Here we have the 15th mixtape from Mississippi emcee/producer Big K.R.I.T., who started out by releasing a few mixtapes from the mid to late 2000s. He eventually signed to Cinematic Music Group in 2010 & his 6th mixtape K.R.I.T. Wuz Here that same year landed him a joint venture with Def Jam Recordings & a spot in the XXL Freshman Class in 2011. His first couple of full-lengths Live from the Underground & Cadillactica in 2012 & 2014 respectively continued to show his potential, but then he went on to form his own label Multi Alumni some time after. The inaugural outing under the new independent label being 4eva’s a Mighty Long Time, which is the best double disc hip hop album of the 2010s without question. Following that was the T.D.T. compilation & even K.R.I.T. Iz Here, which was an underwhelming sequel to K.R.I.T. Wuz Here given how excessively commercial it was in comparison to the rawness of the predecessor. D.R.D.D. (Digital Roses Don’t Die) wasn’t any better, so I went into Dedicated to Cadalee Biarittz hoping he’d return to form commemorating the 2-year anniversary of Regardless, It’s Still Timeless later this month.
After the “Cadalee Radio” intro, the self-produced “Old News” works in a sample & hi-hats talking about hearing at all at this point in his career whereas “Gotta Do It” blends cloud rap & dirty south looking to do things the way the playas did back then. After the “Grillz by Scotty” commercial, “Hi Def” shifts towards a pop rap vibe with a bit of a Zapp twist to it while “The Mileage” talks about crankin’ the volume in his big body.
“Not in the Whip” embraces a more aggressive approach in delivery refusing to touch base regarding politics or any petty bullshit thrown his way & after the “CJ Customs” commercial, “I-20” begins the 2nd half of the album with a hook reminiscent of Devin the Dude talking about spillin’ on the major east-west highway down south. “Elevated” brings a smoother beat to the fold speaking of his artistic altitude while “The Everliving Sub Knocker” featuring Karlous Miller talks about bass.
After the “Spokesnvogues” commercial, “So Far So Good” jazzily homages the late Roy Ayers while “Precious Metal” talks about appreciating life & rollin’ in a whip with old school candy paint bumpin’ the late DJ Screw. “In the Rain” dedicates itself to every sunbeam that wouldn’t leave him alone until Karlous Miller shines with a 44 second freestyle. “Celebrate the Line” featuring Killa Kyleon, Lil’ Keke, Paul Wall, Propain, Slim Thug & Z-Ro ends the album with a victorious Houston posse cut.
Shifting away from the commercialized sounds of K.R.I.T. Iz Here & D.R.D.D. (Digital Roses Don’t Die), this inaugural entry in the Dedicated to Cadalee Biarittz marks Big K.R.I.T.’s return to his dirty south roots & it has me highly looking forward to the way the rest of this series will pan out. His production also takes some inspiration from the Houston hip hop scene too & he’s a lot hungrier than he was compared to when he was forcing himself to appeal to a radio market that didn’t exist.
Score: 4/5
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