Photo: (Getty)
Today Big Boi is starting his Shoes For Running tour to support his new album Vicious Lies and Dangerous Rumors, and not only should you run to see his concert, but you can help others run while you're at it. That's because the tour is incorporating a Soles4Souls shoe drive, where you can donate shoes to people in need!
If you're going to the Nashville, Boston or L.A. concerts, bring your old shoes with you to donate. It doesn't matter what condition they're in, because at the very worst Soles4Souls will recycle the shoes, which is better than throwing them out. If you're not able to attend these concerts, check out the Soles4Souls site for ways to get involved, like fundraising or doing your own show drive. You can also plug your zip in at the site to find the closest location to donate shoes.
And you might be needing to get rid of shoes to make room for more stuff in your house, because the Shoes for Running tour will also be selling Big Boi merchandise, like albums, video games and memorabilia. This is all getting documented for Big Boi's website, so you might even find yourself in a webisode about the tour. To learn more about high energy tour, what's happening with his Big Kidz Foundation and the "50 Days of Nonviolence" campaign, we spoke with the Boi himself.
ACT: Why did you decide to get involved with Soles4Souls for your new tour Shoes For Running?
BIG: I always focus on giving back and doing different things. I thought it would be cool to have a shoe drive for the homeless and for kids and things like that. And people can come out and donate. I know I have a closet full of shoes I don't even wear no more, so I'm giving stuff away, and I'm also giving something to the fans at the same time.
ACT: What can fans expect from this tour?
BIG: It's high energy, man. I've got the band coming out, the guitar players, the DJ, background singers. I've got Killer Mike opening up for me. A lot of good people coming to one space. We're getting on the road and it's going to be a long, hot summer. We're coming to a city near you. This is going to be a lot of fun.
ACT: And what's this about a fan possibly being able to appear in your upcoming webisode?
BIG: Oh, yeah. We're going to be documenting the whole thing. And so this is a whole experience we have carved out, interacting with the fans. I've got a mobile record store coming out with me on the tour, so I want to give the fans a total experience.
ACT: What has your Big Kidz Foundation been up to lately?
BIG: We're doing the "50 Days of Nonviolence" [campaign] with The King Center, focusing on keeping everybody out of trouble during the summertime. I've also been doing this program every summer for five, six years now, where it's art and dance and music. I hold it in East Atlanta. We have maybe fifty to seventy-five kids every year come in, just to learn different things. It keeps them out of trouble and broadens their horizons with everything they're doing.
ACT: How can people get involved with the Big Kidz Foundation?
BIG: They can go to bigkidzfoundation.org and sign up there. Or, the Twitter handle is @big_kidz.
