Well, this is an album that I'm really excited to review. Big K.R.I.T. has quickly become one of my favourite new rappers that I've discovered, and I think I've only heard about 4 songs with him in it, God Bless America by Dizzy Wright (Amazing), Wastin' Time by Rittz (Amazing), 1Train by A$AP Rocky (Amazing) and That's My Kid by Tech N9ne (meh). K.R.I.T. always has a really captivating performance with good lyrics, and his southern accent really makes his delivery sound great in most situations, so I'm expecting this album to be good, hopefully great if Anthony Fantano's score is anything to go by. Let's get started. Here's a dope trailer that K.R.I.T. dropped to build up some hype.
Disc 1 - Big K.R.I.T.
The album is split into two halves, with the first disc being Big K.R.I.T. and I'm assuming the more braggadocious and rappity-rap tracks, and the second half being Justin Scott, delving more into his personal life and having more serious topics. Hopefully this turns out well, because 22 tracks is a lot to listen to.
1. Big K.R.I.T. (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
These vocals in the beginning are really nice. Wow, I absolutely love this production. K.R.I.T.'s speaking about how his rapping persona will live on forever, even though Justin Scott (his real name) will fade away and decay over time. I originally thought he was talking to a child of his, passing on his knowledge, so I thought those lyrics never quite made sense, but now with that piece of context it makes everything clear. I really like how he ended this first verse.
"I set aside a book of rhymes that'll pave the way for now and then I know forever is a mighty long time - so where should we begin?"
This beat drop is amazing, as soon as it begins he just starts ripping shit up and doesn't let up til the end of the song. He basically just keeps on flowing until the background vocals come back in and sing the title of the album, finishing the song. K.R.I.T. really rapped his ass off. What an incredible start, this is amazing. 5/5
2. Confetti (Produced by Hey DJ)
I think I'm gonna like this a lot. The beat seems dope so far, I love the vocals that are integrated into it. This is a pretty catchy hook, but I wouldn't be able to rap along in public without getting knocked out probably.
"Your confetti ain't even heavy nigga Got the win, I want the record nigga What's a crown if you don't protect it nigga? What's a name if they don't respect it nigga? Nah, your confetti ain't even heavy"
I love those middle three lines, that's the type of attitude I really respect in a person, and even though K.R.I.T. is such a humble guy, he still has a big competitive spirit and isn't afraid to talk his shit. This is a dope verse, he's pretty much just talking shit and saying he's better than all these other rappers.
"Money don't make you fly that's just my perspective".
I think the whole "confetti ain't even heavy" is probably a reference to how long confetti lasts. Since confetti is usually only around for a short time and sorta blows away, maybe K.R.I.T. is saying that since they don't have heavy confetti, their victories are just going to blow away and be forgotten, but his will stick around. Or he could just be treating Confetti like paper, and saying he has lots of cash and they don't. Hopefully the former. Oh, ok. The beat just switched up. It sounds a lot more modern now, yep, there's the bass, this beat is really dope. Yet again K.R.I.T. is murdering the track, talking about how dope he is and how long he's been in the rap game. This shit is awesome. 5/5
3. Big Bank (feat. T.I.) (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
I've heard this song before, and I love it. The hook kinda annoyed me a little at first with that drawn out "still miiiiiinnneee", but it's really grown on me now, I think the hook is catchy as hell. Yet again the beat has vocals sampled into it, and the beat sounds amazing. K.R.I.T. goes in as usual on the first verse, he isn't talking about much, just how rich he is, but the way he's doing it sounds amazing and he's actually doing it in a witty way so its fine.
"Spent more on Js, then the steak and the shrimp Than mos' gon' make in they life"
Ok now T.I.'s coming in, he sounds really great over this production. He's rapping about he needs the money to feed his family and he'll do whatever he can to get it.
"Got seven kids, and I gotta make sure All of 'em fed, by any means Can't be no excuses, my children can't eat no excuses My daughter can't sleep in excuses My son he see me with no paper like keep your excuses"
Love those lines. Not much else to say about this song to be honest, just a really great track with dope flows, verses and a catchy hook. This is really great. 5/5
4. Subenstein (My Sub IV)Big K.R.I.T (Produced by Mannie Fresh)
This is a song in his "My Sub" series. I might have to check out the others later. I really dig this production, it has a really knocking and energetic sound. He's essentially just rapping about how loud his subs are. It's pretty funny when you think about it that way, but it sounds great. I can relate to this song because I love bumping my music really loudly in my car, or just in general. Sorry if you hate those kinda people. I like how he compares his sub to Frankenstein's monster with how it comes alive. It samples the "It's Alive!" from the movie in the background. Oh wow, this beat switch up is so chill. Man, this is my favourite instrumental so far easily, this sounds amazing. It's somehow energetic and relaxing at the same time, it's beautiful. K.R.I.T. has a really nice bridge he's singing.
