Large K.R.I.T. is feeling free. In 2017, the proud Mississippi native returned to his contained roots and dropped the double anthology 4Eva Is A Mighty Long Fourth dimension through his Multi Alumni imprint. Now, he'southward fresh off the release of his follow-up K.R.I.T. Iz Here, which is all nigh him having fun.

The biggest modify for the King Remembered In Time was giving up some responsibility in the creative process. After handling the bulk of production on his projects for his entire career, he let others handle the workload and simply produced one vocal on K.R.I.T. Iz Here. In doing and then, he immune himself to strictly focus on the MC side of his artistry.

HipHopDX recently caught upward with K.R.I.T. to discuss his new anthology and this stage of his career.

During Part 1 of our chat, the southern rhymer detailed the difficulty of giving up production duties for his latest release and described what it was like to exist a lifelong UGK fan working on Bun B's Return Of The Trill LP.

HipHopDX: At present that you lot're back to existence independent, what is independent life like now equally opposed to before Def Jam?

Large K.R.I.T: Aw, human … before Def Jam, information technology's like y'all're just trying to get heard as much as possible, correct? When M.R.I.T Wuz Here came out, information technology was most like I was doing this album — and it was a projection or a mixtape in a way — but I was kind of like, "If this doesn't work, I'm simply going to dorsum to Meridian, Mississippi."

So, if you listen to K.R.I.T Wuz Hither, you hear me on East Coast beats, West Coast beats. I'm singing! It's this collage of music that I created. Information technology was similar all the best songs that I had at the fourth dimension and putting it on the album. And being independent, I tin practice this. It tin can be 22 records, I don't care. I just want you lot to hear what I accept to say.

To resurface once again and exist independent now — next year is the 10-year ceremony of One thousand.R.I.T Wuz Here — and to be able to cap everything off now with Grand.R.I.T Iz Here is almost me showing people that I belong in this loonshit of Hip Hop. I've ever been lyrical. I had subject matter, I had the videos, the visuals, the artwork. [I'grand] just kind of reminding and bringing it back to the surface, but information technology'southward my way. Information technology's freedom, it'due south independence, information technology's confidence that I didn't necessarily have when I was young or back in 2010.

HipHopDX: Makes sense. Now, this is your 2d independent release after leaving Def Jam. What lessons did you acquire from 4Eva Is a Mighty Long Fourth dimension that y'all took into this one?

Large K.R.I.T: It was a thing of fourth dimension with this whole thing. I had the option to exercise a double anthology. Originally, I wanted Cadillactica to be a double album, just it couldn't happen and that was still existence with a label. Only once you become off that, I'm independent. I've got distribution, shout out to BMG. It's 1 of them situations where we can actually do a double album. Well, permit's practise it! And I did it and I was able to showcase both sides of myself musically: this is the Justin Scott side and the Large K.R.I.T. side.

I think with this new album, information technology's more of a collective try. It wasn't me just beingness in my room chipping away at the instrumentals that I have. I just produced one record on this album. I finish upwardly recording probably like eighty records. Nosotros broke that downwards to 50 and so we listened to that over and over once more until we got to xviii and down to 15.

I worked with amazing producers with this album. Talking most Danja, DJ Camper, Wallis Lane, Muzik Major, Khalil. WOLFE de MÇHLS produced iii records on the album. Tae Beast, Doncorleonie, and so even the features are things that people didn't expect me to piece of work with these artists. Only I accept seen them and I notice all the people that were around and was like, "Human, what about working with them? Maybe you should try this."

It was simply amazing to become out of my comfort zone and see how exciting it was for me, as well equally to be able to boot information technology to dissimilar cadences on every beat. Every track, I'm kicking a different cadence. Every track really surprises people besides considering about people are used to me being in my comfort zone on an anthology. Merely naw, information technology's different this time.

HipHopDX: On your double LP, yous really got a lot of things off your breast. But listening to K.R.I.T. Iz Here, it seems like y'all're more relaxed and having fun. Did you feel like there was some pressure off your back?

Large K.R.I.T: Yes! It'due south astonishing to finally exist able to accept fun, just doing what I love to do. Information technology kind of reminded me of beingness in my grandmother'south house and I was only whipping up a beat; I got a sample and I'm but jamming it all twenty-four hours long. It didn't thing whether anybody heard or not, but I knew what it was. I feel like this album in itself is me only having fun.

This is too the commencement release that nosotros've done in the summertime since Alive From the Underground. So, information technology'due south similar it's hot outside and I just wanted to create music that lives in this fourth dimension. You can ride to your task or when you're going to the charcoal-broil or you're going to the guild, you can play my music while y'all're getting there. And then they'll be playing my music while you're in in that location. [Laughs]

HipHopDX: As you mentioned, you but produced i vocal on this. Equally somebody who is so easily-on and always been involved in the production, what's it like for you to step back from that? Is it difficult? Is it freeing?

Big G.R.I.T: It was difficult, bro. Information technology was difficult in the beginning, primarily because if I make a beat, I know exactly what I want to say on information technology. I know the tempo, I'm going to get the tempo and information technology'southward nail nail boom. And so normally, I can curate and create everything effectually.

