While plans for a new Outkast album are still unknown, Big Boi tells Rolling Stone that a collaboration between him and the group's other half, André 3000, could very well happen on his next solo album, Daddy Fat Sax.
"I think it's very much possible because we have L.A. Reid in our corner now, and he was the first to sign Outkast," Big Boi said, referring to the record executive's recent jump from chairman of Island Def Jam Music Group to Epic Records. If all goes well, that move should undo the label roadblocks (Big Boi has a solo deal with Def Jam, while Outkast is signed to Jive) that kept the pair's "Lookin' for Ya" collaboration off of Big Boi's 2010 solo debut, Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty.
"L.A. has permission to make it happen now," Big Boi said of the potential mini-reunion. "So I hope it does, and I don't really see why it won't."
The Atlanta MC, who recently confirmed to Junior Online that he has finished 17 songs on Fat Sax - which he hopes to release by the end of the year - remained tight-lipped about the track that he recorded with R&B singer Janelle Monáe, simply saying that fans should "expect the unexpected."
Big Boi began working on Daddy Fat Sax last October, just a few months after Sir Lucious Left Foot hit stores, and has kept recording all while touring throughout 2011. Most recently, the rapper/producer has been playing a series of Crown Royal-sponsored dates as part of his new gig as a pitchman for the company's Crown Royal Black liquor. "When they approached me to do it, it just felt natural because it's what I stay drinking -- and I got to design the products for the campaign myself according to my style," says Big Boi, who created a limited-edition black velvet bag for the liquor.
The 10-date trek wraps up on Monday in Washington, D.C., where, Big Boi says, "we're gonna crank it out with a bang." Tune in at the link below at 9:30 p.m. Monday for an exclusive livestream of the show.