Big Boi at Limelight



The lights down low and the bass cranked all the way up, Big Boi arrived at Limelight in Nashville Thursday, July 14.

Antwan André Patton, better known as “Big Boi,” has performed in the Middle Tennessee area in recent years, playing Middle Tennessee State University’s football stadium and this June even making his way to the stages of Bonnaroo. Nashville was ready for their chance to see what this rapper, who earned his stripes as half of OutKast, had to offer.

Fans that came out to support Big Boi were in for a late night. The evening started out with performances by rapper Dee Goodz, followed by Nashville’s own DJ Wick-It, who did a mashup album of the Black Keys’ Brothers and Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty albums. There was palpable buzz about the possibility of the Black Keys making a surprise guest appearance, but unfortunately nothing ever materialized of it.

Wick-It left the stage around 11:00 p.m., leaving fans amped up for Big Boi, who finally made his way to the stage around 11:45 p.m. Though his show didn’t wrap up until nearly 1 a.m., Big Boi kept fans engaged until the very last beat.

The house was packed, and the audience made obvious the fact that they were not only OutKast fans but also huge fanatics of Big Boi’s solo projects from the past couple years – Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty and Daddy Fat Sax: Soul Funk Crusader.

One highlight was when Big Boi invited a youngster to join him on stage and break dance to the OutKast song “Ghetto Musick.” The little fellow tore it up on stage and had the crowd completely engulfed in the magic of his miniature dancing shoes.

Big Boi had the audience singing and throwing their hands up in the air all night long as he played hip-hop favorites and even some of his new stuff, which he referred to as “new shit.” He had the audience chant those words over and over almost as if they were begging for it, before he would allow himself to actually play the new material.

All in all, Big Boi delivered. He proved the fact that even as a solo artist, without Andre 3000 by his side, he can stand alone. He can spout out lyrics with such quick intensity that it’s hard to even process what’s being said. Any worries of a live rap show being fueled by backup tracks were laid to rest as Big Boi busted through the show at a mile a minute.

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