In a era where most of the rap music from the South is loud and aggressive, Big K.R.I.T. comes off as a quiet giant.
There are rarely any noisy synths in his songs; K.R.I.T.’s tracks usually are full of old-school soul samples and almost obsolete instruments like saxophones, guitars and trumpets.
VIDEO: Big K.R.I.T. “Boobie Miles”
He sounds like he’s from a different era. He sounds nothing else that’s on the radio.
Maybe that’s why there is a lack of buzz around K.R.I.T.’s upcoming solo debut album, Live From the Underground.
Trust when we say it’s not because of the quality.
The album, which drops this upcoming Tuesday, officially gets the GlobalGrind stamp of approval as being one of the better LPs to be released this year.
DOWNLOAD: Big K.R.I.T. Releases “4evaNaDay”
Being that we’re feeling the album, we want to make sure our guy gets the proper push.
For the few who might not be hip to Big K.R.I.T., we decided to dedicate a post telling you who exactly King Remembered In Time is.
So, if you need it, take a late pass and click through to learn more about the homie Big K.R.I.T.
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K.R.I.T.’s Musical Style Comes From His Childhood
Growing up in Meridian, Mississippi, Big K.R.I.T. was around all types of music. This included the standard type of rap folks around his way listened to — UGK, Outkast, Scarface and Tupac, to name a few — but also the blues and jazz that his grandmother had around the house. In an interview with BestOfNewOrleans, K.R.I.T. explained it best:
“Just being able to get a wide variety of music growing up is what really helped me create my sound. Even drum samples, sampling and understanding (drum machine Roland TR-808) kick drums, and tempos.”
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K.R.I.T. Unofficially Already Has Three Albums.
None of us were ready for the K.R.I.T. Wuz Here mixtape. Even though K.R.I.T. had released projects before that tape, he officially jumped the shark with that project.
The tape was beautifully put together, with none of the tracks being freestyles.
The tape was critically acclaimed and one of the best albums of the year according to numerous publications. K.R.I.T. followed that up by dropping two follow up tapes — Return Of 4Eva and 4Eva N A Day — that were just as critically acclaimed.
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K.R.I.T. Is Versatile.
It’s hard to put K.R.I.T. in a box. Though not a gangsta rapper, he can rap about flossy things like cars and women in “Glass House,” but he can also do deep motivational and introspective songs like “Children of the World” and “The Alarm.” Same thing with his commercial appeal: he sounds just as comfortable doing a song with T.I. or Wiz Khalifa as he does doing a track with CunninLinguists or Curren$y.
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Though Critically Acclaimed, The Love Wasn’t Universal.
New Yorkers can be cold blooded. Big K.R.I.T. learned this the hard way back in 2010 when he tried to perform his banger “Country Shit” at the Highline Ballroom. The crowd, who was there to see New York-friendly artists like Joel Ortiz and Jay Electronica, ruthlessly booed him off the stage. K.R.I.T. took it pretty well though, and two years later the rapper got the ultimate payback. He came back to the Highline Ballroom and performed in front of a sold-out crowd.
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He Sounds A Lot Like UGK’s Pimp C.
The first time we heard “Country Shit” we instantly heard the similarities. Almost everyone heard it. Even though their voices are similar, it’s not like K.R.I.T. was jackin’ the Pimp’s style. People in Pimp C’s camp realize this too, because they invited K.R.I.T. to be on “Grippin’ On The Wood,” a song off Pimp’s last posthumous album, Still Pimping.
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K.R.I.T. Is Also A Prolific Producer
He has produced every song on his last three mixtapes and he also produced all the tracks on his Live From the Underground album. He has also done a lot of production for other artists: he produced Freddie Gibbs’ “Rob Me a Nigga,” Chris Brown’s “Yoko,” and Chamillionaire’s “Chandelier Ceiling.”
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The O.G.s Love Him.
Since 2010, Big K.R.I.T. has done songs with Bun B, Ludacris, David Banner, Chamillionaire, Raheem Devaughn, T.I., Juvenile, 8Ball & MJG, The Roots, Devin The Dude and Anthony Hamilton. Those are a lot of ol’ heads showing a lot of love to K.R.I.T. You should be doing the same!
