Big Boi Presents... Got Purp? Vol. 2

Album Review

Got Purp?, Vol. 2 is the Virgin-distributed sequel to Got That Purp, a mixtape hosted by DJ Drama and the Aphilliates, and it's similar in setup, showcasing the established and up-and-coming artists affiliated with Big Boi's Purple Ribbon label. In the liner notes, the pictures of Big Boi, Killer Mike, Bubba Sparxxx, Sleepy Brown, Konkrete (a rap trio from Atlanta), Scar (a sweet-voiced R&B vocalist from Mississippi), and Janelle Monáe (a teenage R&B vocalist from Kansas) come with projected release dates for upcoming albums, so it's apparent that the disc is intended to whet appetites. Unfortunately, it comes close to having the opposite effect. There's less to it than you might expect, especially after studying the track list and taking a listen. Though it's 70 minutes in length, there's an intro, seven interludes, and an outro, and the big guns drop by once or twice without doing much more than making their presence known. Konkrete's cuts don't come until the last quarter of the disc, leaving you to believe that the long-simmering group isn't much of a priority, but they don't fare much worse than their more-familiar labelmates. The group's menacing "Sh** Ya Drawers" and "Lovin' This" come before and after "Letting Go," a breezy pop-funk song that's innocent enough to be on a Disney compilation, which all but guarantees that the disc won't be listened to from beginning to end. And it's ironic that Monáe is the one who takes a crack at DeBarge's "Time Will Reveal" when Scar resembles a young El DeBarge; Monáe maintains a similar tenderness, yet the production is fast electro instead of ballad-flavored. Despite a handful of decent cuts, most copies of this non-event will be filed away and quickly forgotten. The contributors are clearly saving their best material for their respective albums.