Saturday, July 24, 2010

New Artist Spotlight: Big K.R.I.T.

"He say, she say, rumors all day,
The Rap game is High School and life's a hall-way"
To be honest, I've been guilty of pressing the snooze button one too many times on Big K.R.I.T.. I've seen multiple blogs I follow post stuff of his, yet I've continued to pass on his music. But...that all changed immediately after one listen of his track Hometown Heros...which then turned into 5 consecutive listens as I experienced that competitive phenomenon on my iPod I like to call "The Takeover". It happens rarely, maybe once every 2-3 months, but it happens when I come across a song that I haven't heard yet that blows away everything I've recently added to the iPod. The scenario results in a fixation on said song because no matter what song(s) follow it, they fail to match the complete awesomeness that the recently Taken Over song brings.

Hailing from Meridian, Mississippi, he has an undeniable Southern Swag to go with a laid back, polished flow that reminds me stylistically of a young Pimp C with the passion you heard from a young T.I. I'm not tryin' to gas you up by throwin' out two of the South's most legendary artists in the comparison because of the immense respect I have for for Chad and Clifford. If you ain' know, K.R.I.T. stands for "King Remembered in Time", presumably an attempt at foreshadowing a career destined to stardom. As an intro to him and how he goes about making music...and when I say making, I mean writing, producing and rapping all by his cot damn self...
There is no mistakin' @bigkrit's deep southern drawl and quiet confidence as he speaks about paving his own way in the Hip Hop game. Clearly flattered and slightly bashful on the comparisons to legendary artists like Pimp C, there is absolutely no doubt he respects the artists that came before him and you've gotta admire his goal in trying to resurrect that "Soundo of the South" and "soulful passion of the golden era".

What stood out to me when I listened to his tracks and interviews was his passion for his own music, which speaks for itself. If you haven't heard his latest Mixtape titled K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, I would click on that link and download it for free or cop it on iTunes if you appreciate his grind and want to support him. I'm tellin' you, your music collection would be impressed by your new addition...
I'll start with his track Hometown Heros, that set it all off for me and is much of the reason I made this post. Before I speak on it, check out the video brought to you by Creative Control.

I gotta tell you as low budget as that video is above, it was perfect in capturing the vibe of the track and giving the visual Hometown feel. You don't need to have all the money and jewelry and video girls to make a respectable video for a track, sometime a down to earth, sorta grimey video without a whole lot of crazy editing is perfect for a track.

The intro from the track comes from Friday Night Lights, y'all remember that part? Sets the tone for the track as he spends the whole track very methodically storytelling about speaks on his struggle that brought him to where he's at. The fact that he produced this track is crazy, that "King City...King...King City...third...third coast reppers in a Mississippi sippi land" chopped up hook is addicting. From the build up on the verses as he hits second gear after a few bars, to amping up the intensity, swagger and overall energy of each verse leading up to the hook that by sound pays homage to screwed and chopped music in its own way....it all just fits together to form a great track. At this point it doesn't look like it'll fall off any of my iPod playlists soon and between this and Got Your Back by @Tip and @misskeribaby, I now have two tracks for locks in my top 10 of 2010. I can't stress how great this track is man, and as icing on the cake, @yelawolf's verse on the remix is top notch as well, adding a little bit more greatness to an already classic track.

Give it a listen...

Big K.R.I.T. feat Yelawolf - Hometowm Hero (remix)
| Download

If you're not in the mood for a serious, introspective track and prefer something to ride out to, give Country Shit a listen. The first verse is why everyone is comparing him to Pimp C, read the lyrics below:
“I told ‘em aww man, hold up
What you know about it,
Candi cars, superstars,
rubber bands in my pockets,
A couple broads for the poppin,
If she ridin then she boppin,
B**** I’m selling if you shoppin,
If you need it, then I got it,
If I want it, then I cop it,
If you don’t like it n***** top it,
Why you worried about mine, hoe,
What’s off in your wallet?
I was riding my screw sh**,
Rims chop choppin,
Top droppin,
Throwing bread crumbs,
Crows start flockin,
Knockin pictures off the wall,
We sit tall, but we still crawl,
We still shoot, we still score,
We still win, so we still ball,
We still hood, so f*** them laws,
I got nuts and I got loot,
If you can’t see the king in a n***** like me,
Undoubtedly,
Well f**** you too.”
If you can't picture Pimp C when you hear that verse, you haven't listened to his lyrics, Texas slang, southern drawl or delivery. This one goes hard for all the country folk ridin' slab, chunkin up deuces, rollin' round backwoods wit a pocket full a stones....

Big K.R.I.T. - Country Shit
| Download

As a final bonus cut, check out his track Viktorious, also off his newest Mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. On the track, he definitely "goes in" on the verses, rapping fast over a steady piano beat that adds a little bass at the end. This track is how you make your presence felt with that in your face delivery that takes no prisoners.

Big K.R.I.T. - Viktorious
| Download

Look for a lot more of K.R.I.T.'s material to be posted on this blog as I've gained a great deal of respect for his talent and what he brings to the Hip Hop game...someone outside of Atlanta that has a deep south sound. @yelawolf and @bigkrit are doing wonders for expanding the reach of Hip Hop in the south now that Alabama and Mississippi can boast two legit rising stars. Lots to be excited about stay tuned folks....

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