King Remembered In Time

I'm going to do something a little different this week. Normally, I go over three mixtapes varying in quality in mini-review form. I do this because, while I have respect for mixtapes, I do realize they shouldn't be treated the same as albums. There are exceptions to this rule, though. Joey Bada$$'s 1999 was a major one last year. And this week, another exception has arisen, so I feel it's only fair to give it the full ACRN treatment. I'm going to review it just like any other album, because that's what it deserves.

Big K.R.I.T.: K.R.I.T. (King Remembered in Time)

Rating: 8.5/10

Community used to be something important--it was what people identified with. They were proud of their community and they would do anything for it. At least, that's what our parents tell us. With the rise of the Internet age, community became less about who we lived by and more about who we associated with online.

The same can be said about rap. Community used to be something. It was an influence on rappers, as they based their sound on their community. It was so important to some that they were willing to literally die for it. Now, not so much. Sure, rappers still “rep” where they're from, but it's no longer such a strong identifier. A Bronx rapper could sound the exact same as someone from Compton and no one would think twice about it.

But there are exceptions to the new Internet age. Big K.R.I.T. is one of those exceptions. K.R.I.T. is as Southern as Southern gets and he stays true to his roots, constantly mentioning artists like UGK and Outkast in his songs.

Songs like “Banana Clip Theory” are so Southern that they feature smooth jazz influences. As the saxophones lull the listener into a chill mindset, K.R.I.T. lightly raps over the beat in a hushed voice and lyrics that are as good as anything he's written. As K.R.I.T. raps the words, “Cause if you draw down first you'll be the man / Then you'll pop the trunk and demand / That respect, if they neglect,” the Southern rapper takes an introspective look at how closely assimilated guns and power have become.

Other songs, like “Good 2Getha,” sound very much like Outkast in their glory days, as K.R.I.T. channels his inner Andre 3000 to put together a fun, danceable song that could get anyone in their groove.

What makes King Remembered in Time so good is that K.R.I.T. combines the territorial style of his with that of the new-fangled Internet age.

The song “REM” is one of the most beautifully produced tracks that K.R.I.T.'s ever come out with, as the rapper shows his production chops off (just like he does on all but one song on the mixtape). The beat combines a surprisingly good piano riff, a quick drum beat and a James Blake sample to stand out as one of the best songs on the album. The fact that K.R.I.T. is more than willing to sample James Blake shows just how modern he is.

Big K.R.I.T. proves that he is one of the best up-and-coming rappers in the game. With his complex rhymes, deep lyrics and masterful production, K.R.I.T. manages to blend his Southern hospitality with modern concepts. This helps him become more than just a mixtape rapper-- he's a bona fide MC.