K.R.I.T.’s Construction

To build up anything it starts with a very strong foundation. A structure or anything built upon unsteady footing, unsteady ground runs the large risk of falling.

With that logic in mind let me tell you a story.



There is a young man from Meridian, Mississippi by the name of Justin Scott. In the music world he went by the name Big K.R.I.T. As fate would have it the name K.R.I.T. is an acronym for King Remembered In Time. This, however, is irrelevant to the story at hand.

He releases mixtapes that are usually received with stellar reviews. One such is K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, released in May 2010. He also guest stars on other mixtapes, further adding to the foundations of something greater to come. But the best of his mixtapes was to come…

Let us list some of those mixtapes that served at the beginning, the catalyst for his most acclaimed work to date:

-See Me At The Top-Released July 20, 2005
-See Me At The Top II-Released December 21, 2005
-Hood Fame-Released August 11, 2006
-See Me At The Top III-December 10, 2008
-The Last King-Released May 15, 2009
-K.R.I.T. Wuz Here-Released May 4, 2010

In 2011 he was featured as XXL Top Eleven Freshmen of 2011 alongside others such as Meek Mill, Cyhi Da Prince, Lil’ Twist, Yelawolf, Fred The Godson, Mac Miller, YG, Lil’ B, Kendrick Lamar, and Diggy Simmons.

March 2011 also saw the release of the highly anticipated Return of 4eva. The mixtape was acclaimed by rap critics across the board.

William Ketchum of HipHopDX called it “emotive, conceptual music” and said that Big K.R.I.T. has given fans a “free album”-the magazine’s highest praise for a mixtape.

Matthew Cole of Slant Magazine highlighted Return of 4eva in his mixtape review column as “the best mixtape of the month”, going on in a separate review to call it “the rap album to beat in 2011”.

Both go so far as to say that Big K.R.I.T.’s production skill is amazing as well as his lyrics and flow, each naming him the likely successor to Southern rap legends UGK, Scarface, and OutKast.

And the foundation has been set.

All that is left is to build upon it.

This year marks the release of K.R.I.T.’s debut studio album entitled Live From The Underground.

With a strong foundation built and no big bad wolves around to blow the house down, he may build it and live happily ever after.

The end.

Cole, Diamonds, And Gold

Every road starts with the steps we take. That first one tends to be the hardest one more often than not. I myself remember that first step I made in college. I shook like a leaf on a tree but somehow I made that first one. After that the second was difficult but nowhere near as difficult as the first. All the steps following were easier but took something of me.

For a rapper this is no different.

You make the steps, unsure of what the next one will entail despite that uncertainty that you get. But you press on. Sometimes it yields wonderful fruit.

These are the fruits of his work.

Signing to The Roc.

The Come-Up.

The Warm-Up.

Friday Night Lights.

“Who Dat”

Cole World: A Sideline Story.

These are the steps which North Carolina rapping phenom J. Cole has been taking towards his success. Each of his mixtapes touts impressive content as well as songs that tend to stick in your consciousness very well.

My favorite thus far has been The Warm-Up.

“Losing My Balance” is a personal favorite, along with “Dreams”, “A Dollar And A Dream“, and “I Get Up”.

Friday Night Lights brought us that Drake assisted “In The Morning”.

Two of the above mentioned songs (“A Dollar And A Dream“ and “In The Morning”) made it onto his debut album along with countless other wonderful tracks. I was truly feeling his big studio debut with an immensity of excitement I haven’t had in a while. It was a fire akin to the one I felt when I purchased both Untitled by Nas and Tha Carter III by Lil’ Wayne.

As he basks in the moment, the ‘flashing lights’ that label affiliate Kanye West once described playing all around him I wonder does he ponder over the next steps.

I once wrote a story about the follow-up curse and how it often hits artists. As J. Cole languishes in his current successes I pray that he ponders over such things. Personally I am of the mind that this talented soul will be above that sort of nonsense. As always I allow for the fact that I, being human, can be wrong as anyone.

So we come to an impasse, a fork in the road where we cannot tell what is to come.

Either the next step will be glorious or it he will truly live in a Cole world.

I Am Not A Rapper

Before I go any further with this review I would like to give you this disclaimer of sorts:

I understand the album and/or mixtape that will be reviewed here is not of the hip-hop or rap genre but it is my hope that by opening the eyes of the masses to it, maybe it will inspire further creativity. That is my sincerest hope here.

I have made a very constant stream of references to Coldplay as of late. As the disclaimer has previously and so eloquently proclaimed, the band cannot be considered hip-hop but you cannot rightly deny that Chris Martin (Coldplay front man) hasn’t made his mark in this community.

Think about it for a second.

Swizz Beatz’ “Part Of The Plan” and “That Oprah”

Jay-Z’s “Beach Chair”

And of course Kanye West’s “Homecoming” can be added to this list.

Because of the influence he has I felt it prudent and rather necessary to review Coldplay’s newest album. Their newest effort, Mylo Xyloto, is the subject of this review. The title has the strange gift of throwing you off if only for the briefest of seconds. It threw me when I first heard about it. It wasn’t until I listened to it that I saw that this album is just as wonderful as the others before it.

