By Odeisel
Big K.R.I.T. is special. The Mississippi representer is Cee-Lo soulful and devoid of pop aspirations or formulaic songwriting. His music is full of heart, and gripping humanity and his latest project, Return of 4Eva while bloated, is a showcase profound songwriting and musicality grounded by Southern sensibility.
That sensibility is present on opener“Sookie Now” (feat. Fellow Mississippi Banner) with brass, a well-used snare drum and Southern inflections. “Highs & Lows” features his crooning skills and recalls the pimp/playa rap of UGK, * Ball & MJG and the early millennium Houston scene but it is authentic and soulful. That pimp shit continues on “Amtrak” with its choo choo train aesthetic and tambourine accent.
“Shake It” features vocals by Joi on the hook giving it that old Dungeon Family feel on the break. The song is well-composed and possessed of good rhythm. K.R.I.T. flows effortlessly with a compressed high speed flow that belies the slow burn pace of the track. Big Slant pays homage to the Notorious on “Made A lot” and steals the show for a hot second with presence if not content and skill. “Lions & Lambs” with its doo wop crooning on the edges and subtle drum and low high and features a beautifully deep lesson of keeping your intentions to yourself.
“King’s Blues” weaves a slick Badu vocal sample with smart electric guitar work, scratching and that earthy Southern inflection that feels comfortable with otherworldly rhythm. “Get Right” furthers that Aquemini-type flavor with its muffled synth, sharp snare, keyboard work and raucous chorus.
K.R.I.T. really begins to show how special he is with “Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism.” The title is intriguing enough, but when the first words on the track are “I don’t want to be another n***a,” you have no choice but to sit and listen. Jazz horns blare in the back ground atop “Impeach the President,” while a well-paced piano pushes his narrative of the well-intentioned, yet caught-up-in-hood shit everyn***a.
This continues with “Free My Soul.” After achieving all the trappings that come with the success he chased for so long, K.R.I.T. wonders what happens when you get what you always wanted. Will it ever be enough? That kind of introspection, without the grand hubris of a Kanye West, is as human as it gets for rappers, who make a living being super n***s. Swirling pianos, low level scratches and what sounds like jingling bullets paly while K.R.I.T. notes the devolution of the art (“It’s no longer an art, n***as piss on the canvas”). He continues “Stunting in your Bentley but if cost you your soul/When God come to collect I hope you got what you owe.” I don’t think you will ever hear that from a rapper that people have put money on. That’s what makes Big K.R.I.T. a compelling artist. “The synth accents and heartbeat drum of “The Vent” is every bit of a release that the title suggests. There is God in his music and not in a Jesus walks or non-genuine way.
Ultimately the placement of these songs is what worries me about this album. While there isn’t anything wack on this album, there is filler that continues the line of behavior that runs counter to what he truly could be. The removal of half those pimp/player songs would give new listeners a clear shot at the closest thing to Aquemini we will probably ever see. That’s the triumph and the tragedy of Return to 4Eva. The highest of highs show you what he could truly be if left to his own devices, and the pull of the been there, done that music of his contemporaries.
Out of 5
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This is better than 4 stars. Yes Im complaining about a positive review. Cos its that good !!!
…Man this is a classic…way better than 4…if you from the south like I am, and was raised on UGK, you have way more respect for what this man is doing…this mixtape is better than 99% of all the garbage Ive heard in the last few years…K.R.I.T. keep making them country rap tunes…they dont understand you like I do my nig…
The tape is too long. It doesn’t matter if you’re from the south. The best songs on here are higher than UGK. and they are buried at the end of the tape because there are too many pimp/playa songs. You’re welcome to disagree, but for peopel who are new to him they aren’t gogn to get a real shot at who he is because after 21 tracks it’s all going to blend. Are you telling me that this album isn’t at least 5 songs too long? It’s very good. And his highs are extraordinarily high. But he can do better. It’s a 4. Streamline us. Give us your best. He can do those pimp songs in his sleep.
I agree with most of this but the tape is better than a 4. No disrespect to anyone’s opinion but the “pimp/playa” songs are part of him. He touched on so many different things on the tape that it’s ok that he was feelin himself on those songs. For all the Krit fans like myself who search constantly for new material, it’s hard to convince me that there are “too many songs.”
If you’re constantly in search of material that doens’t preclude him from putting it out. Does it have to be on one tape? No it doesn’t. A few of those songs in the beginning are interchangeable. They don’t further the project. It’s not that he makes them. It’s that his ceiling is higher than them. It’s not the best he will do. The end of the album shows you that. Those last four records should not be so drastically outnumbers on a project. Nothing wrong with those other songs. Just too many of them. Let them balance out some other project. If you’re a fan then you should want his best. Those songs aren’t his best. And when lined up against those songs at the end, they don’t measure up. He should be pushed hard. Because he is in love with this music. Then give it all you got. Now he’s got to learn how to manage a project. It’s a four. He’s got a 5 in him. I want to see that 5. This isn’t it.
That’s real, and I can agree to disagree. I guess if we are arguing over whether it should be a 4 or a 5 and not something lower says something about the project in itself.
This album is in the vein of Southernplaylistic, Ridin Dirty, and On top Of the World, in fact i think he samples all of these albums in some aspect on this album. Its what the south NEEDED. This is the shit pimp C was talking about on the now infamous “Atlanta interview”…shit with sustenance, fuck 5 stars this shit deserves 7.
PS
I think the reviewer has the wrong track order maybe if you listen to it in the order that it was intended you’d give him that extra star, you say “opener “Sookie Now”” the first song on my mixtape was R4 Intro…with the Marvin Gaye Whats going on vocal sample(“..Whats happnin….”)
if it’s in the vein of those albums you named, it is by definition derivative. It’s not a 5. Aquemini is a 5. Atliens is a 5. This is not a five. Stop it. You are doing the kid a disservice by overrating his album
idk how u can hate on a dude for puttin too much music on an album when labels like atlantic are messin up classics in the making like lazers by changin tracks and cuttin stuff out. you can make an argument that this album is the best thing to come out of the south since stankonia. and u can make an even better argument that this dude is the realest artist out the south since scarface, pimp c, 3000, and big boi. with that said in addition to the quality of the music idk how this album doesnt get a 5
@Odeisel – I hope you can make out a difference between sensible music listener (like me) and these ignorant stupid “fans” out here!
Calling you a Hater or some other shit for giving a positive review. I bet they all just peeped the rating and skimmed through the well-written review… praising the artist and the product to high standards!
Man.. KRIT Dope as a MF!!