Big K.R.I.T.’s got Southern stars in his eyes. The Mississippi MC, only months removed from the release of furious sophomore effort Live From the Underground, came out hot as the seventh layer, with “4eva and a Day” and “Yeah Dats Me” setting the pace for a jam-packed one-hour set mixing Southern soul’s most potent syrup cocktail. K.R.I.T. was a dynamo throughout, a man cut from stone running wind sprints and doing jumping jacks across the stage. He hustles just as hard. “Shout out to promotion,” he hollered after slamming new single “What U Mean.” Next, he rattled off his bevy of websites: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter. He even previewed the fact that he’d play one of his own songs (“I Got This”) later in the set. Those examples all came between a run of hits. “Yeah Dats Me,” “Just Touched Down,” and “Cool 2 Be Southern” all ripped. “Pull Up” burned. And then there was “Country Shit,” the first track that made the man. Big K.R.I.T.’s making big moves. That Southern crown could soon be his.
This article appears in October 19 • 2012.