Customer Reviews

Got Purp?, Vol. 2 [Vinyl]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Big Boi's label is finally here, and it seems very promising. It's a perfect blend of down south hip hop, r&b, funk, and dance. I will break down each track on the album, including interludes, to hopefully get a better picture for those curious about buying it.

intro- big boi givin us a welcome

df dedication- really like killer mike's flow, he's improved greatly. the quick 2 dope boyz sample really made me

krytptolude- nice bass work

kryptonite- ok, I won't lie..I never used to like this song that much. but god DAMN is it great. that beat is HARD. great verses from everyone. hook is catchy, just a great song overall. love that electronic synth thingie throughout the song.

campebellton road- holy sh*t. that's a BEAUTIFUL melody on the piano, give mes chills, flows perfectly into

me, my baby and cadillac- alright sleepy! the p.funk of the new millenuim in full effect. nice sitar in the background! the man of perfect harmony with his voice. piano in the background is a nice touch too. great clap and sing along. horns!? niceee

purple ribbon interlude- somewhat of a rock beat, but it's hard and heavy. would make for a great intro at a concert/good to sample and freestyle over

body rock- ah, so this is the song at the end of the kryptonite video. good hook, i can definitly see this being played in the clubs. killer mike shines once again. gets me pumped up for his upcomming album. hmm maybe a bit too slow for the clubs but maybe not. good track

my chrome- speaking of upping the tempo. killer mike is just becomming a completly new type of monster. he's amazing and i can't stress it enough. nice horn fills. speaking of improving, big boi is just tearing it up. nice back and forth play like snappin & trappin. nice synthsizer in this song.

u got me!!! - I LOVE this track beyond belief. it's so up lifting, fun, it's just all about feeling good. scar's got a future. i really hope he gets the credit he deserves. love that funk rhythm guitar, violens are beautiful, the car wash sounding claps. i can go on for hours about this track. the hook..catchiest hook i've heard in quite some time. that bass is NICE. move over r.kelly, scar's getting ready to show you how it's done. big boi adds a nice texture to it. I hope this single is a breakout (and I hope an instrumental version is on the single too, along with an accapella) nice breakdown at the end

papa doc (interlude) - weird, but i like it! just a synth loop. would make for a perfect soundtrack for a halloween movie. this would also be something fun to sample

claremont lounge- the synth loop leads into this. speaking of improved mcs, bubba's flow is just great. hope his album does good. simplistic beat but it works. the hook is catchy as hell. here's mike again, i'm running out of adjetives for the word awesome, because that's what he is. cool breeze!!! his verse if tight and funny, it's great to hear him back. tears it up.

time will reveal- amazing electro somewhat 80's sounding beat, uptempo. janelle is really a star in the making. excellent harmony in the chorus, nice wah wah funk guitar thrown in the background. you can't help but tap your foot or bop your head when listening to this one. she'd be perfect to duet with scar, that's for sure. their styles compliment each other well.

mayonnaise mouth (interlude) - funny interlude, sounds like a mock of a radio station. goes on for about 15 secs. too long but it's ok.

hold on- a goodie track from 1995, can you go wrong? the answer is no obviously. musically sounds like it can be a sister song to git up git out. lyrically, this was the mOB at their best. classic beat, nice horn loop. this track is going to make me listen to soul food after this album's done..this song is that damn good. cee lo does nice singing in the background and then drops a classic verse. cee lo even name drops git up git out

808- outtake from speakerboxxx. LOUD bass! the hook reminds me of something from early 80's p-funk. pretty simple song.

fonzworth (interlude) - just bently speaking over a bass line. "love never fails"

what is this? - scar and cee-lo..you just CANT go wrong. once again, musically it's very amazing. this time, a bit chill and laid back with a nice keyboard and acoustic guitars, then the beat comes in, and scar gives us his art of storytelling. i like that phife sample thrown in quickly "microphone check 1 2 what is this" cee-lo, sounding alot more laid back than usual, drops a dope verse, goes great with scar's story and the music.

sh*t ya drawers- konkrete come with their first track on the album. nice funk guitar scattered throughout, and heavy beat. lil brother really is following his older big brother big boi. these guys are tight, they flow nice together. nice scartchin in the song. good hook.

lettin go- janelle comes back with something that starts out with nice keyboards and quick percussion. then the really moving bass and janeele giving us a good story. the beat comes in and the party has begun! her harmony is great. violns adding more greatness to an already great song. just let go of any negative things she tells us. up there with one nation under a grove in terms of harmony, really good in other words. she breaks it down for us, then the beat comes back until the end.

konkrete (interlude) - introducing themselves over a beat, and you better remember them! they got themselves a good future if they keep up how they do it now

lovin this- the hook is definitly one of the catchiest on the album. the beat is strong too. the flow on all members of konkrete are great and fit the beat perfectly. i can honestly say i'm really excited about hearing their debut album when it comes out next year. contains a sample of classical music which is always a nice touch.

outro- an accapella by...doesn't sound like sleepy.i'm honestly not sure. i can only imagine how this would have been with music behind it, probably a really good track

but wait, it's not over yet:

bonus track 1- big boi speaks to us about how he wants to give us more and gives us previews of the upcomming bubba sparxx album (30 secs each)

bonus track 2- wow! beat is aggressive, sleepy on the hook? awesome track

bonus track 3- nice sound in this song similiar to that of the sound in "mainstream" from outkast.

bonus track 4- sounds like he's dedicating this one to the DF. minimilistic beat, and then scar comes in on the hook!