The sound explodes without killing you. More to the point it enters your spirit and makes it soar. Flowery and wordy, I know. But give the album a listen and tell me that I’m wrong.

These are a few of the standout tracks:

-“Us Against The World”-The slow ease here is perfect for the subject matter here. It is a lovesick anthem told with an aching that is pure sadness and at the same time beautiful. The acoustic guitar is wonderfully crisp and the music isn’t rushed. Martin and crew take their time here to tell an amazing story.

-“Major Minus”-I couldn’t tell you why but this one plays like a Southern rock ballad to me. There’s a menacing something about it that reminds me of that genre. The guitar screams perfection towards the end that I love beyond all compare.

-“Princess Of China”-My personal favorite, actually. Rihanna assists the guys on this throbbing and eclectic track. It is a brokenhearted anthem that seems at odds with the swell of the music itself. Rihanna’s vocals are different here, somehow clearer and more emotive. All and all, a great listen

The title makes not a drop of sense to me personally but the music makes all the sense in the world to me sonically. Chris, you and the guys are on point. This makes me anxious for your next foray into hip-hop.

The Curious Case Of Andre Benjamin

There are so many questions in this world that are without answer or are supposed to be beyond a simple answer. One would be the eternal question of “Which came first, the chicken or the egg?” Then there are the questions that have a more philosophical implication: “If God is omnipotent, why doesn’t he destroy evil?” It’s these types of questions that learned individuals have been trying to decipher forever. I myself, although nowhere near as intellectual, have a question that I am sure that everyone has been wondering…

When is Andre 3000 coming back for real?


It’s highly annoying the current state of things.

Early 1990s we were blessed with OutKast and I have been in love since ATLiens. And everything that followed that has been epic. To me the highest points would have to be two of my favorite OutKast albums: Stankonia and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Two juggernauts as far as albums go. I can name at least twenty songs that I like from all of them. But I won’t. I just say that to make a point.

Around about the time of Idlewild (both the album and the movie), the acting bug hit 3 Stacks and we saw him play wonderfully in a few films, the foremost amongst those being Four Brothers. I applauded his versatility and appreciated him for being another musical artist to seamlessly fall into acting. But I still wanted to hear him rhyme.

And he did…occasionally.

You’d hear him come through and completely wreck a remix or do magic on a feature.

The two most recent?

Beyonce’s “Party” on her 4 album and Young Jeezy’s “I Do” from the Thug Motivation 103: Hustlerz Ambition album.

Granted I am always happy to hear a fellow Georgian do what he is best at but the sporadic nature of it is growing to be too annoying to keep quiet about. I need more from him.

In light of the fact that Cee Lo and the boys have reconciled and promised us a new Goodie Mob album, I want a new OutKast album. Or even a solo album from Andre, at least.

Big Boi is carrying the OutKast banner alone these days. His solo album was beastly and I need the same from his partner in crime in short order.

Look, I understand that Andre 3000 has children and interests that he seeks to pursue but you have fans as well. You wouldn’t be able to do any of these things without us first loving you enough to make you famous. So please come back to us.

No more hit and run features, please.

A Soulja’s Story

I can admit things about myself, things that most people find it hard to say out loud. For the most part I can say I am a decent human being but, essentially, I am flawed. Despite being extremely patient about most things I have something of a short temper. I’ve been known to be inconsistent at times and generally sullen at certain occasions. But these character flaws aren’t the ones to which I refer.

I am a man of personal biases. As a writer you strive to move past those but more often than not they find their way into your writing or your thoughts. If you’ve been paying attention you’ve seen my general dislike for Beyonce Knowles as well as Future more recently. Yet there another who raises my ire in the music world.

That person is Soulja Boy.

I can be fair enough to say how impressed I was to see a young man come up from the nearly defunct MySpace, create a hit dance, and invade the hip-hop culture. After that I can’t say much else in the way of good things.

Granted I was in love with his song “Gucci Bandana” for a good expanse of time but that time has all but passed. I truly doubt that I could thank him for thrusting the phrase “Superman that ho” onto us but it was catchy and got repeated to exhaustion.

Three albums under his belt show me that despite whatever my insignificant opinion counts for people somewhere appreciate him and his music. His longevity is a bit impressive. That as well as twenty-nine mixtapes is quite the feat.

Hell, he’s already got two out right now: 50/13 and Mario & Domo vs. the World.

Then there’s the upcoming album entitled Promise. Who really knows to expect from it.

Despite my bias I am willing to try something out here.

Since this is a new year I think this would be the moment for a resolution. Given the fact that it is my job to report and tell you all about current, mainstream and underground hip-hop I resolve this: I will put my preconceived notions of Soulja Boy behind me and honestly give the new album a chance. After all I have nothing to lose but the time it takes me to listen to it and love it or throw it into oncoming traffic. So I’m going to wait and see how this Soulja’s story is going to play out.