And then, you go in and y'all're working with these amazing producers. It most puts me in the perspective of, "Yeah, I wrote the whole song, I'm ready to record information technology." Then in the back of your heed, you're like, "I promise yous like it." [Laughs] I hope this is what you heard being said over what you spent hours on too.

It was difficult in the beginning, merely and so it became this claiming that I needed. Because all the producers I worked with are the kind of people that were like, "You're killing it. You lot're snapping, but I kind of heard something unlike. Possibly you should accept approached this unlike. Think about this, recall about that. Perhaps information technology's a poolside, summertime, a place you've never been before. How would yous approach that?"

And then the fact that I didn't make the beat out, I wasn't as drawn as far as listening to the record. So, I could shift those verses out and outset over. Let me create again. And it'southward amazing because Rico Dear and my manager Dutch coordinated this anthology together. Having them in the groove telling me, "You tin can do this different" or "You can go harder on that." Information technology'd be 1 or 2 a.k. and everybody's tired. People are sleeping and I'grand like, "I got to finish the song because this is what I do." I love what I do, so I got to do this. And I think you could hear the hunger in the anthology, in the resurgence, in the refreshing aspect. I been in the game for a infinitesimal, human being, just I'm still out hither trying to challenge myself.

HipHopDX: Last year, yous were releasing some EPs and concluded up compiling them every bit the TDT projection. What made you include "Energy" and "Learned From Texas" on the album afterward you already put those songs out on the EPs?

Big 1000.R.I.T: The crazy affair is the "Energy" video came out later on the EP had actually been out already. And then "Energy," information technology started to grow once again nigh as if we hadn't dropped it. And and so "Learned From Texas," I testify dearest to Texas. Information technology'due south just a function of me because they were the starting time … specially UGK, this was the kickoff grouping that I saw from a modest boondocks like I was from, and they were unapologetically country.

For me, I only want to pay my due and let people know what I was inspired past growing up musically. Product like Pimp [C], producing a lot of records and singing on them, and it just made sense to put "Learned From Texas" on the anthology. And "Energy" is near like a whole new tape in itself, then I simply wanted to add those on.

Yous know how streaming is. Streaming isn't like having actual records out. What y'all think is old to somebody else, it'south a make new vocal they never heard earlier.

HipHopDX: Gotcha. I'm a Baton Rouge native, and I don't think people outside of the Gulf Coast quite understand simply how much UGK means to people in Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi. How special was it for you to be involved every bit an executive producer on Bun B's Return Of The Trill album?

Big K.R.I.T: It was a blessing. It was crazy besides 'crusade it was surreal. Some days nosotros'd go in there, and he'd be giving me life communication and talking about experiences in his life. And and so he's writing a verse at the same time. I'd prepare beats like, "We going to do this, we going to do that." Just to be in that room, I was listening to "Murder" on repeat! "Hi-Life" got me through then much in my life. To be in there [with Bun] is astonishing. I was but honored brother, to exist honest with you.

He's got the hunger to still requite y'all quality verses to work. 'Cause after he'd tape a song, it wasn't like, "Well, nosotros good." He'south similar, "Bet, play some other record!" I'm like, "OK, I got another beat!" Earlier y'all know it, we washed ran through five songs. And and so at present you lot're talking about Gumball or shows he did dorsum in the twenty-four hours. It was an amazing feel. And I co-executive produced it forth with [Bun's wife] Queenie, and then I didn't executive produce the whole album. Queenie was there too. She besides played a huge part in that, not but me. And so, yeah, tin can't forget that.

HipHopDX: Back on your album, I thought one producer who actually shined was DJ Camper with his work on the intro and "Make It Easy." What do you enjoy nigh his production and what makes him click then well with you?

Big K.R.I.T: I met Camper years agone, and Camper expressed to me how great he was and how corking he was going to exist. I'm like "Human, you got it. I fuck with your free energy, your conviction." And what he did was he went out and proved it. He went hard, so every fourth dimension I become in the studio with him, that's family.

He'southward and then talented, not only equally a producer simply as a vocalizer, as a writer. In that location are so many different variations to him. I know he'south going to give me something that'due south going to be soulful, it's going to knock in the trunk. Any we can do, nosotros're gonna exercise it. If nosotros're going to do live [instruments], we going to practise horns, we going to exercise strings. And and then we're going to punch dorsum if that might not fit. Merely we're gonna exhaust all the ideas to make sure this tape is as jamming as possible.

The particular song "Make It Easy," I had been listening to that sample for most eight, nine years. I never could effigy out how I wanted to approach it, flip it, whatever. Play the song, 30 seconds in, [Camper'due south] like, "This it! Let'due south do this." And then you accept what you accept now, which is "Make It Easy."

So he was like, "I'm going to do some drums on this also." And the same thing he did with "K.R.I.T. Here." Nosotros were at Danja's studio in Miami. He in there but drumming away. The excitement he has to brand music is infectious. And and so you take the finished production, which is a tape that yous're proud of. And you listening to it like you didn't even get in.

HipHopDX: That'southward cracking. "Get in Like shooting fish in a barrel" is my favorite joint on the album.

Big M.R.I.T: Thank you lot, man. I got off on that 2nd verse!

Look out for Part ii of DX's interview with G.R.I.T. coming soon.