Already going to the sold-out Bassnectar show? Head to the Majestic afterward for Big K.R.I.T.
Big K.R.I.T.
More Go For The Opener
Welcome to Go For the Opener, in which we at The A.V. Club here in Madison plead that, if you’re getting ready to see a big concert, be sure to get there early and pay attention to the opening acts. Only this time, we’re encouraging you to stick around after a big show for another one right afterward.
The big show: Bassnectar, Alliant Energy Center, Friday, April 8, 7 p.m.
The other big show: Big K.R.I.T. and Freddie Gibbs, Majestic Theatre
The incentive: Peter Truby, the Majestic’s marketing coordinator, told us via e-mail that he’d “heard feedback that a bunch of people were having to choose between going to Bassnectar or going to Big K.R.I.T.,” which are the two shows the Majestic is promoting Friday. So as an incentive, the Majestic is offering all those already attending tonight’s sold-out Bassnectar show at the Alliant Energy Center discounted admission—as long as they show their ticket stubs—to see Big K.R.I.T. afterward, who’s scheduled to go on at the Majestic at 12:15 a.m.
Why you should listen: While Freddie Gibbs rose to prominence via blog-bolstered hype after being shelved and ultimately dropped by Interscope Records, Big K.R.I.T. has boosted his profile the same way independent rap stars have been doing so for years. When the Meridian, Mississippi, native found few outlets willing to promote him in his home state, and even fewer producers, in 2005, K.R.I.T. started producing his own beats and releasing his music independently. In 2010, K.R.I.T. self-released the exceptional K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, and was signed to Def Jam later in the year, for his production chops as much as his MCing.
The time spent in the wilderness has served K.R.I.T. well, as his excellent 2011 mix-tape, ReturnOf4Eva, proves. As a producer, K.R.I.T. is the Dirty South’s answer to early ’00s Kanye West; he’s a prodigious beatmaker who can build stellar beats out of well-worn tropes like dusty drumbeats and a chopped-up soul vocal (check either “Hometown Hero” or “Dreamin”). As a rapper, he’s capable of witty wordplay (his second verse on “Return Of 4Eva”), regional charm (“Gumpshun”), deconstructing his own career (“American Rapstar”), self-mythology (“Just Touched Down”), and leveling his heroes (the remix to “Country Shit,” which features Ludacris and Bun B).
While Gibbs constantly reminds rap fans of what used to be (’90s-era gangsterisms, delivered with an attention to detail), Big K.R.I.T. provides an archetype for the rapper in the era of Web 2.0: a self-contained artist making distinct and vital music, bending the music world to his vision.
