New Music: Big K.R.I.T.

By Thomas Johnson, November 3 2017 —

Prior to 2013’s Cadillactica, Big K.R.I.T. released a blistering mission statement called “Mt. Olympus.” It was advertised as a response to Kendrick Lamar’s infamous diss verse on “Control” from earlier that year. But just as Kendrick didn’t really diss K.R.I.T. on “Control,” “Mt. Olympus” wasn’t really a rebuttal. Instead, it was a volcanic reminder of Big K.R.I.T.’s position as one of his generation’s greatest talents.

K.R.I.T. made a quiet return in October with 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time. The immersive, 85-minute double LP is conceptually split into two halves. The “Big K.R.I.T.” half is a low-end, bass-heavy celebration of K.R.I.T.’s influences, namely Goodie Mob and UGK. The “Justin Scott” half — K.R.I.T.’s real name — sheds that mask with introspection.

K.R.I.T. muscles his unapologetic drawl around syllables like a python and raps like the second coming of Big Boi. He’s matured in his production too, finding new ways of sprinkling in tiny flourishes like the trumpet on “Drinking Sessions” or the echo on the hook of “Get Away.” 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time is a sweeping, intricately beautiful album and is one of the year’s best. And still, only a week after release, it has already faded from feeds.

With the exception of 2007, K.R.I.T. has released at least one full-length project every year since 2005. That’s three albums, 13 mixtapes and two EP’s — and they’ve all been great. Such prolificacy brings to mind Gucci Mane or Curren$y, but Outkast is the better comparison.

Both K.R.I.T. and OutKast build worlds to house their imaginations, weaving southern hospitality and solar winds to cosmic effect — baking warm country music that could slap a subwoofer on Mars and open the eyes of the universe. That’s not to say K.R.I.T. is better than Outkast, because that’s preposterous — no one is better than Outkast. But it’s no exaggeration to say that K.R.I.T. is one of the most underrated MCs of his era. 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time is another jewel in the King of the South’s crown. He will be remembered in time.