Big Krit: Road To Being Remembered

Road to Being Remembered
By: Carl Lamarre

Everyone dreams of being remembered. Everyone fantasizes of having their names encrypted in the forefront of people’s minds because inevitably legacies will tarnish. Names will dissipate. Your achievements will be viewed no longer as an insurmountable feat, but simply, just achievable and attainable. Sadly, mediocrity is within the realm of possibility, unless you’re a king.

Meet Justin Scott, a 25 year-old who raps and produces fresh out of Mississippi. Justin Scott has had a bevy of opportunities placed at his disposal as he has graced the cover of XXL after being named one of the Freshman 10. He’s been touring with the likes of Curren$y and Smoke DZA on the Smokers Tour. In addition, his highly revered mixtape Return of 4Eva has catapulted him into some of hip hop’s grandest landscapes including a slot on The BET Awards Show Cypher. The reason Justin Scott is grinding so hard is because Justin is fighting to be a King – A King Remembered in Time. Meet Justin Scott, better yet, meet Big Krit.

CL: You’re currently on the Smokers Club tour featuring Smoke DZA and Curren$y, and had the performance in New York. Describe that euphoric feeling you get on stage when you’re performing and have fans singing along with your lyrics?

BK: It’s an amazing feeling. You never really get used to it. You’re in different cities and get to meet different people from different walks of life. They might not appreciate where you from, but they understand and appreciate what you went through because it may relate to their story. We just up there and we’re rocking man. It’s a beautiful experience. And on top of that, to get to a record like Children of the World and people are singing the lyrics back from that, it becomes a real emotional type of experience man. You don’t even know how long it took for me to actually perform. I used to perform in front of crowds of nobody, and nobody paying attention to me, or nobody cheered. And then, over time, people began loving the music. It became a blessing.

CL: A lot of people have already fallen in love with your stage presence. What do you attribute your high energy, and charismatic presence to?

BK: Really man, I just wanna give my all first and foremost. Whether it’s five people or 5000, you know I just really want to put on a good show. I think it kind of goes hand and hand with the art form of hip-hop. You should always put the same kind of energy on stage as you do when you’re in the booth. Also when you look at artists like David Banner, and watching him perform, you see how much energy he puts into his show, and the intensity level. Like being around artists like Yelawolf, and seeing how they be putting it down on stage, it makes you want to be one of those kind of performers. I want when people see my show like four times; they don’t get tired of it because I gave my all.

CL: I want you to do me a favor, and go back to the day of when you first saw your face on the cover XXL, and being named as one of the freshman 10. Tell me about that initial feeling.

BK: Ahhh man (laughs). I was freaked out. When we went to the store like down the street, we ended up buying like 3-4 copies of that thing. It was an awe kind of feeling because Jonny Shipes had ended up getting the magazine before I got it since he was in New York, and I was in Atlanta man. Man, it really was a wonderful feeling because you strive so hard in wanting to be recognized so much amongst a group of artists that you respect. And also, for a magazine like XXL to recognize what you doing, it was crazy. I called my Pops, and said, “Go to Wal-Mart” so that all my family could read a brief description of my music. And it put me in households that I normally wouldn’t have been in as far as hip-hop is concerned. That’s why it’s important that I have a jacket that says Krit in case people don’t know what I look like, and people could put a face to the name.

CL: You know Krit; a lot of people would be content with these accolades, and doing features. Why isn’t this just enough for you? Why do you want more?

BK: I wouldn’t say want more. I definitely feel like I’ve gotten enough success to where if nothing ever happened tomorrow, I could really be like this was more than I’ve ever imagined. My parents would be proud of me. You know really it’s Mississippi. I’m really trying to put on for my state. I think now more than ever, knowing that I have a voice now, saying something important and trying to put the music out with a lot of quality is key. They like to put you in a box when you rap. I like producing music as much as I like rapping. I like soul music. I like writing R&B and things of that nature. At this point, it’s really about seeing how far I can go with a creative mind, and really try to help people with the music.

