Big Boi f/ Raekwon & Andre 3000 – “Royal Flush“

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from Royal Flush 12″ (Jive, 2008)

Big Boi f/ Mary J. Blige – “Something’s Gotta Give“

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from Something’s Gotta Give 12″ (Jive, 2008)

Big Boi f/ Backbone – “Dubbz“

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Big Boi f/ Andre 3000 – “Lookin For Ya“

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from Sir Lucious Left Foot Sessions (unreleased, 2009/2010)

Big Boi – “Theme Song (Ringtone)“

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Big Boi f/ Gucci Mane, Project Pat & Bun B – “Shine Blockas (Remix)”

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from Sir Lucious Left Foot Billboard Bonus Tracks (Def Jam, 2010)

It’s rare that a studio outtakes post is necessary on the day of an albums release but Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Leftfoot, which drops today, has been marinating for close to three years in the Jive vaults and a lot of excess has been trimmed from the final release. Apart from the two blacked out Andre tracks, “Dubbz” feels like the only essential omission here. Backbone has an outstanding rap voice and more artists should be taking advantage of it. That poorly executed Mary J. song appears for comprehension’s sake alone. I also posted the Billboard bonus tracks because I had no idea that Billboard sold mp3s until I heard about there being Billboard-exclusive bonus tracks. “Theme Song” was originally leaked to the web last year as “Ringtone.” Buy the album wherever you can.

The double purple vinyl seems to have been pushed back to July 20th.

Sniper Unit – “Burnt Up City”

Sniper Unit – “Atlanta“

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from Burnt Up City (Conquest/Ichiban, 1996)

More forgotten mid 90s A-Town heat. Sniper Unit was the duo of Big L (no DITC) and Splack Pack/D-Rock dj/producer ternt rapper Swift C. They ran with MC Breed and released just this one album of hyper dramatic apocolyptic post-mobb rap. “Realism” is their Dungeon Family connection track being (I think) the earliest appearance of Backbone and featuring Cool Breeze kicking what would eventually become his closing “Watch For The Hook” verse. Sniper Unit later added Breeze to their lineup officially and re-christened the group The Calhouns. That album was sort of uninspired.

Maurice sits in on a DF reunion.