BIG K.R.I.T. vs 8-ball

Like This and Like That is the new column from Snobcast extraordinaire, Father Guido Sarducci IV. The procedure: Every morning (OK, maybe not every morning) Guido will snatch the first crisp, clean & new mp3 he stumbles upon, listen to it at least once, and then find an old song (ten years or more) for some good old-fashioned compare and contrast. The purpose: To draw a line between the modern and the out-of-date. The premise: To expose the kids to their past while also showing the unfashionable adults that there’s great new music being made every day. Thus, if you like This than you might like That.

“Hometown Hero (Remix)” by BIG K.R.I.T. feat. Yelawolf vs “Backyard Mississippi” by 8-ball feat. Goodie Mob

[audio:http://godonnybrook.com/home/wp-content/themes/mimbo2.2/images/Hometown-Hero-Remix.mp3|titles=Hometown Hero (Remix)]

Mississippi bred rapper, BIG K.R.I.T., is on his way to the upper echelons of Southern rap. Dropping his first mixtape, K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, just a few months ago, he signed to Def Jam soon after. K.R.I.T. first started producing using the MTV Music Generator for Playstation because he “didn’t have no job.” My grandpa bought me that same program when I was 15. I think K.R.I.T. was better at it. K.R.I.T.’s music can come across cinematic and “Hometown Hero” is a great example, the way it opens with Boobie’s “God made Black beautiful” speech from Friday Night Lights. K.R.I.T. has said that his production style is influenced by what Organized Noize did for Outkast, which is fitting (for this review) because Yelawolf (another fast rising Southern rapper, this time from Alabama) has been compared to the ATLiens in style of flow. Yelawolf recently signed to Interscope and is set to drop his debut studio album, Trunk Muzik: 0-60, September 4th.

[audio:http://godonnybrook.com/home/wp-content/themes/mimbo2.2/images/15-Backyard-Mississippi.mp3|titles=Backyard Mississippi]

The first comparison of these two songs is simple, both are about places, specifically, about Mississippi. “I’m UGK-influenced, ” K.R.I.T. said. “They had their own vibe… They did whatever they felt like they wanted to on record… So we were greatly influenced by their music. By Outkast. By 8Ball & MJG. That was the golden era to us.” Ah yes, the golden era of Southern hip-hop is where 8Ball was bred. 8Ball & MJG were almost instantly revered as some of the south’s best rappers when they dropped their critically and commercially acclaimed debut, Comin’ Out Hard (1993). “Backyard Mississippi” is from 8Ball’s first solo album, Lost (1998). 8Ball & MJG are actually from Memphis, Tennessee, which would make Mississippi their backyard. Not to leave anyone out, Goodie Mob finishes out the Southern block by repping Atlanta. Now let’s recap: We’ve got 2 songs about Mississippi, featuring rappers from Tennessee (8Ball), Mississippi (BIG K.R.I.T.), Alabama (Yelawolf), and Georgia (Goodie Mob).