CL: There are two sides of Krit that we both know: There’s Krit the rapper, and also there’s Krit behind the boards on the production side. Which do you like do more, the producing side or the rapping side?

BK: Damn. I like em’ both. I would say the rapping side would be a little bit more because an instrumental could be jamming, but it could only be so jamming. Words do something to people. You know when you say something, and it’s informational or it might be able to help a person. When the beat goes away, and it’s just me and these words, there’s something that just makes you think about spoken word and poetry. It touches people. Like I love making music too, but overall I hold both high on my things to do list.

CL: You know you’re doing a big role in helping your city as far as exposure is concerned. How important is it to make sure that the voice of that city is being heard in contrast to the major cities like New York, LA, and an ATL?

BK: I think it’s extremely important that I pull my weight by me doing what I do. There are a lot of artists like David Banner, Tito Lopez, and Joker that are doing their thing. I plan to pull my weight, and do it in a respectful manner. There’s a lot of stereotypes that people may have about my state, but for the most part, you can’t just represent where you from, you gotta go farther than that. I plan on staying true to myself by going to a New York, and put Mississippi, and put them on during my show. That’s with anywhere I go whether it be in the west or Midwest or anywhere.

CL: You mentioned how rappers have to undergo numerous stereotypes, one being with their lack of lyricism. With you having just been on the BET Cypher with Kendrick Lamar and Tech N9ne, how important is it to break those stereotypes in regards to lack of lyricism down?

BK: I mean, me being a person that understands cadence, and lyrical content, it’s really just an eye of the beholder type of thing. If you struck enough passion, and subject matter, I feel like that makes you lyrical. If you’re the type of person that understands similes and syllables that could make you lyrical. But, at the same time, are you saying something worth hearing? I know a lot of people that I listen to on the lyrical level have something important to say behind their music. Like Outkast and Andre 3000. He said something, and forgot what song, but I just got what he said 3-4 years later. You know I’m saying? (Laughs) I have subject matter, I have content, and I understand vocabulary. Just because I’m country, that doesn’t make me unintelligent. I rap about what I know about. I won’t rap using words that I don’t know what they mean, and start misleading you with the wrong information. I’m not going to do that.

CL: Most definitely. There’s so many times artists don’t have the chance to sit and appreciate music as just simply fans anymore. You’ve worked with a Statik Selektah, a Bun B, a Freddie Gibbs, and a Curren$y. Was there a time you worked with an artist in the studio, and you were just like blown away by their talent and or work ethic?

BK: All of em bro! (Laughs) When there’s an opportunity I could send a record or chop it up with an artist, who’s a legend, and someone I respected so much man, it’s indescribable. Like to be able to jump on a record with The Roots, to have a record with Bun B, and Ludacris is crazy. Shit. To do records with 8 Ball & MJG and a 2 Chainz man is great and having the respect level so up, it’s unbelievable.

CL: Is there anybody on your wish list right now that you’re aiming to work with, especially on your album Live from the Underground slated for 2012?

BK: Al Green, Cee-Lo, Coldplay. I wouldn’t mind working with OutKast as a group, and Goodie Mob as a group. I wouldn’t mind working with Sharon Jones. There’s a lot going on man.

CL: What’s admirable about you is you actually want to delve outside of hip-hop by just the names you mentioned? Were those outsides influences that were not hip-hop related the ones that helped during your growth of being a musician?

BK: Man I used to go to the F.Y.E. store and preview the album there and listen to the Bluegrass section, the Soul section, the Blues section. Sampling was really the beginning of me making beats, because I wasn’t classically trained or anything at the piano and other instruments. So I would sample, and find different instruments and reinsert them onto my drum pack. There was a point I wasn’t listening to rap at all. I was listening to Curtis Mayfield, The Controllers, and Engine 5.

