Big Boi recently spoke with Billboard about Purple Ribbon, his new imprint at Virgin. Though the official press conference is not till Friday, Big Boi seems to have told Billboard most of the important stuff already.
Signed artists include Killer Mike, Bubba Sparxxx, Sleepy Brown, Janelle Monet, Scar, Koncrete, C-Bone and Rock D. Negotiations are also looking good for Goodie Mob.
Big Boi’s feeling great about having Jermaine Dupri, Virgin’s president of urban music, on his side:
“It’s cool to have somebody you know in a power position that can make things happen for you in a timely fashion . . . He can push the button real fast. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.”
And Purple Ribbon artists are probably feeling pretty good about having Big Boi on their side:
“If I’m not producing with Boom Boom Room Productions, I’m rhyming on a whole bunch of stuff . . . I’m probably on at least two or three songs on each record. Not because I felt obligated to do it, but certain songs I just loved and wanted to be a part of . . . On Purple Ribbon, you have a lot of artists, but you have myself, which adds a valuable asset. I’m not charging $100,000 for a verse; my artists get it for free.”
An initial release is expected October 4th from the Purple Ribbon All-Stars followed by albums from Killer Mike and Bubba Sparxxx.
I haven’t kept up with a lot of these artists’ careers but I’m especially glad to hear Sleepy Brown and, probably, Goodie Mob getting signed. They seem to have had more than their share of obstacles in the past and this should be a good development for them.
In related news, Outkast are gearing up for both a new album and a movie.
Wilson Morales recently interviewed Andre Benjamin and Garrett Hedlund for blackfilm.com regarding their work in John Singleton’s upcoming flick Four Brothers.