"Oh my sub, it knock and it bang From the lows to the highs, it shakes the whole frame Of the old school whip, it swang whenever I come through"
I don't care that it's literally just about subs and loud music, I love it. So yeah, this song is dope as hell. 5/5
5. 1999 (feat. Lloyd) Big K.R.I.T (Produced by Mannie Fresh)
I used to love Lloyd back in the day, when he released Dedication to My Ex I listened to that song non-stop. This is a groovy instrumental. Lloyd's on the hook. It's really catchy.
"Back that ass up like it's 1999 Back that ass up like it's 1999 Back that ass up like it's 1999 Pipe it up and drop it for me, one mo' time Girl, you're working with some ass, yeah, you're bad, yeah Make a nigga spend his cash, yeah, his last yeah Girl, you're working with some ass, yeah, you're bad, yeah Make a nigga spend his cash, I do love you"
K.R.I.T. is just rapping about how sexy this chick is and how much she puts out. Nothing too crazy but I still like it, even if some of the lyrics aren't all that sexy.
"If pussy popping was a college, she done graduated"
That line's kinda corny but it's still funny. I haven't really got a problem with his verse, just isn't as good as his other ones on the album so far. Now Lloyd is flowing in. Ok, what the fuck hahahahaha.
"Can't help that I'm a freak and it shows See I be eating pussy, kissing titties, sucking toes"
Good for you Lloyd, but I don't wanna hear that shit to be honest. I never understood the whole obsession with feet lmao. Ok, otherwise I really like this song. K.R.I.T.'s last verse is good. This is a good song, but that one line by Lloyd makes me wanna take a point off. Actually, nah, I still really like this song. 5/5
6. Ride Wit Me (feat. UGK) (Produced by Cory Mo & Organized Noize)
I haven't heard anything from UGK, but I've heard some features from Pimp C and Bun B separately. Bun B has a sick voice, and sometimes I like Pimp C's voice a lot and other times I really don't. Bun B killed it on his first verse.
"Say, R.I.P. to Pimp C, he was the King of The South If you hating on that, you need to shut your fucking mouth"
This song is cool, the chorus is pretty catchy and I like the rapping. The fact that I can't help but sing along makes it a great song to listen to. K.R.I.T. killed shit as usual, I've been really impressed by his rapping so far. This is a good way to commemorate Pimp C's legacy and drop some heat. This song is great. 5/5
7. Get Up 2 Come Down (feat. Sleepy Brown and Cee-Lo Green) (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
I love this production, the sound is really nice. K.R.I.T is flowing now, yep, nothing to complain about here. He killed it. He's basically just talking about he's always grinding to make some cash on the streets. Sleepy Brown has a really great contribution to the hook. K.R.I.T. killed his second verse as well. Oh wow, I wasn't expecting this, Cee-Lo is ripping shit up right now! That's awesome. He's talking about his younger days when he used to be a thug to make cash.
"Now here's a little story that must be told A wild young nigga off on Campbellton Road I was raised on Kingsridge where there weren't no rules Robbing niggas for they Starter jackets and shoes"
Yeah he killed that shit. Cee-Lo had the best verse on that for sure. Yeah this song is sick, I'm still surprised by how Cee-Lo murdered that shit. This is fantastic. 5/5
8. Layup (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
I can already tell I'm gonna love this song, the singing is so nice and the production is fantastic. This chorus is super catchy.
"Lookin' like a layup, layup, layup Layup, layup Sunshine on my window, let's go float Pass me that pick and roll, off backboard Lookin' like a layup, layup, layup'"
He's using a layup as a metaphor for how easy his life has become now, whereas it used to difficult and full of harsh times, it's now looking a lot more like a "Layup". Pretty clever. This song is essentially how everyone deserves a layup to help them get through the hard times, as it gives them something easier in life. I really like this song, it is a little repetitive, but it's too dope for me to care. 5/5
9. Classic Interlude (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
I'm probably looking like the biggest K.R.I.T. fanboy right now, but this album has been amazing so far. I like this interlude, it's pretty funny. It's essentially just a representation of hip-hop listeners that just call anything a classic and are super ignorant of everyone else. "14 tracks and 14 skits, its a classic!". Yeah this skit is cool, I'm not gonna rate it since it's a skit, but I still like it. I think it might be a parody of Kendrick's fanboys, since they call every album he drops a classic, but I could be wrong. On the subject of Kendrick, I'll probably review Kendrick's discography in reverse next. Seems pretty fitting after his release of the DAMN. collectors edition (literally just the album backwards). Anyway, onto the next song.
