- Needless to say, it's the exact pressing we needed of Big K.R.I.T's magnificent Double-LP, 4Eva is A Mighty Long Time. This album truly demonstrates the virtuosity and skill of KRIT as an MC. With 22 tracks, one might think it would be a long listen filled with filler tracks, but that's just not the case.
- 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time CD Genre. User rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars with 61 reviews.
Breaks Down '4eva Is A Mighty Long Time,' Track By Track: All Songs Considered In his biggest artistic statement yet, the Mississippi native reconciles his own dichotomy in a double. What comes forth is the best album of 2017. Hits like Confetti, Big Bank, Bury Me in Gold, and Subenstein are paired with soulful hits of Layup, Miss Georgia Fornia, and Keep the Devil off. An amazing accomplishment by a masterful MC. Thank you for sharing that 4eva is a Mighty Long Time. Listen to 4eva Is A Mighty Long Time by Big K.R.I.T. On Amazon Music. Released on Oct 27 2017 with 22 songs. 1 hour and 24 minutes.
Forever is a mighty long time. In fact it seems like forever since Meridian, Mississippi native Big K.R.I.T. broke out with his “K.R.I.T. Wuz Here” mixtape in 2010, it feels like forever since his first album with Def Jam, “Live From the Underground” was released in 2012 and it even feels like forever since his “It’s Better This Way” mixtape dropped in 2015. Last year, K.R.I.T. dropped twelve freestyles over the course of twelve hours and months later announced that he was no longer with Def Jam. His frustrations with his time at the label were chronicled in his song “Free Agent.” Now back as an independent artist once again, K.R.I.T. presents a 22 track double album in the form of “4eva Is a Mighty Long Time.” In addition to K.R.I.T. himself, the album features production from DJ Compstar, Mannie Fresh, Organized Noise, DJ Khalil, Supah Mario and WLPWR. Guest appearances include T.I., Lloyd, UGK, Cee-Lo Green, Sleepy Brown, Joi, Jill Scott, Keyon Harrold, Robert Glasper, Burniss Travis and Kenneth Whalum. The idea at play with the double album is that one disc represents Big K.R.I.T. – the artist, and the other represents Justin Scott – the man. For what it’s worth, Big K.R.I.T.’s albums have always followed the same trajectory: Starting with trunk-rattling southern anthems before delving into deeper and more introspective topics. One could see this album as an elongation of that formula.
Disc 1 begins with “Big K.R.I.T.” where he delivers a spoken poem for a minute before the bass drops and a fiery K.R.I.T. comes out swinging as if he has a point to prove. We’ve seen this from him before in the past (see “Mt. Olympus” and Big Sean’s “Control” remix) and even K.R.I.T. himself decides that he needs to calm down. “Confetti” and “Big Bank” follow. The former comes off as a reality check for those who may think that they’re really on top of the world and doing everything big when in fact they aren’t doing very much at all, while the latter features T.I. and the two kings are at their s–t talking best just as anyone would expect. “Subenstein” is the fourth part in K.R.I.T.’s long running “My Sub” series and is co-produced by Mannie Fresh. True to its name, the track has enough bass in it to bring everything in its immediate vicinity to life, replete with the occasional mad scientist proclaiming that the bass is alive indeed. “1999” features Lloyd on the hook and his heavily influenced by Guy’s “Piece of My Love” making it a perfect fit for the clubs of uh, various types, but it feels like the track will do well in strip clubs.
