It’s tough to compete against Big K.R.I.T. because he only sees himself on the playing field. That much was clear from the intro video that played before Elliot Wilson and Big K.R.I.T. took the stage for an intimate interview in front of a live audience at NYC’s New World Stages. The Mississippi artist is out to make timeless music and that’s what got him on stage to discuss his upcoming Cadillactica album, his second on Def Jam.
Although he didn’t play any of the album for the crowd, he went into detail about the creative process behind his past projects, the important influences in his life, and memorable moments in his career like writing “Mt. Olympus” the day after hearing Kendrick Lamar’s “Control” track or working with B.B. King in the studio. He even stated that he’d be trying out for the Atlanta Braves in 2016 with the goal of hitting a homerun so he can retire immediately after, similar to the film Rudy. But what most of the fans came for was all of the information they could gather on Cadillactica. So with a November 11 release date, we summed up seven details about the album you can read about below.
Quotes taken directly from Big K.R.I.T.
“Cadillactica” Is A Planet Straight From K.R.I.T.’s Mind
“Cadillactica is a planet I created on wax. It was really my conscious mind, and I just wanted to figure out a way to creatively put whatever I wanted to in my album. It’s slightly obscure since it comes from my mind. Things are a little different, lyrically or some of the content. All my projects tie into each other. I’m telling a story backwards, on the low. I had to tell them where the Cadillac came from. It crash landed on planet Earth, which is mainstream America or music. But at the end of the day, it still came from my conscious mind. I decided to take people really deep into my mind, subconsciously.”
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K.R.I.T. Cut Back On Creative Control
“The first sacrifice was realizing that I can’t try to learn the business and try to create at the same time, because things that happen in the business can affect my creativity. If I’m angry on the business aspect, things are going to flow over into my music. So with Cadillactica, I took a step back. I trusted my team. When they came to me, they came to me with options. It was either this or that. It wasn’t, ‘What do you want to do?’ And I’d be in the studio making sure this kick drum hits.
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“I gave 30% of it [production]. It was a great 30% that I gave up. Creatively, I was in a space where I was using my instruments. I created kickdrums, snares… It was always my way of creating a song. And then I got into a studio with, shout out to DJ Dahi, Terrace Martin, and Jim Jonsin. Raphael Saadiq produced a song on the album as well. I got into the studio with these people, and they produced records differently. It sounded like samples but it wasn’t. Y’all know how I get down with samples. Working with them, it was like, ‘Yo man we’re gonna go all the way there,’ with the sound but they wanted me to go farther than that.”
“Cadillactica” Is Also A Two-Part Journey Through Life
“From the beginning to the end, I take you through life. From being young and rambunctious, getting to that point in life where you start remembering what young was like and wanting that back, then getting to that point where [you say], ‘I’m not young anymore. I need to accept that.’ So I find what’s my purpose now. Going from there, finding your purpose and becoming content with what you’ve done in life and you want to leave something for your family.
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““Stand By” is a point of the album where you grow up in a space where now you’re ready to experience life on the grown up side. You’re not as interested in doing stupid shit. Going to jail means going to jail for a long time. “Stand By” is that transition. The content changes.”
Big K.R.I.T. Sings An Entire Track With His Lady, Mara Hruby
“On Cadillactica, your prized possessions are possessions that you love or have some kind of sentimental value that can talk to you. So my car got jealous that I paid so much attention to the subs. So it asked me, ‘Do you love me, for real?’ So I responded by singing to it the entire song.
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“Soul Food” Will Be The Next Single
“People don’t expect singles from me. They expect full bodies of work. Working with Raphael also gave me the opportunity to write. I was writing this song…you can hear my voice different. I have a different type of energy on it because I’m not so tired by making the beat, writing the hook, [etc.].”
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“King Of The South” Isn’t A Shot At T.I. But More About Self-Confidence
“I’m at a point in my life where I know what I do and represent. Cadillactica is my planet. Why the hell wouldn’t I be the king of the South in my conscious mind? As a man, I think I’m the king of the South as well as what I embody. I’m so confident now, just listen, just listen… My fans believe in me so much. What would I be saying to them if I didn’t believe in myself the same way?”
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Ultimately, Big K.R.I.T. Destroys “Cadillactica” At The End Of The Album
“That record [“Lost Generation”] is on the tail end of the album. But just like I created the planet and you get to go through the whole process, I also destroy the planet at the end of the album. It’s almost like destroying the idea of Cadillactica so I can move forward in my career, musically and move onto something else.”
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RELATED:Big K.R.I.T. Describes Upcoming Work With Chad Hugo, Terrace Martin & DJ Dahi [Interview]
