ALBUM REVIEW
BIG K.R.I.T.-4eva N a Day
Hey everyone, just popping in to let you know that no, I'm not dead. I've been pretty busy for the last few months due to work and a couple of changes with my life, but here's an album review to chomp on.
For those not in the know, Big K.R.I.T.(or King Remembered In Time) is a rapper and producer from Mississippi who released his first mixtape,
Krit Wuz Here back in 2010. I first heard his music on the critically acclaimed
Return of 4Eva, and the main thing that makes him standout as opposed to many other mixtape rappers is that his work is almost entirely self produced, both rapping and production (and even singing). Along with that is how versatile of a rapper he is; being able to spit verses on money and hoes and still be able to talk about racial issues, problems with relationships and the state of Hip Hop and the rap game today.
He's someone who really puts his own self into his work, not some rapper who tries to personify a fake lifestyle or belief system in order to sell records. Yes, he loves nice cars and beautiful women, but at the same time he is one to tell you of his struggle making a name for himself and how connected to his southern roots he is. He is who he is.
This is another one of his free mixtapes, and the whole of it gives you just that. It has a very relaxed, laid back vibe that harkens back to Southern hip hop acts a la OutKast and Goodie Mob, but at the same time works in such a whole. What really impresses me is Krit's lush production, which has clearly grown in quality from
Krit Wuz Here and
Return of 4Eva, and how it bounces off of his smooth lyricism and tight rhymes. Tracks like
Boobie Miles,
4EvaNaDay Theme,
Country Rap Tunes,
Me And My Old School and the ender
Alarm have those type of multi-layered and soulful beats that blow you away on first listen and wash over you upon repeat, giving you such an impression as to where you don't know what part is sampled and what part is originally produced. Krit backs this up with some nimble lyricism that make you think as well as sit back and just appreciate it.
At this point in listening to him (my third mixtape from him), I can finally see Krit starting to break out of the shadow of those aforementioned bands and instead starting to be much more introspective and personal with his music. Songs like
Yesterday,
Down Out, and
Handwriting show how good of a descriptive storyteller he is, with him talking about people close to him that have passed, his struggle to break out in hip hop as well as him before he got big, where he was worrying about keeping the lights on in his house. Tracks like
Package Store and
1986 have Krit giving his view on the outside world, where he both laments the more downtrodden of us all while at the same time telling people to be proud of where they came from. Even on songs like
Red Eye,
Temptation and
Insomnia indirectly shows his weakness towards the fairer sex that some rappers may not readily admit to as well as him saying that no, he isn't perfect and he has his own problems to work through.
Not everything is perfect in Kritland though, as some tracks, like
Wake Up and
Sky Club fall flat when compared to the rest of the album, in both production and lyrical content, and far too often you hear him falling back on the old money, cars, women template.
Overall though, this isn't just an album that gives you wonderful beats to sink your teeth into, but also some food for thought and slick rhymes that show you just how serious of an artist Krit is. In the end, even including the superficial elements, this is Big K.R.I.T. at his most personal, and that's something that I can certainly get behind.
8/10
Best Songs-
Boobie Miles, 4EvaNaDay Theme, Country Rap Tunes, Down Out, Package Store, Handwriting
Worst Songs-
Wake Up, Sky Club, Temptation
Here's some of the tracks to check out