Big K.R.I.T. is Tha Muthaf**kin Truth!

"They made it so the villains we would cheer fo', 'cause they murdered all the heroes"
Big K.R.I.T.-"American Rapstar"

Listen to " Return of 4eva", available for free download on K.R.I.T.'s website, www.returnof4eva.com, and I'm  sure you'll agree. "Return of 4eva," Big K.R.I.T.'s follow up to the critically claimed "Krit wuz Here",  is laden with a medley of songs, ranging from reflective tracks with old school soul beats to the synthesized bass heavy beats endemic of southern hip hop popular during the 1990's and the first half of this century. The album was produced entirely by K.R.I.T.

In "R4 Intro", the song uses a clever sample from Marvin Gaye's "What's going on", then K.R.I.T. introduces the album, starting rhyming at a slow place about opening up at a concert and ending his verse at a frantic pace. "Rise and Shine" in which K.R.I.T rhymes over soulful moaning vocals mixed with scratching, a beat reminiscent of Rico Wade's Organized production for Outkast. "R4 Theme Song" is a medley of operatic voices, 808 beats, and K.R.I.T. repeating "For-eva-eva?" in Andre 3000 fashion; on this track, K.R.I.T. channels Pimp C (RIP) with a country twang flow. On "Dreamin", which uses the haunting sample from Brothers of Soul "Dream", K.R.I.T. raps about his genesis as a rapper. In "Rotating My Tires", K.R.I.T. spits a Juicy J-esque hook ("Old school when I ride, forever sky high, working wood wheel, when the sun's outside, I'm just rotating my tires")  over a 1980's r&b beat, with Chinese symbols and drum roll. Five tracks in, and I could tell "Return of 4eva" was going to be an amazing CD. "American Rapstar" and "Players Ballad" "Country Sh*t remix" are other standout tracks on "Return of 4eva".

In contrast to "Krit wuz Here," which only featured Big Sant, K.R.I.T.'s partner in rhyme, "Return of 4eva" has several guest stars, including Big Sant ("Made Alot") David Banner ("Sookie Now"), Joi (Shake It), Chamillionare ("Players Ball") Ludacris and Bun B ("Country Sh*t remix").

Needless to say, K.R.I.T. is one of the best MC's to coming out of the south in a long time, giving hope to southern hip hop. His music promises to bring a rebirth of  the good ol' country sh*t that hip hop's been missing for a long time.

Where The Hell is Jean Grae?

With the ubiquity of Nicki Minaj these days, one has to wonder where the hell is Jean Grae?  She has not put out a studio album since Jeanius, which was produced  three years ago, and Hip hop is in need of another female perspective other than Nicki Minaj's.What brought Jean Grae to mind was a recent Rolling Stone review of Lauryn Hill, which made a reference to Nicki Minaj in regards to who was the best female MC (Rolling Stone gave it to Lauryn). I bring that up to say I was amazed that Rolling Stone would even bring up Lauryn Hill and Nicki Minaj in comparison to who's the greatest female MC, considering the several female MCs who've made significant contributions to hip hop (Mc Lyte, Queen Latifah, Sista Souljah, Monie Love,Yo-Yo, Bahamadia, the Lady Rage, Da Brat, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Missy Elliot, Eve) before and between Lauryn and Nicki, not even including Jean Grae, which is, in my opinion, the most skilled female MC to come out in this past decade

Upon doing some research, I found that Jean is at work on her new album, Cake or Die, which is due to be released this spring. Two tracks, Bridge (Produced by RJD2) and Rock in My Pocket, feat. Styles P and Talib Kweli. Both are very promising samples of her album; hopefully the rest of the album is of comparable quality. If it's anywhere as good as Jeanius, (which from the leaked tracks it appears it can be) then it would definitely worth the wait. But my the first question posed just leads me to asking another: where the hell are all the female MC's at today?

Hip Hop is definitely in need of more female voices. Up until recent years there were several (Eve, Remy Ma, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Trina, Rah Digga) female MC's, however in the last few years their voices seem to been silenced, with the exception of occasional club banger ("Tambourine"-Eve, "Download"-Lil Kim, for example. Several of the aforementioned have run into legal problems and jail time (Remy Ma, Lil Kim, and Foxy Brown); but even more problematic than that I see that many of these female MC's fall into the trap of being the "baddest chick" instead of focusing on their lyrical skills; in other words, they flaunt their sex appeal instead of their skills on the microphone, which becomes played out very quickly (see Trina "Waist so Skinny" for example). The only exception to this rule I have seen recently was Rah Digga, who put out a slept on but very dope album "Classic", which was full of tight rhymes and slick 70's funk production by Nottz.

Female MC's falling into the "baddest chick" trap is unfortunate because women have a great deal of perspectives  they could bring to hip hop (relationships, parenthood, etc) and stances against misogyny, sexual  abuse, many negative elements that plague hip hop music and the black community. While they may not receive the fame of being the "baddest chick", they will definitely gain the respect that their hip hop forbears (MC Lyte, Queen Latifah, Sistah Souljah, and Lauryn Hill) demanded when they stepped on the stage.




 

The Yuppification of Hip Hop

Hip Hop, namely hip hop clubs, have become the latest victims of gentrification. Over the past several years, hip hop clubs in large urban areas have enacted dress codes that have banned baggy clothing, gym shoes, baseball caps and other apparel that are synonymous with hip hop culture. In the past ten years, a large group of African Americans (the largest groups of performers/listeners of hip hop music) have become affluent  and a large professional black class has emerged; and with them, more Caucasians, Asians, etc have become patronizers of black clubs. As a result, club owners have been receptive of catering to their wants, designing their clubs with slick designs, bars stocked full of high end liquors and attractive female hosts to greet entering patrons with VIP sections. However, these club owners and their dress code restrictions have left a large percentage of the hip hop demographic, hip hop purveyors of the nonprofessional class, out in the cold.

This past Sunday, I went to the Ice Cube concert at the Mid, a nondescript club located in the West Loop neighborhood in Chicago. Before going in, security informed my friend Rob that he would have to take off his baseball cap ("What?" He asked me. "I can't wear a baseball cap at a hip hop show?") Upon entering, I was surprised to find a modern designed night club, lined with columns, a long neon lit bar, and of course a VIP section, patronized by young men and women enjoying what appeared to be a bevy of high end liquor. This scene, though not in the VIP Section, could be seen throughout the nightclub, young men in casual work wear making frequent trips back and forth to the bar. Before Ice Cube got on stage, local Chicago artists Illagit/Alo and Mikkey Halsted gave very spirited performances, however both received lukewarm responses from the crowd, as many took this time to make bar runs. When Ice Cube and W.C. entered the stage, the crowd became excited, but that was to be expected; it's ICE CUBE, one of the founders of gangster rap.

I can recall many experiences like this, and they all attest to the growing class gap between hip hop listeners, the haves and the have nots; club owners have aligned themselves with the haves, which is understandable, as that is where the money is. However, I believe this is unfair to the lovers of hip hop who cannot afford a nice suit jacket, a button down shirt and dress shoes. Let us not forget, when hip hop was founded over thirty years ago, it was founded on the premises of creativity; who could rap, beat box or tag the best; not who could buy the flashiest clothes and the most expensive liquor; it would be good if some people ( i.e.club owners) would keep that in mind.