10. Aux Cord (hidden feature by Nikki Greer) (Produced by DJ Khalil)
I like the production on this track a lot. K.R.I.T is just flowing, referencing a bunch of differents songs and artists. I don't get a lot of the references because I'm pretty uncultured for the most part, but I get the obvious Marvin Gaye references, and the Prince and MJ line, otherwise I haven't heard of many of the other artists. This song is still good though. The singing at the end is amazing. Nikki Greer is the one singing apparently. Never heard of her, but she killed that. This song is good, it wasn't amazing but I liked it a lot. 4/5
11. Get Away (hidden feature by Rolynne Anderson) (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
Yet again I really like the production on this song. It has a really catchy hook.
"I got to get away from that bullshit that they on I got to get away from that bullshit that they on I got to get away from that bullshit that they on I got to get away from that bullshit that they on"
This song is K.R.I.T. talking about how he's grateful for all the support he's received and how needs to get away from all the bullshit he's hearing from his haters. Yeah, I really like this song. Yet again the vocals in the background are on point. I have absolutely no problems with this song at all. This little sung outro from Rolynne Anderson is cool too. Yep, I really like this song. 5/5
Disc 1
Well since this is technically two discs I may as well give a brief summary of my rating for the first disc. This was really great. If this was the entire album I'd be happy, before I even calculate it I already know that this is at least a 9/10, and I think this is honestly like a 9.5/10, there were very few problems I had. Keen to move on to the second disc.
Big K.R.I.T. : 98/100
Favourite Track: Big Bank
Least Favourite: Aux Cord
Disc 2 - Justin Scott
12. Justin Scott (Produced by DJ Khalil)
This song is really just a long ass instrumental, and an amazing one at that. There isn't a lot to be said here. It's just a really great intro to the second disc, great to just kick back and take in the experience. 5/5
13. Mixed Messages (Produced by Supah Mario)
I like this Chorus, it's really long, but its pretty catchy. This instrumental is pretty cool, its still good, but its probably my least favourite one I've heard so far on both discs. Ok nevermind, it changes a little when K.R.I.T. starts rapping, its sounds great. This is essentially K.R.I.T. just talking about how hypocritical people are, and how we send and have so many mixed messages in everything we do. I really like the lyrical content of this song. It's great.
"Uhh, I love her and I hate her at the same time I'm wack and I'm dope in the same rhyme I'm dull but I'm gloss in the same shine"
He's really just exploring how complicated people are. I really like this track a lot, I can relate a lot to all the messages he's sending. Kinda ironic in a way. 5/5
14. Keep The devil Off (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
I don't think I'm going to like this song, something about this hook is rubbing me the wrong way. I do like this instrumental a lot though. Man, K.R.I.T. is murdering every verse on this song. He sounds great over this instrumentation, but there's something about that chorus that I don't like, it is catchy and all, and normally I would like this kinda music, but I just don't like it. Ok, this hook is kinda growing on me. Hmmm, for the verses I would give this a 5/5 but for the hook I'd probably give it a 3/5, but it is catchy. Ok, this is a good song, but I probably won't come back to it to be honest, except for maybe those verses. 4/5
15. Miss Georgia Fornia (feat. Joi) (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
I really like this sound, Joi sounds great on the chorus. I think this song is about how K.R.I.T. is struggling with his relationship with this woman from California. Its seems to be about how instead of moving to L.A. he moved to Atlanta in Georgia. The Miss Georgia Fornia title is probably a way of saying how this woman pulls his between California and Atlanta. I like this song a lot. It's pretty damn catchy and has a nice sound. K.R.I.T. sounds really great as usual. This song is dope, but again, it's not 100% my style. However, if this song came on I would listen all the way through. It's a nice song. 4/5
16. Everlasting (Produced by WLPWR)
I really like this production. K.R.I.T.'s flow sounds really different and cool over this production. This song is basically just K.R.I.T. flirting with this chick, it's really interesting to listen to. I love the storytelling in this song. This is really an experience to listen to. I love this song, it's really entertaining and unique. I really fuck with this song a lot. 5/5
17. Higher Calling (feat. Jill Scott) (Produced by Supah Mario)
Jill Scott sounds really nice on the Chorus, I really like it. This production is really great. This song is just K.R.I.T. rapping to this girl he has a special connection to. It's a really nice song, I have no complaints so far. He's starting the second verse now. He's saying he wants to have a baby with her.
"This is unexpected, such a blessing, had to tell you to express it You wouldn't feel it if I texted no emojis were selective"
This line is probably kinda corny, but you know, saying something that can't be expressed through text is something I relate to a lot, so I like this line. I really like this song. It's a nice groovy song, and it's a little romantic thing to listen to. 5/5
18. Weekend Interlude (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
This is a funny skit, it's essentially a parody of typical radio ads, yelling out "ITS THE WEEKEND" a bunch of times in the background. I won't rate it since its a skit, but I like it.