CL: Respect man. Now if you had to pick one track off Live from the Underground that you confidently feel will blow people away. What song would that be?

BK: Damn man. I’d have to say that “Money on the Floor” with 2 Chainz and 8 Ball MJG. (Laughs) Bro, I’m being mystic. Like back in the day when an artist dropped their album, you never got no previews, no artworks, and no track listings. You just had to wait. I’ve been real strong with not letting people know who’s on my album. I think it helps. It builds the anticipation.

CL: Before I let you go, I know a few weeks ago, Joe Budden was trying to reach out to you for a verse for his new project. What’s the word on that?

BK: Yeah I reached out to Joe. I hit him back. People know me and Twitter boy. I’m rarely ever on that. I heard like, “Yo. Joe just reached out to you on Twitter.” I just know there’s normally a lot of negativity on that, so I stay away from it. Plus if I was on Twitter a lot, I wouldn’t be working as much.

CL: Of course, so what’s the update on that track?

BK: I’m not gonna speak on that. (Laughs) You all gotta wait and see.

Throwback Piece: Why Shady Records Is The Hottest Crew In The Game

Do you realize that Eminem – the man whose cannibalistic lyrics has nearly mauled the industry in half – could easily rip apart any rivaling rap crew single-handedly? Now, mix in Slaughterhouse – a group consisting of lyrical monsters that prey on helpless emcees on a regular basis. Add a white boy from Bama’ whose hunger and voracity is unparalleled to anyone right now in Yelawolf, and you have the best line-up in today’s rap game.

Em already conquered the charts with Recovery, which is nearly quadruple platinum, and his new joint LP with Royce Da 5’9 Bad Meets Evil, has brought his lyrical content back to the forefront of rap, and put Royce on the biggest plateau of his career. Shady’s features have been equally impeccable as his lyrical prowess has not diminished, and his flow remains astonishing. His candid verse on I Need a Doctor, exhibits his uncanny ability to simply be raw but captivating all at once through his content.

Slaughterhouse was a gift sent from heaven for the people that appreciate lyricism at its finest. The combination of Joe, Ortiz, Royce and Crooked came to fruition in 08’ on Joe’s Mixtape Halfway House. The track Slaughterhouse instantly drove fans into frenzy.

After that, the lyrical brigade continued in the form of The Leak, the groups’ first official song together. Ever since then, Slaughterhouse released a group album under Koch, and went out on many notable tours including “Rock the Bells.” After several rumors about Em and Slaughterhouse’s constant flirtations in regards to a possible Shady deal, lyrical rap loyalists’ dreams have finally come to fruition. Lyrically, individually, these dudes – Slaughterhouse - are probably top 15-top 20 right now. So when you have four of the top 20 lyrically in one group with arguably the greatest lyrical rapper of our time, you do the math. Dream Team. Championships. No Miami Heat. They’re fully equipped.

Now you add a Yelawolf. At first listen, his delivery may throw you off. But when you actually sit and digest what the man is saying, you realize that boy got skills. He’s simply a southern version of EM. Don’t get me wrong, he is not as lyrical as Em, but he definitely has some bits and pieces reminiscent of Slim Shady. If you need an example, check out Shady 2.0, where Yela ravenously attacked the beat a la Slim. With Em due to be behind the boards for Yela’s upcoming debut slotted for the summer, expect the two white boys to unleash the pain.

Poem: Women + Love = No Idea

She's Looking For Love, But Always Strolling In The Wrong Places

I Mean, She Has The Right Mind, But Always Loves The Wrong Faces,

Her Heart Detaches, Once She Attracts Someone Attractive

Cuz In Her Love Search, She's Always Sitting Inactive

I Always Questioned Her Knowledge For The Opposite Sex,

Cuz She Always Said "I Love You", But Got The Opposite Text

To Be Honest, I Ain't Knocking You But...

Why You Wanna Be Cuffed, When It's Always The Wrong Ones Locking You Up?

