Release Date: March 28, 2011
Mississippi native Big K.R.I.T. is one of hip-hop’s burgeoning acts. After releasing his first mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here in 2010, he’s found himself has been featured on a number of tracks with the likes of Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y. He soon landed on XXL Magazine’s “Freshmen List,” which honors the best up-and-coming rappers.
K.R.I.T. adds to the hype with his stellar new mixtape, Return of 4Eva, a collection of songs that range from somber to energetic. By proving to have an eclectic ear for tones and textures, he asserts himself as a serious performer who’s taken his recent praise with the utmost seriousness.
K.R.I.T.’s most intriguing quality—aside from his affable persona as a Southern everyman and his gift for turning phrases with a dexterous ease—is his willingness to occasionally appear vulnerable. On the somber “Dreamin,” he says, “I ain’t rapping about dope, nor did I sell it/I guess the story of a country boy just ain’t compelling.”
Where his peers are prone to boastfulness and shameless self-promotion, K.R.I.T. is often introspective and shies away from prototypical hip-hip vainglory.
In listening to Return of 4Eva, you get the sense that he’s actually expressing himself as opposed to merely regurgitating tired metaphors and clichéd premises. Good hip-hop needs self-analysis. The garish self-aggrandizing that plagues most radio rap leaves little room for those willing to put themselves under a microscope, which is what makes emcees like K.R.I.T. and OFWGKTA’s polemic mastermind Tyler, The Creator so intriguing.
Despite the magnifying glass put on Tyler’s admittedly disturbing lyrics, little examination is given to the instances in which he drops the shock-and-awe in favor of describing the struggles he faced growing up without a father and the depression and he feels because of it. Though his anger is certainly misguided, any depiction of violence or hate in his music is the result of this vitriol—not a glorification of the subject matter.
K.R.I.T., meanwhile, shares a similar sense of authorship. Though he may not work as prevalently in abstraction, he’s nevertheless willing to wear his heart on his sleeve. His passion is palpable.
That being said, the man isn’t afraid to stunt. “My Sub” is an anthem dedicated to the fast cars and deep bass, fitted with minimalist yet infectious country-fried beat. As a producer, K.R.I.T. proves himself to be something of a revivalist. Not unlike Band of Horses’ unabashed borrowing from the likes of Neil Young and Crazy Horse, tracks like “Sookie Now” and “High and Low” make tasteful nods towards the likes of UGK, OutKast and Scarface. K.R.I.T. is well aware of the roots of Southern hip-hop, equipping his album with the kind of beats the fit nicely into the style.
Considering that summer is right around the corner, Return of 4Eva will likely be a staple at barbeques all around the country. Even when K.R.I.T. delves into heavy subject matter, such as the denigration of the music business (“American Rapstar”) or race relations (“Another Native Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism”), the album is easily digestible in terms of its listenability.
Even with its 77-minute run time and 21 songs (no skits, either), Return of 4Eva breezes by with its textured instrumentation and heavy, sweeping beats. It’s tailor-made for your car’s stereo system. Put it to use.
Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4Eva Tracklist:
- “R4 Intro”
- “Rise and Shine”
- “R4 Theme Song”
- “Dreamin'”
- “Rotation”
- “My Sub”
- “Sookie Now”
- “American Rapstar”
- “Highs & Lows”
- “Shake It”
- “Made Alot”
- “Lions and Lambs”
- “King’s Blues”
- “Time Machine”
- “Get Right”
- “Amtrak”
- “Players Ballad”
- “Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism”
- “Free My Soul”
- “The Vent”
- “Country Shit” (Remix)