19. Price of Fame (Produced by WLPWR)
This production is amazing. I really love the sound of this song, and the way that K.R.I.T. delivers the verses. Something about this song connects to me instantly without me even hearing the lyrics. Oh wow that's a chorus. It's perfect, I love every single line.
"Paparazzi after my shows askin' me questions God fed up with my soul so ain't no blessin's Happiness can't be bought or sold, I learned my lesson Now I see what fame will really get you; Bottle by the nightstand, that ease the stresses Dealin' with depression, pills on the dresser Fiendin' for affection so I'm buying out the section Now I see what fame will really get you"
This is amazing so far.
"I know some partners that been sued by their bloodline Lord forbid I let my blood down The first time I say no, guess we ain't blood now Scared, me as a businessman is like all they see Justin Scott trapped as Big K.R.I.T. screaming, "It's really me" When it was only us it was only love, how could this be? When falling out for some is not getting the V.I.P"
That's fucked up, I have an amazing family, so I can understand how heartbreaking it would be for your family to betray you. Man I absolutely love this song through and though. This is amazing to me. The lyrical content is fantastic, and even though I'm not famous, he makes everything so personal and relatable. This is easily my favourite song on the album so far. 5/5
20. Drinking Sessions (feat. Keyon Harrold) (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
Straight away I love the sound of this song, I think this is gonna be one of the best songs. This production is fantastic. K.R.I.T. is talking about how things were for him when he was starting up in the industry, and he's reflecting on his life so far. He's talking about his depression and all his fears in life.
"Ain't no hotline worth dialing to say the world needs help We too busy filling our needs that we might kill us ourselves"
He sounds like he's about to start crying, this is a really personal track for him. He's really worried about the world and worried for himself. This is a really great song. K.R.I.T. really opened up on this track, and he made something special. Plus that instrumental at the start and end is my favourite on the entire album. 5/5
21. The Light (feat. Bilal, Robert Glasper, Kenneth Whalum and Burniss Earl Travis II) (Produced by Big K.R.I.T.)
Well that's a lot of features. I like the feel of this song, it's really jazzy and nice to listen to. Apparently Kenneth Whalum and Robert Glasper are a bassist and composer respectively, meaning that Bilal and Burniss Earl Travis II are on vocals. They sound great on the chorus. I think Bilal is the main singer, but Burniss is giving great backup vocals. This song is essentially K.R.I.T. commenting on race and wealth barriers in America, how some people work their ass off and can still barely afford to eat, which is why a lot of people resort to crime. He also talks about how people are losing faith in God.
"Who wants to be saved When they claim that the prayers that we pray go unheard In these God-forgotten days, just in case Keep the lights burning"
This is a really great song.
"Because my dreams are dreams, don't make them less real Nightmares are still the same thing"
This is some real rap. I really dig this song, the lyrics that K.R.I.T. is spitting on this are 100% real, and as someone who doesn't live in America, it really gives a great insight into what its like for him over there. This is another amazing track. 5/5
22. Bury Me In Gold (Produced by DJ Khalil)
Well, here we are, final track. This has been a long ass album, but it's really great so its ok. Ok, I can now officially say the production has been amazing on every single track of this album. This is great. Ok, K.R.I.T. is going in now. I like the Gold wordplay he's using in this song.
"I got a goal to be golden like King Tut Often those pictures of that gold, they would flicker Make it hard to call me nigga 'Cause the chains ain't the chains they chained us up with This rope ain't the rope they hanged us up with"
I really like these lines. This chorus is really grand and soulful. This is a good finisher to the album. It finishes on a triumphant note. Wow I love the message that K.R.I.T. is sending with this outro.
"And this song isn't meant to be a glorification of gold But the understanding that even if I could take all of this with me That I’d give it away to get to heaven I’d give it away to see my grandmother again I’d give it away to be at paradise and be at peace with myself"
What a great conclusion to the album, it puts a smile on your face and really makes you think and smile. This is a fantastic song. 5/5
Justin Scott : 96/100
Favourite Track: Price of Fame
Least Favourite: Keep The Devil Off
This album was amazing. I've wanted to do album reviews for a long time, and I'm glad that this is the first one I decided to review. Lyrically, I don't have a single problem with anything K.R.I.T. said on this entire project, although some lines weren't as impactful as others, he really thought about this album and took his time putting it together, and it paid off big time. The award for worst line definitely goes to Lloyd though. That was pretty funny though. Anyway, I'm really looking forward to whatever K.R.I.T. puts out next, this album has definitely made him one of my favourite new rappers easily. If he drops something even slightly better than this, I think he'll have a classic on his hands, he's definitely good enough for that. To be honest, I think that this might end up being a classic too, but we'll just have to wait and see. This is up there with my top 3 albums for 2017 for sure.
Final Score: 97/100
Favourite Track: Price of Fame
Least Favourite: Keep the Devil Off