V Exclusive: Big Boi Discusses His Grammy Chances, His Upcoming 'Daddy Fat Sax' Album and Yelawolf Signing to Shady

Life has gotten awfully busy for Big Boi since he dropped his Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty album last summer.

"I used to play Madden all the time," he told VIBE just before performing at the 2011 Madden Bowl in Texas last week alongside Cee-Lo. "Now, I have to fit it in when I can on my tour bus. I still play all the time, just not as much as I probably would if I didn't have so much going on."

Not that he's complaining. Thanks to the success of Sir Lucious Left Foot, Big Boi has been touring for the better part of the last year and plans on continuing to stay on the road for the majority of 2011. But one place he's looking forward to stopping is Los Angeles this weekend, where he's up for three awards at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards for his latest album.

"It feels good to be recognized again for my work," he said. "At this point in my career, it's cool just to be nominated. I got seven Grammies in my trophy case at home, so it's not like I need another one to validate myself or anything. But if I win this year, I'll happily add to the collection. It's like collecting comic books. It's a cool thing to have. I'm just glad people seemed to like the album."

But despite all the accolades he's received for it—and in spite of the difficult touring schedule that he's taking on this year to continue supporting Sir Lucious Left Foot—Big's already been back in the studio several times to record new material for his next solo project, Daddy Fat Stacks: Soul Funk Crusader. It doesn't have a definite release date yet, but he's already got a handful of tracks finished that should appear on the final album.

"It's coming along great," he said. "I'm really just trying to make the best music I can. My life right now basically revolves around touring and getting into the studio. When I'm not touring, I'm in the studio. When I'm not in the studio, I'm out on tour. That's my life right now."

That doesn't mean he's been too busy to pay attention to new developments in the rap world, though. A few weeks ago, he spoke to VIBE and cosigned Southern hip-hop rookies Pill, CyHi Da Prynce, and, most interestingly, Yelawolf, who appeared on a track off the Sir Lucious Left Foot album. And now that Yela has signed with Eminem's label Shady Records, Big says he's happy to see the next generation of Southern rappers sustaining the legacy that he helped create as a member of OutKast.

"I'm happy for him," he said. "That's my homeboy. If Eminem can put him in the right light—which I believe he can—I think that's a good spot for him. Just as long as he keeps putting out good music. That's what it's all about."—Chris Yuscavage