After a prolonged streak of prolificacy, classic Southern rap revivalist Big K.R.I.T. was quiet for much of 2012 after the release of his debut album Live From the Underground (SPIN’s No. 11 hip-hop album of last year). But he added to his long discography of mixtapes today with the new King Remembered in Time, a title that spells out the acronym in his name. It is entirely self-produced with the exception of one song (the B.J. the Chicago Kid-featuring “Life Is a Gamble,” which was helmed by 9th Wonder), and features previous video singles “Shine On” (with Bun B) and “REM,” which samples James Blake’s “The Wilhelm Scream.”
Features on the tape include frequent cohorts like Wiz Khalifa, Smoke DZA, and Big Sant as well as Trinidad Jame$. But the most interesting attraction is a snippet of a song called “Just Last Week,” which snags a hook from Atlanta astronaut Future. Considering Future’s involvement, and that K.R.I.T. decided only to tease the track, it’s almost a certainty that this is both K.R.I.T.’s next single and his first big grab at mainstream radio play.
The mixtape doesn’t reinvent the wood wheel, but the appeal of K.R.I.T.’s music has long been its comfort-food nature. King Remembered in Time is as placid as ever, but that’s how K.R.I.T. likes it. Download here.
