Big K.R.I.T. Makes His Most Experimental Song To Date. Will His Music Stay This Way? (Audio)

In what will likely be one of the most exciting chapters of Big K.R.I.T.’s music career, his recent departure from Def Jam may be encouraging him to explore and push musical boundaries in his own work. His recent feature on “Might Not Be O.K.” (the work of Kenneth Whalum, a Jazz musician, through and through) was a piece of bona fide spoken word as much as it was a Rap verse, and he turned his BET Hip-Hop Awards appearance into a piece of sublime performance art more visceral than any other in his history. It seems that the Meridian, Mississippi MC and producer is embracing the creative freedom that comes with being an independent free agent, and his latest work as a featured guest artist is downright experimental.

While Krizzle is still deliver what can be defined as rapping on Keyon Harrold’s “Stay This Way,” the rest of the song is anything but. Harrold is a Jazz trumpeter who has performed with or worked for some of Hip-Hop’s biggest names, including Jay Z, Common, and Lauryn Hill. On his new single, which also features Bilal, Harrold invites K.R.I.T. to deliver yet another deeply emotional verse, and again he incorporates some of the more punctuating, exploratory delivery techniques employed on “Might Not Be O.K.” There is a rhyme scheme and discernible verse structure, but there are some clear moments in which he steps outside the confines of a bar and carries lyrics over in truly poetic ways.

Big K.R.I.T. Breaks Down His Most Important Verse & Explains Why We Might Not Be OK (Video)

Big K.R.I.T. has yet to make any formal announcement about what, if any, his plans are for his first album since breaking with the label. If “Stay This Way” is any indicator, chances are any forthcoming work will be his bravest yet.