Simply put: I was blown away. EVERY song is at least 4 stars but most are 5. An obvious 5 star album. I really hope the label takes off, all these artists truely deserve credit and respect and fortune.

Big Boi has been in the game for over 10 years and within that time he has garnered much respect and creditability. The reputation that he has managed to acquire has elevated him to a Hip-Hop legend. Like all Hip-Hop legends he has extended his range of talent to producer, producing his latest album Got Purp? Vol. 2.

"Kryptonite" is the first single and serves many purposes, an infectious beat, and a reintroduction to Killer Mike, as well as showcase of recruits BlackOwned C-Bone and Rock D. He manages to get a reunion of Goodie Mob and Cee-Lo in "Hold On"; it is the group's hottest track since "Rebuilding," Track 9 from World Party. "Me, My Baby, and My Cadillac" is a hot track featuring the classic sound of Sleepy Brown. He adds R&B newcomers Janelle Monae and Scar, which only enhances to his wide-ranging offerings of music.

This is excellent work by Big Boi, producing an album that has a reminiscent vibe but yet very fresh. Got Purp? Vol. 2 is a perfect compilation disc packed with a roster (Goodie Mob, Bubba Sparxx, Killer Mike and many others) that matches his proficiency. The album has a nice diverse sound much like Big Boi's eclectic resonance.

FOR MORE REVIEWS GO TO www.thechampko.com/selections

or my website at www.camilyan.com

CD is awesome, some songs aren't that rockin, but overall the album is great. Lot of variety and different sounds, which is great because that's what Outkast is good at doing, and production is slick.

Straight up pimp if you want me you can find me in the A! A! A! A! A!!!!!!

Big Boi has returned! and this time not with long time partner Andre Benjamin of Outkast but with a brand new crew and record label. Purple Ribbon Entertainment consists of Bubba Sparxxx, Sleepy Brown, Big Boi, Killer Mike, Konkrete, Janelle Monae, and Scar. Affiliates include Goodie Mob and Organized Noize production team. With this lineup it's clear to see that Big Boi plans to keep the Dungeon Family/ Outkast reign on top for years. The lead single Kryptonite proves that Big Boi has that magic in making hits as much as his Outkast rhyme partner Andre Benjamin. Kryptonite became an Anthem for Atlanta and rightfully so because it is one of the best songs of the year. The rest of the album delivers as well. Killer Mike drops his knowledge on DF Dedication and keeps it ridin on My Chrome. Sleepy Brown drops in for what is perhaps the best song on the album Me & My Baby & My Cadillac which is oh so smooth. The second single Body Rock is definitely a hit and should be the next single. The melody to this song is so addictive ( body rock body rock now everybody rock) with a great beat and tight rapping. Bubba Sparxxx drops Claremont Lounge which is an ode to being a playa and getting this female to do whatever. My favorite song on the album is Time Will Reveal by Janelle Monae. It's somewhat of a throwback song to the feel good So So Def Bass All Star days yet it is modernized. I love how they brought back that old ATown freaknik style with this one. Back in the days when people used to "tick". Get up on it if you don't know. Goodie Mob reunites for Hold On produced by Organized Noize...so you already know that's a classic. Bun B of UGK and Big Gee from Boyz N Da Hood accompany Big Boi on 808 and it is that fiya. Scar sings like nobody's business on What Is This, a smooth ballad about love; this song also features Cee-Lo so it can't be anything but quality. Janelle Monae shows up again on Lettin Go...which is a feel good no more drama song that is excellent...once again bringing back that old So So Def sound. Her two songs got me counting the days till her album drops.

This album is definitely a great album and is one of the better albums of the year. Big Boi gets the job done very well with this compilation and I'm anxious to see what more they have to offer. This is a great start to what seems should be a long lasting label. 5 stars.

