Release Date: Nov 10, 2014
Genre(s): Southern Rap, Hardcore Rap
Record label: Def Jam
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When Big K.R.I.T. proclaims himself “King of the South” it’s because he has a right to it. From a critical standpoint, few artists, if any, in all of hip-hop could keep up with the discography Big K.R.I.T. has built up over the last half decade, let alone artists exclusively from the South. T ….
Big K.R.I.T. :: CadillacticaCinematic/Def JamAuthor: Emanuel WallaceIt's hard to believe that it's been over two years since Big K.R.I.T.'s major label debut album "Live From The Underground" was released, but it has been. The album received generally positive reviews but with the body of work that K.R.I.T. -- the album came off as a disappointment to some long-time K.R.I.T.
Big K.R.I.T. is carving out a new space for himself again. Early in his career he showed out with quality material devoid of any mixtape inclinations and gave it away for free. In an industry with deepening commercial roots in Atlanta, K.R.I.T. had a different and more specific country charm to him ….
Like David Banner before him, Meridian, Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T. was baptized in deep Southern slop and then cut through the competition with a bit of an indie spin, but Cadillactica is on another level, and if the album cover makes it looks like one of Kid Cudi's space jams, there's good reason. This sprawling, ambitious effort is the promise of Cudi's early soul-searching fulfilled, beginning with two interesting intros, best of the pair being "Life" where K.R.I.T.
Big K.R.I.T.'s second major label album, Cadillactica, surpasses the rudimentary purpose of filling his sophomore album slot, sending fans swirling through a textured orbit of flavourful production and detailed storytelling. The Mississippi rapper has created a 17-track modern southern-style fairy-tale that catapults K.R.I.T. into a new tier of artistic relevancy and, following an arguably lacklustre year in hip-hop, fills a void."Let's create," the album enticingly begins.
A thousand dollars and a pan of brownies: That’s what Mississippi rapper and producer Big K.R.I.T. offered to anyone who could identify every sample he used on 2010’s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. No one could; there were too many, too seamlessly intertwined. The mixtape was a rich, deeply soulful stream ….
Even when he was just emerging in the blog-rap golden era of 2009-10, Big K.R.I.T. felt like a remnant from another time. The Mississippi rapper/producer was as Southern as it’s possible to be, with a deep drawl that could suddenly accelerate like a souped-up caddie. His topics of choice were car culture, faith, and music-making, and he created rousing anthems celebrating those subjects.
Sweet Baby Jesus hip-hop heads, the moment is finally here! Cadillactica has arrived! I should be jumping over the moon in a joyous, jubilant celebration.... So why do I find myself overcome with anxiety? You know when you wait so long for something, when you want something so badly, that when you finally get it you don't know quite what to do with it? That's how I feel about Big K.R.I.T's Cadillactica; I'm not mentally prepared for this moment. I spent so much time waiting for this album, praying to the hip-hop gods that it would be delivered unto my unworthy ear parts, that now that I can actually put it in my ear parts, I'm not sure I'm ready.
Gone are the days when Big K.R.I.T. would hint at his supremacy using the gold coronal logo, his acronym (King Remembered In Time), or song and mixtape titles littered with the word “king.” With the release of his sophomore album, Cadillactica, insinuations are left in the dust as he peels out in his drop top spaceship bellowing “King of the South” in no uncertain terms. The Def Jam MC makes a strong case for the crown this time around, doling out aggressively cerebral bars over plush production to construct an 808-incepted rap dreamscape.
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