L.A. on New Big Boi Album

BIG BOI GOES IT ALONE: Hitting retail today, Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty, his first solo album without Outkast partner Andre 3000, reunites him with Island Def Jam ruler Antonio “L.A.” Reid, who signed the Atlanta rap duo to LaFace when they were still in high school. Jive, which still has Outkast on its roster, finally decided not to release the album, letting Reid pick it up. The label exec reiterated his commitment to the artist, telling the N.Y. Times: “If he sells five million copies or five, it doesn’t matter. It’s more important he makes the statement he wants to musically. This has nothing to do with record business economics or Def Jam’s bottom line. As long as I have a job, he’ll always have a record deal.” (7/6p)