Big Boi, one half of the legendary Outkast delivers an impressive release with "Got Purp? Vol. 2" (2005). While Andre has hit the acting scene, Big Boi has created a label with a roster full of talent. The lead single "Kryptonite" (I'm On It) is off the hook, Big Boi, C-Bone, Rock D and Killer Mike provide a track to remember - its no surprise that this one is becoming a club anthem. Singer Sleepy Brown shines on solo delivering the smooth "Me, My Baby And My Cadillac" while Killer Mike leads the way on the banging "Body Rock" feat. Lil Co & Donkee Boy. Young singer Scar holds his own on the upbeat "U Got Me". Bubba Sparxxx, Cool Breeze and Killer Mike then take their audience to the "Claremont Lounge". Goodie Mob's "Hold On" is excellent reality rap, love the lyrics and beat to this cut. Scar and Cee-Lo provide a laidback track for the late night with "What Is This". Konkrete deliver the albums last standout for me with "Lovin This", feeling the lyrics, hook and beat to this one. Purple Ribbon has a label full of established artists and newcomers with a lot of potential, looking forward to future releases, Big Boi has succeeded once again. This is not a release to be slept on.

"Got Purp? Vol. 2" is a very entertaining sampler of all of the artists that Big Boi has signed to his new Purple Ribbon label. Many of these artists have been featured on OutKast albums before, and a bunch were in the Dungeon Family a few years ago when they released "Even in Darkness". They are all very talented rappers from the ATL area and it's great to finally hear them on this disc ("Got Purp? Vol. 1" is a hard-to-find mixtape). It's good that Big Boi has found an outlet to let his talented friends get some exposure.

"Got Purp? Vol. 2" really doesn't break any new ground in the hip hop industry, so from that standpoint it's a bit disappointing, because we are so used to OutKast always bringing us music like we've never heard before. The intro by Killer Mike has the same music as "Aquemini" from the 1998 Kast album of the same name. The leadoff single, "Kryptonite (I'm On It)" is an entertaining showcase with sounds similar to current crunk of the south. One of the best songs is "Me, My Baby, and My Cadillac" by Sleepy Brown. It's got that smooth sound we're used to from Sleepy, who is one of the best R&B singers around if you ask me. If he can put together some consistent, broader releases I can see great things for him on Purple Ribbon. Newcomer Bubba Sparxxx, the white rapper who had a song I remember called "Ugly" a couple of years ago, has joined the Ribbon and adds a great presence to the group. One of the nicest surprises of "Got Purp? Vol. 2" is that Antwan managed to get the Goodie Mob, one of the greatest hip hop groups, back together for a great song, "Hold On". "Hold On" would not have sounded out of place on their untouchable "Soul Food" and "Still Standing" albums, I'm so happy that they're finally together again. Affiliate group Konkrete, which we first heard on "Speakerboxxx"'s "Tomb of the Boom" gets a few songs for exposure, they have a lot of potential. "Claremont Lounge" is a smooth riding song that features the recently quiet Cool Breeze, great to see him back in the game. It's got a great beat for bumping in the car. There are also some nice songs featuring new R&B singer Scar and old favorites like Killer Mike and C-Bone.

"Got Purp? Vol. 2" is a very entertaining listen because it really picks up right where "Stankonia" and "Speakerboxxx" left off for Big Boi. The music is most obviously influenced by southern hip hop of the last ten or so years, and there are some great rhymes dropped over the long CD. It doesn't really break any new ground for Big Boi, but it's got some really great grooves and I think that Purple Ribbon will be an outlet for some of Big Boi's musical indulgences that he can't get out on OutKast albums. "Idlewild" and "10 the Hard Way" keep getting pushed back, so any OutKast or even southern hip hop fan who's tired of brainless crunk should pick this up and bump it for a while.

Since OutKast's album Idlewild seemed like it was never going to come out (although now that it IS out, it's getting very heavily mixed reviews), I guess Big Boi had some extra free time to fill. So he got together a bunch of artists (some from his label, some not) and called them the Purple Ribbon All-Stars, who helped him deliver the compilation Got Purp Vol. II.

One surprising thing, though, is that many of the artists on here won't ring a bell to most. I mean, there's nothing wrong with showcasing new talent, but Purple Ribbon Records used to be called Aquemini Records, so you'd expect to find a lot of Dungeon Family-related songs (in Killer Mike's "Dungeon Family Dedication", he asks, "Where that Backbone album at?" which is odd, considering Backbone isn't even on the album). Big Boi himself is hardly even on here; rapping or producing, but the few songs he IS on are pretty solid, like "U Got Me" (with singer Scar) and, of course, "Kryptonite (I'm On It)".

Another highlight is Sleepy Brown's "Me, My Baby and My Cadillac". Also good is Goodie Mob's "Hold On", but what a lot of people don't realize is that it's not the entire Mob reunited; that song is actually from 1995 (it kind of makes me wonder how new that Scar and Cee-Lo song "What Is This" is). But then come a few songs that aren't so memorable. Janelle Monáe's vocals are pretty okay (and that club remix of DeBarge's "Time Will Reveal" should have never happened), and Konkrete's "Ish Ya Drawers" is sorry.

