'Bombs' tune becomes soundtrack for war

By Robert Hilburn
Los Angeles Times

Andre, in foreground, and Big Boi of OutKast are surprised at how a tune of theirs is being seen as a pro-war. Gannett News Service

OutKast's Big Boi was more than a little surprised when tennis pro Jennifer Capriati requested recently that "Bombs" be played as a sign of support for the troops in Iraq as she took the court for a match.

He watched with equal interest a few days later as radio stations started playing the record in the same Iraq context and some U.S. troops reportedly sang the song while going into battle.

To most people outside rap circles, all of it made perfect sense.

On top of having one of the most deliciously dynamic hip-hop beats since Dr. Dre's teaming a decade ago with Tupac Shakur on "California Love," the chorus sounds like a battle cry: "Bombs over Baghdad/Don't even bang unless you plan to hit something/Bombs over Baghdad."

The problem is Big Boi was strongly opposed to the United States' invading Iraq without United Nations support. He never intended the song as a pro-war exercise.

At a time when some country music fans are protesting Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks for making derogatory remarks about President Bush, Big Boi was in the unusual position of being an artist who could have objected to pro-war forces using the song improperly.

But the veteran rapper (whose real name is Antwan Patton) knows artists can't control how the public responds to their work.

"We make a record, and then it is up to people to take what they want from it," he said by phone this week from his home base in Atlanta. "We explain a song when people ask, but we can't control how they feel about it.

"In our case, fans know where we stand pretty much. ... I really think Bush should have gone through the United Nations before going over there. But once the fighting starts, everything changes.

"You have guys over there with families here, and you have to support the troops and pray for them. So, if the song helps them keep their spirits up, I don't have a problem with that."