It’s no secret the one of K.R.I.T.’s biggest influences is UGK. The duo of Bun B and Pimp C make an appearance on the Cory Mo produced “Ride Wit Me.” While it has almost been 10 years since Pimp’s passing, his vocals and adlibs fit perfectly on the track in a way that can’t help but make one wonder what kind of chemistry he and K.R.I.T. would have had. “Get Up 2 Come Down” follows and features the vocals of Sleepy Brown and the rhymes of Cee-Lo Green, who coincidentally puts his own spin on the late Pimp C’s inflections and delivery. “Layup” is a mellow track perfect for a late night drive but also has a bit of an inspirational touch to it as well for those who work hard but have yet to reap the benefits. The first disc comes to a close with “Aux Cord” and “Get Away.” The former is a homage to artists that came before K.R.I.T. like Bobby Womack, Sly & the Family Stone, Michael Jackson, Atlantic Starr, Eddie Kendricks, Marvin Gaye and even more contemporary artists like Raphael Saadiq, D’Angelo and Jill Scott. The latter is quintessential Big K.R.I.T. with a sample that comes in and builds up until the heavy bass drops and flows that are braggadocious and uplifting at the same time, as K.R.I.T. raps:
“I put the piece on chain, I did that s–t for the haters
Made in the image of greatness, I got that there from my makers
Skipped over the minor leagues, and took that s–t to the majors
F–k all that salt they was tossin, sauce got plenty of flavor
I’m on my shine like a chrome grill, when the sun out gon spill
That paint on a time machine, that’s set on some chrome wheels
[…]
Put my faith in God, even when it’s dark I won’t stop
Flip them high beams on, hit that gas to the top
I got love for my people, they got love for me
I know my power, what I’m worth and they bulls–t free”
With a lengthy instrumental at the end, it’s the perfect track to transition from the Big K.R.I.T. to the Justin Scott portion of the album. The opening number of the second disc is mostly instrumental and rife with blues and soul but it has just enough touch to make it not sound dated. The first few songs on this disc, “Mixed Messages,” “Keep the Devil Off” and “Miss Georgia Fornia,” all tackle issues that Scott finds himself at odds with regularly. On “Mixed Messages” K.R.I.T. struggles with the hypocrisy in some of his music and in life in general. He has a lover, but still wants to cheat. He has money so he no longer feels the need to pray or go to church anymore. He wants to know if it’s wrong to life in such a manner and is a refreshing look in the mirror that many more of us should be having. The organ, electric guitar, trumpet and claps on “Keep the Devil Off” work very well together to ward away any form of negativity that dares to rear its ugly face. It’s a feel-good track that takes you to church literally. “Miss Georgia Fornia” finds K.R.I.T. explaining to his beloved Mississippi (in the form of Joi) that him moving to Atlanta and possibly Los Angeles was all done for her and he’ll never forget her. He pleads for the chance to bring all the shine back home to her when he returns. “Everlasting” and “Higher Calling” follow and we find K.R.I.T. falling in love in the most awkward of places and nurturing it until it grows beyond his wildest expectations. “The Price of Fame” examines the trappings of fame that may not be so obvious to the naked eye like being alone in a crowded room full of strangers and developing addictions and being depressed. It’s a heavy subject but Scott handles it with care. One of the album’s standout tracks is the stellar “Drinking Sessions” which finds K.R.I.T. giving his musings on subjects that he says don’t necessarily fit into other songs, so he opts to let them all out after he’s had a few tastes of liquid courage, as he raps:
“I’mma be big, mama… I’mma get rich, mama
I’m sorry I ain’t got a wife and kids mama
But look what I did mama
Got a house I can barely stay in, a car I can barely drive
I’d be a liar if I said getting money didn’t make me feel alive
Hustling, arguing about who’s better than I in tweets
But what does it matter when a new artist comes out like every week
All the label all on they nutsack, good for them keep sucking
Most rappers will bend over backwards,but me? B—h I’m not for f–king
Over…I’d be the biggest star they told me
Sign my name on that line and when I die, that’s when it’s over
[…]
I got my gumption from my granny, had a dream about her like last night
She held me tight and told me “Little one, everything gon be alright
My mind playing tricks on me, but I needed that there
In a world where I feel all alone, sometimes I need her care
It’s hard to share my insecurities so I medicate, I mean meditate
And pray to God for a second chance, for heaven’s sake”
The album closes out with the socially concious “The Light” and “Bury Me in Gold.” The former features Bilal, Robert Glasper, Burniss Travis and Kenneth Whalum. The overarching theme of the track is that anyone could become a victim of their environment at any time and the light represents a small glimmer of hope, protection and safety. The closing song has a modern gospel feel and K.R.I.T. says the intention is not to glorify gold, but rather to say that he would give everything up to be happy.