There are also a few cameos that work backwards: whereas Bun-B can't even save "808", Cool Breeze actually outshines Killer Mike and Bubba Sparxxx on "Claremont Lounge" (which is the point where Bubba started to make questionable choruses -- "Ms. Fat Booty", anyone?). The outro also has some singing by someone that sounds like he needs some Pepto-Bismol. Got Purp Vol. II isn't exactly the greatest of compilations, but if you already own everything OutKast/Dungeon Family related, it wouldn't hurt to pick it up.

Anthony Rupert

If you ain't down to your lasts bit of bread then cop it. If your broke and only have money for this cd or a sandwich... get the sandwich

Outkast and The Dungeon Family have been a force for over 10 years now. That's amazing considering all the obstacles and sub-par showings by its members. Now with Andre 3000 off to Hollywood, Big Boi goes about the music thang on his own with the help of his new all stars representing the newly-named Purple Ribbon record label (formally Aquemini Records). Some might take all this as a sign that things are going downhill for the group. And that may be the case, but I commend Big Boi for trying to keep some of the artists on his roster relevant to the rap game. People like Sleepy Brown, Bubba Sparxxx, Coool Breeze, and Killer Mike have all made their presence felt in the past but somehow got lost in the shuffle over the years. With Got Purp? Vol II (lord knows what Volume 1 was...maybe a mixtape?), we're all treated to a collection of some good songs as well as a few great ones.

"Kryptonite" is an infectious first single to reintroduce the world to Killer Mike as well as showcase newcomers Rock D and Black Owned C-Bone. Killer Mike also trade verses with Big Boi on "My Chrome." "Me, My Baby, and My Cadillac" is classic material from Sleepy Brown, "Body Rock" showcases a bunch of Purple Ribbon All Stars, and "Hold On" features the reuniting of Goodie Mob with Cee-Lo Green coming back to make Goodie's best track since 1998's Still Standing. Other notables include the booming "808" featuring Bun B and Big Gee, "What Is This" featuring R&B newcomer Scar with a second appearance from Cee-Lo, and "Sh** Ya Drawers" featuring Konkrete.

There are some missteps on this album, and they come mostly from R&B singer Janelle Monae. Her singing on "Letting Go" will make any animal run for cover. But her worst showing has to be the booty bass cover of Debarge's "Time Will Reveal" (of course this is self-explanatory!) But it certainly doesn't stop there. Newcomer Scar still falters on the song "U Got Me" with song lyrics more suited for a B5 album. If Big Boi drops Janelle completely and focuses on improving Scar's vocal range, he could very well have a decent R&B act on his roster like Ludacris has with Bobby Valentino. All in all, Got Purp, Vol. II is still enjoyable, especially the a cappella outro by Big Boi that rivals Sexual Chocolate in Coming To America. You're guaranteed to be in stitches when you hear the outro, but thankfully the whole album isn't a laughing stock.

Big Boi Presents...Got Purp? Vol. II (Virgin, 2005)

In between the making of the Idlewild movie and soundtrack/album, OutKast's Big Boi was working on his new Purple Ribbon label (actually, it's the new name of Aquemini Records). Got That Purp was the first mixtape album (good luck trying to find it) and this, Got Purp?, is the second.

Is André 3000 on here? Take a listen to "Dungeon Family Dedication" by Killer Mike: "All I know is Big here/Dré gone, moved on..." Is he not on the album or not in OutKast anymore? Well, we all know the answer to that seeing that OutKast is together promoting Idlewild but back then, something must have been going on with them behind the scenes. Mike goes on to reminiscing on the good ol' days in the DF over the "Aquemini" instrumental while giving props to all of the old fam like Goodie MOb, Witchdoctor, and Big Rube. It's not the best way to kick off an album showcasing new talent because now we're stuck with having to compare them to the older artists.

Fortunately, the new talent holds their ground for the most part. Janelle Monáe isn't the best singer in the world but "Lettin' Go" shows some promise (she should have left Debarge's "Time Will Reveal" alone, though). Scar also does well singing with seasoned vet Cee-Lo on "What is This?" and on his own "U Got Me". The better-known artists drop some heat as well: Bubba Sparxxx's "Claremont Lounge" and Sleepy Brown's "Me, My Baby and My Cadillac" were so good that they also appear on their own albums from this year. Also, it's true that the Goodie MOb got back together but "Hold On" shouldn't be proof: this song is actually from 1995. If you remember OutKast's "Benz or Beamer" from the same year, André said, "Keep on holding on like Goodie Mo'."

To answer the question from earlier, Dré ain't on here but Big Boi isn't on here much, either. This is really an outlet for all of Big's artists. And while none of the songs are really groundbreaking, they do show a sign of things to come. Janelle and Scar already made a big splash on the Idlewild album. -EJR