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Big K.R.I.T. Reinterprets James Blake’s Dreams for ‘R.E.M.’ Video

Big K.R.I.T. R.E.M. James Blake Sample Video

As unlikely a trio of names as they are, Big K.R.I.T., James Blake, and R.E.M. have pathos in common. And also, something about sleep. The stalwart Mississippi MC samples “The Wilhelm Scream” from 2011’s fairly jaw-dropping James Blake — specifically the line, “I don’t know about my dreams.” (Bonus props: K.R.I.T. also samples the actual Wilhelm scream sound effect that inspired the title.) Meanwhile, his lyrics revolve around his aspirations as a rapper — I.E. his deepest dreams, which everyone knows occur during the Rapid Eye Movement phase of sleep. What makes K.R.I.T. such a believable entity is the fact that his hopes are firmly grounded in reality. When 2 Chainz dies, he wants to be interned in a designer boutique. As for the man born Justin Scott? “Bury me inside a cemetery.”

Video director Luke Choi of KRSP (“Rich Dad, Poor Dad”) similarly seats his subject in familiar circumstances, but introduces a little surreality to enhance the theme: K.R.I.T. walks through locales that he doesn’t quite seem to recognize, and at one point he even has a Tyler Durden moment. According to the rapper’s camp, this will be the last leak before his anticipated King Remembered in Time mixtape drops. No actual release date has been confirmed yet, however.