Then You Say "Men Are Dogs. They're Disloyal!l They're Irresponsible!

But In Response, On Every Account, Who Should Be Held Accountable?

You Were Infatuated With His Physical, And Not His Personality

Emamored By The Word Love, But Not The Word Reality.

Reality Is, No One Is To Blame But You,

If You Not Ready For The Sport, Sit Down...And Just Watch A Game Or Two

Video: CL - Be Your Star

Brooklyn-bred rapper, CL, first began his writing game as a journalist, penning articles for the likes of Smooth Magazine, Vibe, and BallerStatus.com, as well. But, he was also working on musical aspirations as well.

Following the release of his debut mixtape, Never Looking Back, he drops a music video the project's second single, "Be Your Star."

"The video, conceptually, is about through all the bullsh** and trife I've gone through in life, and me hoping to be my supporters' 'star' at the end of the day, despite it all," CL explains. "I talk about my issues with my misleading ex, my problems in school, my father leaving me, and not seeing my brother."

Download Never Looking Back

http://limelinx.com/files/233164155d532a2ebf204580f4e84b31

Album Review: J. Cole - Cole World: The Sideline Story

J.Cole – Cole World: The Sideline Story Review



There comes a time, when a tingling sensation from your spine trickles down to your fingers when you first hear new music. The music scene has been melancholy, as many artists unfortunately have reached their peak or acme of their careers. While newcomers swam the depths of musical ambiance in hopes of capturing a classic, many have sunk, because they opted to appeal to the radio and remain docile in their approach to record labels. J.Cole has patiently waited for his number to be called. He watched his competitors and industry peers get rid of their warm up jerseys, and traded in the practice gear for their official uniforms. Mainstream success has already called upon rappers such as Drake, B.o.B, Big Sean, Wiz and many more, while Cole had no choice but to sit and watch. But Cole never appeared mad or even apprehensive at his situation. He waited patiently on the sideline for his number to be called. Guess what, patience is a virtue, and Young Simba has finally stepped into the game, and though his first game appearance may not mirror along the likes of his idols Nasir, and Hovito, he proved that watching from the sidelines for so long may have been beneficial for his situation after all.



The intro finds Cole recollecting candidly when he first inked his contract with Hov, and Roc Nation with his boys. Cole - known for his candor - exposed his heart, and the pits of his fiery mind, as tracks like "Dollar and a Dream III", "Sideline Story", finds him explicitly revealing his long lasting grind to finally achieve his overdue dream. As Cole embarks on his journey to the pinnacles of Hip-Hop's upper echelon, he encountered numerous push backs and constant badgering from bloggers in reference to his relationship with Jay. He rebuts those assumptions on "Sideline Story" saying “Somebody told me how come Jay never shout me out? Like I’m supposed to give a fuck.” Cole also receives his chance of linking up with his idol/boss, Jay-Z, as the prodigy tackles the dub-step style “Mr. Nice Watch” with Jay-z finishing the track smoothly a la George Gervin.



Cole also displays his brilliant story telling abilities on tracks like "Lost Ones" where he vividly portrays the point of views of two young adults facing the risks of going through a pregnancy, and possibly abortion. The marveling thing about Cole is his fearlessness of touching the inner demons of society and the ills of reality rather than shy away from it. "Nobody's Perfect" features the resurgence of Missy Elliot as she sings on the hook about people's imperfections, but being ok with the simple fact that nobody is indeed perfect. In "Rise & Shine", the beginning includes of a vintage sound bite from Jay-Z, talking about the possibilities of a newcomer coming to take his coveted spot and dethrone him. Then, a voracious Cole ravenously attacks the beat with the mind state of capitalizing off Hov’s earlier sentiments. With a quotable like "In the game full of liars, it turns out I'm the truth,” it shows Cole doesn’t plan to let gimmicks overtake his career, but rather, let his realism carry him into prominence.



