Mississippi-based MC Big K.R.I.T. blew up last summer with the independently released debut K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, which helped the rapper-producer score a deal with major label Def Jam. K.R.I.T. isn’t expected to put out a proper album until later this year, but he’s just dropped a hot 25-track mixtape, titled Return of 4Eva, featuring guest spots from Ludcaris, Bun B, David Banner, and others. Head over to his official site to pick up the release for free.
K.R.I.T. (whose real name is Justin Scott) was recently featured in SPIN’s Next Big Things 2011 package, and the rapper revealed he’s got ambitions that exceed typical Southern rap. “I want to write music that, every time you hear it, evokes an emotion,” he said. “Marvin Gaye or Curtis Mayfield or Bobby Womack… their music managed to survive and grow, crossing generations, years after it came out. That’s what I want to accomplish.”
He’s on the right track. On K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, the rapper lays out silky R&B grooves — filled out with vintage soul samples — underneath humble rhymes about avoiding the pitfalls of the hype machine (“American Rapstar”). Other highlights include K.R.I.T.’s lyrical shout-outs to OutKast’s “Ms. Jackson” (“Fo-eva-eva? Fo-eva-eva,” he spits on one hook) and clever, socially conscious jams like “Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism” (hint: the title is an acronym).
