guess it be about who can bullshit the best." Meanwhile, Mary offers a potential solution: "And the only hope that I have to help me deal with the drama/ Is that maybe in November I be cheering for Obama." This isn't a complete failure but, given Big Boi's stellar track record including this year's incredible "Royal Flush," the CNN mimicry doesn't stack up.