The let downs – which appears to be subtle – came towards the end as tracks like Rise & Shine, and God’s Gift mirrors each other production wise, and even content wise, as Cole’s plea to prove himself becomes somewhat repetitive. Maybe Cole could have cut the album short as these songs appear to be fillers, as his hopes of stretching his album into a 15 track opus lands just short. Cole heard the murmurs from critics in regards to his hit making abilities, but it seemed Cole brushed the criticism aside, and allowed himself to do what people appreciate him most for – his brute lyricism, and storytelling tales. For those who were searching for a top-ten radio track to spin endlessly until their ears blew off, will not appreciate Cole’s efforts. But for those, who have been riding with Cole from his days of The Come Up will appreciate his first project. Regardless, for a debut, he should be very proud as he proves the skeptics wrong on the notion of his production game –which was first dubbed as lackadaisical – proves to be more than sufficient in this album. Overall, for his crack at the league, he demonstrates, he definitely has all-star potential and is no a longer sideline player, but a player to watch out for, especially for years to come.



Final Review: 4/5

Mary J. Blige Captures The Magic Again For Upcoming 'My Life' Sequel (Ballerstatus.Com)

A couple weeks ago, NYC's Mandarin Oriental Hotel was the spot for where a small group of journalists huddled for a private listening session of Mary J Blige's latest endeavor, My Life II, the sequel to 1994 sophomore release of the same title.

Early in the morning, a group consisting of no more than 10 journalists gathered around hoping to be captivated by the Queen of R&B's newest masterpiece. Before engaging in the listening, Mary's manager gave a formal introduction in regards to the album, and how it all came together. He reiterated that the sequencing and tempo were key attributes into molding the album together, considering he and Mary knew that she would have the daunting task of trying to recapture the same magic from an album so early in her career.

After his brief spiel, he left the journalists among themselves to listen, and engulf in Mary's 0newest passage. The intro to the album is one too familiar, as Mary is found conversing with the man who ignited her career, P. Diddy. With both realizing the challenge ahead, in regards to Mary toppling her previous works, both came to the conclusion that this album had to be the one to remind fans of not only vintage Mary, but the Mary that we all came to love and adore over the years.

With jams such as "Feel Inside" featuring Nas, and "Midnight Drive" featuring her alter-ego Brook Lynn, it was evident that the Mary was still able to tap and channel into her throwback swagger, as she brought back the edgy swagger that has conquered the up-tempo tracks in past efforts... with her powerful voice.

Mary would even bring along new friends on her magical journey such as Beyonce for her duet in "Loving a Woman", and utilizing Rick Ross' velvety flow for "Why."

After hearing the album segue from the up-tempo having fun Mary, to the slow and more serious side of Mary, it's apparent that Mary delved into her past, and was able to still remain present with who she is now, as she successful made a cohesive follow-up to its 1994 predecessor.

Listen for yourself on November 21, when My Life II... The Journey Continues (Act 1) finally hits stores.

Big Sean Goes From Telemarketer To Becoming 'Finally Famous'

It's a brisk afternoon in downtown Manhattan as the Worldwide Plaza -- known for being home to prestigious law firms such as Cravath and Swaine & Moore -- is now synonymous with innumerable musical acts from Def Jam.

On the 28th floor, one could be befuddled by the myriad of photos of musical talents such as Jay-Z, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, and many more. While one would be enamored by the successful faces gracing the walls of Def Jam, others would be besotted with the bevy of classics being played through the speakers from the lobby. As Jay-Z's "All Around the World" echoes through the speakers, you feel this song is perfect for the man of the hour: Big Sean.

Ironically, Sean is no where to be found. After an arduous 21 interviews, Sean appears to be Casper-like. Invisible from his home away from home, Def Jam. But you see, Sean wasn't entirely ghost. At the Grey Goose Rising Icon party, held in the in the vibrant city of New York, Sean -- sporting a Detroit Red Wings fitted -- is seen flaunting his new drink, dubbed "The Big Sean".

