Of late, I have been really getting into Detroit rap artist Willie The Kid and his latest release, The Fly 2: The Transformation. Laced with some ill quotes from the ‘The Fly,’ which starred one of my favorite actors, Jeff Goldblum, The Fly 2 is an incredible piece of work that showcases his lyrical ability as well as his handle on telling a rather adequate story. The features on the project don’t dilute the work, yet, rather enhance it. Staying in a Midwestern state of mind, I have also abused the hell out of Piñata, a collaborative album by Gary, Indiana native, Freddie Gibbs, along with Californian artist, Madlib. So, it’s basically a Midwestern state of mind. Nevertheless, Piñata has been my favorite album of 2014 thus far, and Gibbs’ flow over Madlib’s production, along with the occasional feature, should have it atop the throne even when the year is over. Unless, that is, BIG K.R.I.T. somehow patterns the rest of his upcoming album, Cadillactica, after its first single, the ever-dope-as-all-hell “Mt. Olympus,” which he also produced.
I first heard this track several weeks ago after noticing some online buzz. As a fan of K.R.I.T., I assumed the song wouldn’t disappoint, but I had no idea that the song would stick with me the way it has.
K.R.I.T., a Mississippi native, possesses a Southern twang that isn’t campy or exaggerated, but smooth and aggressive while managing to not sound excessively
YASSS. K.R.I.T.
perturbed. “Now they wanna hear a country nigga rap/Five albums in, I swear a country nigga snap/Thought they wanted trap, thought they wanted bass/Thought they wanted Molly, thought they wanted drank/Fuck them niggas, now they wanna hear a country nigga rap…” is how K.R.I.T. delivers the hook at the beginning of the song as the beat builds. It’s clear that K.R.I.T. is, well, pissed the fuck off. Contrary to popular belief, K.R.I.T. is a Southern artist who can absolutely rap his ass off, in the lyrical sense. He’s been doing so, in fact, since 2010, when he released K.R.I.T. Wuz Here. Do your damn homework, people.
Fortunately for us, K.R.I.T. is able to emote in a way that most music artists simply aren’t able to. When he rapped, “I ain’t drawn to all this propaganda, rap shit ’bout as real as Santa,” I didn’t take it as an artist upset with the fact that he’s not yet “on.” The way I viewed it, K.R.I.T. was addressing all of those who wanted to turn this, that, and the third into a dispute between two artists, or even fanbases. K.R.I.T. is right. Basically, this rap shit has become very, obscenely fake. “Now I’m lyrical all of a sudden/Well last year they claim they ain’t understand me,” rapped K.R.I.T. immediately after. How convenient, no? K.R.I.T. always did a pretty good job of injecting a bit of trap into his music, but anyone genuinely listening simply couldn’t ignore the extraordinary lyricism involved. And now, with so many on the “real rap/hip-hop” bandwagon once more (AMIRITE?!), K.R.I.T. is such a fine wordsmith! He’s so articulate and well-spoken! Please. K.R.I.T. ain’t buying it. Put ’em in the trunk with the subwoofers, bruh.
I won’t get into the significance of the title, “Mt. Olympus,” because I’m into Greek Mythology more than I probably should be and don’t want to lose my 22 readers. However, know this: Mt. Olympus is home to the 12 chief gods of Greek Mythology, and who was the god of gods? ZEUS. It’s not a stretch to believe that K.R.I.T. fancies himself along the lines of Zeus, and when he drops something like this song, it’s hard to argue with him.
It wasn’t that long ago that K.R.I.T. made that wack ass XXL cover for freshmen rappers or something like that. The buzz surrounding him was huge, but somehow, it essentially left, despite the fact that he’s churned out great music since. Sir Kendrick Lamar has been crowned, and there have been a bunch of microwave rappers who have come and gone, but I truly believe that K.R.I.T. has something the average music artist doesn’t, which is staying power. At least, I’m hoping he’ll stick around. He will, won’t he? Why shouldn’t he be able to? Regardless, if you’ve listened to “Mt. Olympus” and weren’t moved to lash out against something that you feel has been ignoring your prowess for far too damn long, you simply ain’t human. I’ll leave you with this tidbit from BIG K.R.I.T.: “Yeah, I said it, I thought they wanted radio, bitch make up yo’ mind!” Please. Do that.
Milo Kamalani Lives Here 