Review Summary: Enjoyable southern rap that emulates its influences well
In a relatively short period of time, Big K.R.I.T. has made a name for himself as one of the south's rising stars since 2010 debut
K.R.I.T Wuz Here. The Mississippi rapper/producer escaped the "trap"pings of regional mainstays Gucci Mane and Young Jeezy, expounding a more conscious-bent lyrical style coupled with smooth, soulful beats. He used the very same formula in follow up mixtapes
ReturnOf4eva and
4Eva N A Day, as well as his proper studio debut - a prime reason why
Live From The Underground struggles so much to be unique. With respect to tone, flow, and even production, KRIT borrows heavily from a melange of southern legends in Pimp C (of UGK), Outkast, and even Killer Mike. The repetitive hooks of "Cool 2 Be Southern" and "I Got This" do much to establish this vibe of Pimp C worship throughout; "Pull Up" could have even been a B-Side of the posthumous
UGK 4 Life. While Big K.R.I.T. is a solid rapper and serviceable producer, one can't help but think this has all been done before not only on his previous mixtapes, but every southern rap record this side of 1995. The rhyme scheme of each verse follows a very uniform aabbccdd repeating pattern, and the music itself leans very heavily on an overused, generic soul vibe. In short,
Live From The Underground offers nothing game-changing, but is definitely enjoyable (especially on high energy jams like "Yeah Dats Me"), emulating its influences well.
