In a scene typically dominated by over-produced club rappers and crunk anthems, Mississippi’s producer/rapper Big K.R.I.T. and his soulful tricks on Return of 4Eva have the old guard running for the hills. Last year’s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here gathered the artist plenty of attention, landing him on the cover of this year’s XXL Freshman issue and drawing big audiences at SXSW, but on his newest mixtape K.R.I.T. has solidified himself as one of the most prophetic and impressive rappers in years.
“I didn’t rap about dope nor did I sell/ I guess the story of a country boy just ain’t compelling” says K.R.I.T. on “Dreamin’,” one of the best cuts from Return of 4Eva. He’s a rebel in the opposite sense; a rapper prided on his music and not his antics. It’s not bragging or stuck up, it’s authentic. It’s not that K.R.I.T. is necessarily relatable as an artist, but his honest rhymes and smooth flow make his tracks sound more like somebody giving you advice instead of something you passively listen to. “I played ball for a minute did I mention/ Wasn’t in it, writing rhymes on my glove so I won’t ever forget ‘em” spits K.R.I.T. on the second verse of “Dreamin,” exploring the rapper’s passion for hip-hop at an early age. “Dreamin’” stands out not because of its immediate subject matter, but rather because of K.R.I.T.’s passion for music, helping to break that barrier between artist and subject.
But Big K.R.I.T. doesn’t just rap on Return of 4eva, and like his previous mixtape he produced the entire work himself. Drawing from decades of Southern music as an inspiration for his sampling and beats, the album has a soulful quality to it, fusing with his personal lyrics to create the portrait of a human being rather than the caricature of a rap persona. With some comparisons to Pimp C, early Geto Boys and OutKast, Big K.R.I.T. has not only learned from his contemporaries but taken their crate digging attitudes to an entirely new level on Return of 4eva.
Return of 4eva’s closing track, “The Vent,” finds K.R.I.T. in his most vulnerable state, rapping softly over the blank canvas of a few synthesizer keys and a piano. “I saw love in the eyes of a perfect stranger/ She overlooked my caring heart in search of a gangster/ Will we ever be together? Only time will tell/ She called my phone and talked to me as her eyes would swell/ I put my problems, in a box, beside my tightest rhymes,” recalls K.R.I.T. at the opening of this confession. “The Vent” is emotionally stirring, a triumph not often achieved in hip-hop but a welcome one nonetheless. We all know what it’s like to be a friend’s burden bearer, having that personal connection to someone that nobody else has, and then eventually losing that person over petty differences, exploding a relationship and relapsing into loneliness. If Return of 4eva wasn’t passionate enough through the first nineteen tracks, “The Vent” solidifies the album’s emotional aesthetic.
And while K.R.I.T. tends to dwell on serious matters throughout the album, he also delivers some undeniable bangers. The tribute to trunk rocking bass “My Sub” would make even the sturdiest cars rattle, combining overpowered bass and some perfectly timed samples to make a track worthy of any Sunday drive playlist. The undeniable hit from last year’s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here gets the remix treatment as well, adding verses to “Country Shit” from Ludacris and Bun B. With these and a few other tracks, Return of 4eva strikes the perfect balance of being an album worth listening to from the first to last track. With cuts like “My Sub” and “Get Right,” the experience is not emotionally draining while at the same time remaining profound and earnest.
Sure he’s young and without a proper album, but the hype surrounding Big K.R.I.T. is well warranted. I’ve rarely heard such honesty and true confidence in a rapper, expressing himself in a way that makes you want to dig deeper into the album with each listen. It’s hard to say that Return of 4eva is nearly perfect, because it has its flaws, but for a self-produced mixtape this is as good as they ever get.
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