Big K.R.I.T. - Live From the Underground Album Review

Artist: Big K.R.I.T.
Album: Live From The Underground
Label: Cinematic Music/Def Jam Records
Executive Producers: Big K.R.I.T., Johnny Shipes, & Sha Money XL

Over the past 3 years Meridian, Mississippi native Big K.R.I.T. has become a Southern Rap favorite with 3 complete free albums (“K.R.I.T. Wuz Here”, “Return of 4Eva”, and “4Eva N A Day”) that many have considered classics, and the first of which led to his signing with Def Jam Records. After a few delays (and the release of “4Eva N A Day” to hold over his fans) K.R.I.T. finally unleashes his major label debut with “Live From The Underground.” Just like his street albums K.R.I.T. handles the production on the entirety of the album ensuring his complete control over the project and his own brand of “country rap tunes.” Joining K.R.I.T. on the album are southern legends like Devin The Dude, Anthony Hamilton, Bun-B of UGK, Ludacris, and 8Ball & MJG along with one of the more popular Atlanta artists today (2Chainz) and Blues legend BB King.

“Live From The Underground” opens up with the soulful sound all K.R.I.T. fans have come accustomed to on the Intro song “LFU300MA” where K.R.I.T. narrates with a sort of spoken-word/poem style over the funky production. On the title track “Live From The Underground” K.R.I.T. takes us on a trip through the “underground” where he says he’s been “pushing rhymes underground like moonshine.” K.R.I.T. represents the South with pride on “Cool 2 Be Southern” over thumping bass and triumphant horns. This is one of those songs where non-southerners will have a hard time to relate to while those of us from below the Mason-Dixon will fall in love with immediately, and with laid back, riding tempo non-southerners will still be able to bump this one on Summer days. K.R.I.T. follows up with the lead single from the album, “I Got This,” K.R.I.T.’s personal F-U to the haters.

K.R.I.T. then enlists the first features on the album from a few heavyweights. Memphis legends 8Ball & MJG and one of the hottest rappers in the south, ATL’s 2 Chainz (aka Tity Boi of Playaz Circle), join K.R.I.T. for the club banging stripper anthem “Money On The Floor” (the first song released from the album). Leave it to K.R.I.T. to take such a smooth beat and turn it into an unexpected club rattler (the chopped & screwed hook definitely helps) as Ball & G turn in stellar guest appearances. Another southern legend joins the party on “What You Mean” as Atlanta veteran Ludacris hops on the trip through the underground with K.R.I.T. over one of the bigger trunk rattlers on the album. K.R.I.T. loves cars (as many of us down south do) and on every album he makes sure to send a shoutout to his favorite rides and K.R.I.T. meshes a Beastie Boys sample in with the track (a perk of signing with Def Jam I’m sure).

One of the fan favorites from “Return of 4Eva” was the thumping “My Sub” so K.R.I.T. breaks out the subs again for Pt. 2 aka “The Jackin” with a window rattling story of K.R.I.T. taking a female on a trip riding around the country until the female sets him up for a carjacking and the beat breaks down into a chopped & screwed syrupy smooth conclusion. The tempo shifts on “Don’t Let Me Down” where K.R.I.T. talks about all of the struggles people go through in life and the ways you attempt to maintain:

“I crank my system till’ its clicking and then I let it thump/
put all my problems in my CUP and then I grip the wheel/
there’s too much money to be had, I aint sitting still/
a country boy trying to make these petty ends meet/
I learned my lesson, can’t trust n*ggas cause they envy/
cant stop this show, im bout my dough, and that’s all I can say/
thank God for everything, I coulda died like yesterday/
make room for me in case my plane just aint meant to fly/
I hope you there If I fall from the sky/
oh my, don’t let me down”

Next up K.R.I.T. asks his lady to leave the “Porchlight” on where he says he hates to leave her home alone (while on the grind) but asks her to leave the porch light on when he makes it back to her. Legendary R&B crooner Anthony Hamilton adds the stellar hook to take this one over the edge. K.R.I.T.’s primary partner in rhyme Big Sant joins him along with UGK legend Bun-B for “Pull Up” over the funky strings and snares as the trio spit bars about pulling up and taking your chick. Despite having to try and stay up with two heavyweights in K.R.I.T. & Bun, Big Sant is able to turn in a stellar guest feature alongside the two but Bun completely bodies the track (Bun is unbelievably comfortable alongside K.R.I.T.’s soulful, southern production which shouldn’t be surprising as K.R.I.T. is constantly compared to Bun-B’s longtime fallen partner Pimp-C).