On a whole double albums without a theme are tricky. Double albums with a theme prove to be even trickier. It’s a daunting task but Big K.R.I.T. does a good job of separating the two personas at the end of the day. If the album was about 5 or 6 minutes shorter, it could have fit on a single disc but perhaps at the expense of the narrative. The double disc format really helps to drive home the point when the listener wants to switch from Big K.R.I.T.’s “Get Away” to Justin Scott’s “Keep the Devil Off.” It requires the effort of changing discs. While mainstream success has more or less eluded him, Big K.R.I.T. has always been a formidable emcee. There’s an old adage that states that everything happens for a reason. Perhaps K.R.I.T.’s experiences were all a means for him to bare himself in such a manner that he hadn’t been able to do before. At the end of the day, “4eva is a Mighty Long Time” is a quality release that longtime and new Big K.R.I.T. fans alike will enjoy for quite some time or perhaps even forever.
When artists set out to pursue a career in the music industry, the overwhelming majority have dreams of going from rags to riches, from an unknown talent to having their name on the marquee for all to see. Creativity, in its purest form, is fueled by passion, however, when the business side of the music begins to creep into the picture, things tend to get a bit complicated. Unfortunately, this leads to many dreams of fame and fortune to be deferred. This is the predicament that Mississippi rep Big K.R.I.T. found himself in during his tenure as an artist signed to Def Jam Records, with whom he inked a record deal in 2010.
Riding high off the release of his critically acclaimed mixtape, K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, Big K.R.I.T. was touted as one of the leaders of the new school, being mentioned in the same sentence as future platinum artists like Kendrick Lamar and J. Cole. Critics predicted he was the next southern lyricist to set the rap world on fire. However, when his debut album, Live From the Underground, eventually arrived in 2012, it would fail to resonate with rap fans at large, resulting in marginal sales and a lack of interest surrounding the project. When his sophomore effort, Cadillactica, also underperformed commercially, it was believed that maybe K.R.I.T.'s pairing with Def Jam may have been more of a detriment than a career boost. This would all be confirmed by both sides when K.R.I.T. broke ties with the label in 2016.
The news may have appeared to be a setback initially, but K.R.I.T. would flip the script by deciding to go back to his roots and make music in the spirit of the tunes that originally exposed him to the hip-hop community. A little over a year later, Big K.R.I.T. has emerged from the shadows with, 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time, a double album that attempts to silence any whispers he'll fade into obscurity. This project, marking a triumphant return for the former phenom, consists of two portions: one with songs delivered from the vantage point of Big K.R.I.T. the artist, and the other as Justin Scott the person, which looks to separate man from the music in transparent fashion.
After nearly three years absent from the music scene, making a good first impression is essential to setting the tone for what fans can expect as they get into the thick of the album. Big K.R.I.T. wastes no words and leaves no prisoners on the 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time opening salvo 'Big K.R.I.T.' The song, which Big K.R.I.T. produced himself, finds the rapper laying it on heavy over bluesy keyboards and guitar riffs. 'Knocking on the door, hoping someone answers, yeah, I call that faith/This mouth of mine has turned down water for wine, I still recall that taste,' he rhymes. Alluding to the bitterness that engulfed him following his departure from the major label system amid soul-stirring vocals from Rolynne Anderson, Big K.R.I.T. comes across as a man possessed, resulting in an intense introduction that serves as a foreshadowing of things to come.
The brooding vibe continues on the DJ Camper-produced 'Confetti,' on which K.R.I.T. ponders, 'What's a crown if you don't protect it, nigga?/What's a name if they don't respect it, nigga?' before dropping heady couplets like, 'Nailing in they coffin, the cost of them being off it/Balling since Iverson crossed you, winner's circle my office.'
