RapReviews | Review: Big K.R.I.T. – K.R.I.T. Wuz Here
I recently went down south to attend my family reunion in Choctaw County, Alabama. While we could easily head about fifteen miles east towards Butler to do some grocery shopping at the Piggly Wiggly or grab a burger at Hardee’s, the real action is out west. The county is right on the state line so as you drive down AL-10 West, you cross the Mississippi border and it becomes MS-19 North. After passing through towns with names like Whynot (the birthplace of David Ruffin), Causeyville and Vimville, you’ll wind up in Meridian, aka The Queen City, aka The King City, aka K.R.I.T. Kountry. This is where all the malls, restaurants and all the entertainment are located. If you’re really adventurous, you can keep going and you’ll end up in Philadelphia…Mississippi, that is, where the casinos are. Not to mention that when you hit Meridian, you can finally get a 3G cellular signal. For those who are curious, K.R.I.T. is an acronym that stands for King Remembered In Time. He has been working on his music since around 2003 , including a trilogy of “See Me On Top” mixtapes. With K.R.I.T. being from Mississippi, it is hard to resist the temptation to compare him to David Banner, but he also seems to channel other southern heavyweights such as Pimp C, T.I., and MJG in his rhymes.
“K.R.I.T. Wuz Here” opens with “Return of 4eva” which features his partner in rhyme, Big Sant and “Country Shit.” The latter is an 808-driven ode to all things country. You know, that “old school. pourin’ lean, candied yams and collard greens…pocket fulla stones, ridin’ clean.” All of that. The adrenaline that “Country” builds up goes over the edge by the time “Just Touched Down” starts to play. A track that will definitely motivate more than its fair share of listeners to exceed the speed limit and swerve from lane to lane. “Hometown Hero” examines the ascension from nothing to something, and some of the perks that come along with it, as he raps:
“What you expect when you ain’t had shit
And they ain’t payin’ half of what you askin
Couldn’t see the pussy, even if it’s Cassie
Now the hoes is down for takin’ pictures ’cause ya flashin’
You can’t even imagine, maybe Kim Kardashian
Number one song and a Grammy, now I’m smashin
Maserati crashin’, swervin’ through the traffic
Wrap it ’round a pole, sell a million from the tragedy
I defy gravity, higher than I have to be
Talkin’ to the Lord…I can’t stay, who gon’ save hip-hop after me
That’s like a torn ACL to an a-th-lete
Boobie Miles, Friday [Night] Lights, capture me”
The sequencing of tracks on “K.R.I.T.” works really well for most of the project. “Hometown Hero” is followed by “Viktorious” which is then followed by “See Me On Top.” “Viktorious” touts a minimalist piano loop, some rapid fire delivery and a convincing argument about whether or not Mississippi had any type of run like other states such as Tennessee, Alabama, Texas or Georgia experienced. Currensy and Wiz Khalifa join in on the fun and spit a little game to the ladies on “Glass House,” but it’s K.R.I.T. who gets right to the point: “Is you fuckin’? Is you suckin? I was wonderin’, cause if you not, don’t be pushin’ on my buttons in my Cutlass…unless you cuttin’.”
