Big Boi

It's nearly impossible to claim that Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors (the second solo effort from Outkast's Big Boi) is a perfect album, as the subjective nature of music means there's no such thing as a "perfect" album. However, if there are any flaws on Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, I couldn't find them. Big Boi manages to tick all the boxes on this album — exploring new sonic territory with Little Dragon on the dreamy "Descending," using a bridge from Wavves on "Shoes for Running" — while still remaining true to his Southern rap heritage. He also manages to make the best possible use of his guests, including Killer Mike, T.I. and Kid Cudi. Generally, when there are 19 guests on a record, it's a bad sign; it means that the artist in question is trying to use famous friends to distract from a weak record. On Vicious Lies, the army of guests just makes it feel like there was a party at Big Boi's house and everyone was invited — the record is still very much about him. It's unfortunate that Vicious Lies has come out after everyone has finished compiling their year-end lists, but it's already a contender for best record of 2013.