Big K.R.I.T. – Return of 4eva
Released: 28 March 2011
Rating Categories:
★★★★★: Best in show; pinnacle release from an all-time great artist.
★★★★1/2: Stellar example of genre; peak potential.
★★★★: Excellent; recommended to all fans of artist or genre.
★★★1/2: Very good; a few bland songs or minor flaws throughout.
★★★: Good; fans of the artist will find value here.
★★1/2: Average; does little to establish the artist or maintain quality.
★★: Unexceptional; a few highlights but otherwise bland.
★1/2: Weak; unrecommended for anyone but major fans of the style and/or artist.
★: Seriously flawed; very poor work but relatively listenable.
1/2: Terrible; a true embarrassment and akin to audio masochism.
R4 Intro: skit
Rise and Shine: 4.25/5
R4 Theme Song: 5/5
Dreamin’: 5/5
Rotation: 5/5
My Sub: 4.75/5
Sookie Now (feat David Banner): 4.25/5 (nice to hear these two on a track together)
American Rapstar: 5/5
Highs & Lows: 4.5/5
Shake It (feat. Joi): 3.75/5
Made Alot (feat. Big Sant): 4.75/5 (Sant snaps on this, good looks on K.R.I.T giving Sant the thick of the song.)
Lions & Lambs: 4.5/5
King’s Blues: 4.5/5
Time Machine (feat Chamillionaire): 5/5
Get Right: 5/5
Amtrak: 5/5
Player’s Ballad (feat Raheem DeVaughn): 4.75/5
Another Naive Individual Glorifying Greed and Encouraging Racism: 5/5
Free My Soul: 5/5
The Vent: 4.75/5
Country Shit (Remix) (feat. Ludacris & Bun B): 4.25/5
With all the slander Southern rap has endured over the years, it’s amazing that their newer artists aren’t spiteful. Big K.R.I.T. seems to remain humble. Return of 4eva (R4) is the follow-up to 2010′s K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, which was arguably the best rap album of 2010 (with all due respect to Kanye West’s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy). Lo and behold, K.R.I.T. has produced yet another Album of the Year in 2011, with R4.
What makes R4 so special is the outstanding production (produced entirely by K.R.I.T. himself) and the varying subject matter; topics varying from sexual fornication on “Amtrak” to vulnerable repentance on “Free My Soul“. R4 is full of soon-to-be certified Hip-Hop classic records, and is arguably even better than K.R.I.T. Wuz Here – which I didn’t think K.R.I.T. would be able to top.
Aside from releasing an amazing album in R4, as well as a mixtape full of collaborations (Last Kings 2), Big K.R.I.T. has also been increasingly producing for other rappers, crafting amazing records that have turned into playlist staples such as “Money On The Floor” featuring 2Chainz and southern legend Bun B, plus “Rob Me A Nigga” featuring top 5 rapper, Freddie Gibbs and DTE’s Alley Boy.
VERDICT
The best part about K.R.I.T.’s amazing freshman/sophomore combo? They’re both free. K.R.I.T. landed the best rap album two years in a row (2010 and 2011) and is CURRENTLY the best all-around rap artist in the game. A true rapper-producer double threat, K.R.I.T. aligns the stars on Return of 4eva a testament to his craft, and the best rap album of 2011. Rise and shine.
4.7/5 ★★★★★: Best in show; pinnacle release from an all-time great artist.