The lemonade, cranberry, and orange juice-flavored combination is mixed with Grey Goose. The perfect drink to describe the equally colorful rapper. With a double-time flow, in unison with his sparkling wordplay, Sean has become one of the few new attention-grabbing rappers on the scene. But, before Sean was anywhere close to being "Big Sean," he was simply a telemarketer trying to make his dream become a reality.

"Man. I was a telemarketer. That sh** was weak as f***. I would sell sh** on the phone, and make $120 a week," the rapper admits.

When the man -- recognized as the creator of the "Supa-Dupa Flow" -- wasn't in the office making calls, he was working with other young voracious rappers on the come up. For nearly two years, he fought his way onto the scene, earning his chops in Detroit through numerous radio freestyles.

"I was grinding for like a year straight, doing this radio show called "The Friday Night Cipher" where we would come together and battle," Sean explains. "Whoever won the battles got to rap on-air. There were six winners. The six winners would get to rap on-air after the battle, and spit like two verses on the radio."

For a year straight, every Friday, Sean would head to the local Detroit station, in hopes of bolstering his status in his city. Throughout that time, he had established a strong relationship with the station's staff and would soon receive a tip that would alter his life from then on out.

"Kanye was promoting his album on a Saturday morning, and my homie called me and was like, 'You listening to the radio?' I was cashing my check at the bank. My homie called me like, 'Yo. Kanye at the station. If you want, you could come spit for him. If you rap, he'll sign you.' "

Without hesitation or even cashing his check, Sean quickly headed to the radio station, and there he would meet with Kanye. After Sean dropped a few bars for the Chicago rap star and later sending his new music (weeks later), Ye made it official and brought Sean to his G.O.O.D. Music label.

But, it was a grind from there. After signing, Sean worked diligently on creating a buzzing through the release of his mixtapes -- Finally Famous and Finally Famous 2. On the tapes and leaked tracks, shades of a young Kanye was imminent in Sean's delivery. However, what had brought attention to Sean was his remarkable flow, which he had dubbed the "Supa-Dupa Flow." With this flow, he drew intrigue from many rappers, and even found himself lending it to many other big name rappers such as Drake, Nicki Minaj, and even Ludacris.

If you ask Sean, personally he feels his flow topples everyone else's.

"I think I did it the best 'cause I made it up," Sean boasts. "But, Drake did it real good too. And then, there were some motherf***ers who just did it real bad" -- before he would utter out his next word, Sean's eyes open in amazement as his manager, Kevin Liles, walked in the Grey Goose event embracing him with admiration.

With a formidable support group coming in the form of Kanye West and Liles, you would think Sean would be set for life. Still, his mentor, Mr. West was always pushing him to the brink, in hopes of the young MC, one day, reaching his potential.

"[Kanye is] a critic. He used to always tell me to step it up and get better, because he saw the potential in me. But lately, he's been telling me like, 'Yeah man. You're the best man. Your sh** is crazy," he says.

It seems Sean is nearing his potential today. He was recognized as one of XXL's 2010 Freshman Class, and shined brightly during the 2010 BET Awards when he and his G.O.O.D. Music family participated in cypher sessions throughout the event. Sean impressed people to say the least.

While beginning to break through with bigger looks, Sean remained focused on his debut album, Finally Famous, which finally hit stores in late June, debuting at #3 with over 87,000 copies sold in its first week. His first single, "My Last" featuring Chris Brown, showcases the vivacious rapper flamboyantly flowing over Brown's melodic delivery, instantly making the song a radio smash.

Months after the release, Sean is Finally Famous ... and continuing to bolster his resume. His album's second single, "I Do It", was recently feature in NBA's star Derrick Rose's Adidas commercial.

The once-aspiring Detroit rapper is living his dream, and it's safe to say he'll be here for years to come.