K.R.I.T. follows up with the next single from the album with “Yeah Dats Me” which very well could be the biggest party record on the album and K.R.I.T. even shows a little more diversity with his flow as he speeds it up to match the up tempo beat turning in a surprising performance over the rumbling production. An uncredited female MC also adds a few bars to the end of this one. Houston, TX legend Devin The Dude hops on the ride alongside K.R.I.T. for “Hydroplaning” one of the most stellar tracks on the entire album. The horns and keys provide the haunting backdrop as K.R.I.T. weaves a tale about reaching the sky, his own personal smokers anthem along with the King of Smokes Anthem (at least in the South) Devin:

“thunder cracking, another day to be chilling/
nothing to do except roll up and poe up, and catch that feeling I had/
back when I was younger, used to bum from my partners uncle/
had that smoke that smelled like dumpster/
something missing, I’m way too high to talk my pimping/
so I sip my Remy, that’s when I first got tunnel vision/
yeah I saw it clearly, sunshine never shine like this/
when I was sober off in the yo I never rhyme like this/
I think I’m tripping, no I’m high, no I’m throwed/
well all I know is that my world is super slow/
I like this better, light as a feather, too fly too land/
too throwed to drive in this weather/
I’m hydroplaning”

K.R.I.T.’s flow is the complete opposite from “Yeah Dats Me” as he slows his flow down to almost a spoken word flow, a stoner flow if you will. The mood shifts back on “If I Fall” as R&B singer Melanie Fiona joins K.R.I.T. on this uplifting track about getting back up after you fall no matter what. K.R.I.T.’s use of live instrumentation continues to stand out with the focus on this one being some amazing keys. K.R.I.T. keeps things on the uplifting side on the amazing “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” where K.R.I.T. talks about having a poor dad when it comes to money but a rich dad when it comes to being someone you can look up to. This one is an excellent joint with Father’s Day coming up and it’s nice to see fathers getting some much needed positive reflection in Hip Hop for once:

“never in a sense of money spent/
Christmas trees are beautiful without presents up under them/
lead by example, don’t get up in the rapture/
life is just a raffle, mostly pain, but some laughter/
the older that you get, its even harder to believe/
no superheroes on TV you used to see/
remember that I told you slow down, control your speed/
the more you walk with God, the harder it is to scrape your knee/
I remember when I fell from my first bike/
there were no “are you okays” and rarely “are you alrights”/
Just dirt in my pockets, handful of gravel/
that’s when I realized that getting up is only half the battle/
the fear of falling off will haunt me well into my teens/
the moment that the world took a shit upon my dreams/
cause money is the root and love is all we had/
in fact, I’m glad, I had a rich dad, poor dad/”

A truly amazing record, especially for someone like me who has the definition of a “rich dad, poor dad.” Blues legend and fellow Mississippi native BB King joins K.R.I.T. on “Praying Man” (BB King sings the chorus and even plays guitar on the song) where K.R.I.T. take us to church on another incredible, storytelling record where K.R.I.T. raps from the perspective of a slave (who goes from the slave ship to running away from the plantation) and B.B. King's legendary voice just adds to the feeling on this one. K.R.I.T. then closes the album out with a reprise (remix) of the title track and features a hook from Ms. Linnie, K.R.I.T.'s very own grandmother, in a smooth close to the album.

If you want to be taken on a trip through all of the possible emotions (deep thought, crunk/party, laid back, spiritual, rowdy, etc.) K.R.I.T. will most certainly take you on that ride. One of my biggest fears for this album was that Def Jam would attempt to conform K.R.I.T. into what they thought a southern rapper should sound like but this album is most certainly Big K.R.I.T. in all his country rap tune glory. K.R.I.T. sticks the script with the soulful samples, live instrumentation, and thoughtful lyrics but still continues to grow not only as a producer but as an MC. If you’re a hip hop fan, especially a southern hip hop fan, in this day and age of nothing but garbage on the radio you should be going out of your way not only to listen to this album but to buy it. I think K.R.I.T. has earned out $10 after 3 FREE albums over the last 3 years.