Known for being more of a self-contained artist than a serial collaborator, Big K.R.I.T. invites a few guests to join him throughout 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time, as T.I. rides shotgun on 'Big Bank,' and Lloyd assists in smoothing things out on the mid-tempo jam '1999.' With a hook built around interpolations of R&B trio Guy's classic 'Piece of My Love' and the Juvenile twerk anthem 'Back That Azz Up,' in addition to Big K.R.I.T.'s measured slick talk, '1999' comes across as a high-powered single without requiring him to stray too far out of his comfort zone—a balance that proved to be challenging in the past.
Bun B makes his presence felt on the Organized Noize and Cory Mo-produced 'Ride Wit Me,' which also includes a syrupy hook from Pimp C, who his partner in rhyme Bun B salutes. '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,' he warns. Additional highlights include the CeeLo Green and Sleepy Brown-assisted groove 'Get Up 2 Come Down' and the DJ Khalil-produced 'Aux Cord,' the latter of which serves as a nod to R&B and soul acts of the past that left a lasting impression on him during his youth. 'To vacation, across 110th Street was blazing/For the motherless children that related to Mahalia/I know, you tired of that you can't feel it in your heart/Let the music be your secret lover like Atlantic Starr,' K.R.I.T. drawls, while Nikki Greer lends her vocals to the proceedings, helping conclude the first portion of 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time on a euphoric note.
4eva Is A Mighty Long Time
Whereas the Big K.R.I.T. section of the album encapsulates its authors stylistic sensibilities and is drenched in swagger, the Justin Scott selections finds the MC beginning to unpack mentally. This begins with 'Mixed Messages,' on which he addresses his contradictory ways and the constant conflict within himself. Cuts like 'Miss Georgia Fornia,' which includes a masterful performance by Joi, and 'Higher Calling,' which pairs Big K.R.I.T. with Grammy Award-winning singer Jill Scott, are both rich with soul and stand among the more refined inclusions on 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time. However, the album reaches its crescendo during the latter half of Justin Scott, when the rapper throws caution to the win with the brute honesty of the selections 'Price of Fame,' 'Drinking Sessions,' 'The Light' and the epic finale 'Bury Me in Gold.'
Produced by Will Power, 'Price of Fame' finds K.R.I.T. touching on the toll that success has taken on him emotionally, as well as the strain it put on relationships with his family and friends. 'Happiness can't be bought or sold, I learned my lesson/Now I see what fame will really get you,' he laments. The former 2013 XXL Freshman continues to express his fear of disappointing his family and allowing money to come between them with the lines 'Got to protect myself at all times/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.'
His confessional continues on the self-produced 'Drinking Sessions,' on which Big K.R.I.T. reveals his battle with alcoholism and how he used drinking to cope with his perceived failures and shortcomings, making for one of the more revealing compositions he's released to date.
An accomplished producer in his own right, Big K.R.I.T. ups the ante by bringing in jazz extraordinaires Robert Glasper, Kenneth Whalum and Burniss Earl Travis II to join him on 'The Light.' The southern stalwart gets sociopolitical here, rhyming, 'Mama scared the police might make a point out of me/It's gets hard to sleep living life in a daze/When kings wanna be niggas, I hope it's phase.' His words come from the vantage point of a Black man 'in a world full of alt-rights.'
4eva Is A Mighty Long Time Rym
Parting ways from a major label can either lead to an artist finding a second lease on life or fading into obscurity and being ultimately referred to as a bust. Big K.R.I.T. has managed to rise to the occasion and return to form with 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time. The opus is dominated by the reflective introspect and soul-searching that first made rap fans disciples of the Mississippi spitter and lacks the contrived attempts at radio airplay that littered his previous offerings.
Diehard fans know him for the crown symbol and king-inspired song titles synonymous with his name, and this effort pushes him further into such royal territory. 'What's a crown if you don't protect it, nigga?' he delivers on 'Confetti,' which is proof enough he's aware of the respect he's garnered even though he's still got some time in the game before he earns an official title as a rap king. K.R.I.T. proves that sometimes the third time around is truly the charm, as 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time is arguably his most cohesive studio album to date. While mainstream superstardom may allude Big K.R.I.T., his legacy as one of the most lauded southern poets of his generation is very much alive and continues to grow with 4eva Is a Mighty Long Time, an admirable effort from one of rap's most resilient MCs.