Big K.R.I.T. Speaks On Def Jam Debut, David Banner, Andre 3000 & Rock The Bells

by Andres Vasquez

Big K.R.I.T. Speaks On Def Jam Debut, David Banner, Andre 3000 & Rock The Bells

K.R.I.T. explains why he is looking forward to Rock the Bells, talks about wanting to work with OutKast and the Dungeon Family and says he's producing his Def Jam debut.

Mississippi's Big K.R.I.T. has been crafting his Def Jam debut while bubbling in the underground with critically acclaimed mixtapes. The emcee, who is also a part of this year's Rock the Bells Festival, spoke with Bootleg Kev about his upcoming debut, his production, working with David Banner and his hopes to work with Andre 3000 and others.

In the interview, the DXNext alum explained that he is finalizing his new album and working on more material.

"I'm also in the studio right now working on new material, so be on the look out for something new from me this year," he said.

When asked for his debut's title, K.R.I.T. was adamant about keeping that a secret for now, explaining that he wants to keep a "mystique" around his work.

"Everybody will know [the title] pretty soon," he said. "It's important that I put the project together and then keep a mystique about it all. It kind of helps with the buzz."

Fans of his production can be pleased to hear that he wants to man the boards on the entire project, something that has kept his occupied. When asked if he would be making beats for several other artists, he said he wants to wait to finish his own before he shares his instrumentals.

"I'm actually going to produce my whole album. It's definitely difficult because every beat I make, I want to rap on it."

While fans may be hoping for a K.R.I.T. collaboration with OutKast, he says he has only heard from Big Boi and hopes to collab with him. He also said he would want to work with Andre 3000, though he has not heard from him and that he has hopes to work with the Dungeon Family.

One person he has worked with is David Banner. He shed light on the Mississippi connection he shares with Banner, a fellow emcee/producer, who has become his mentor.

"Banner's the big homie to me, a mentor, somebody I can call to get advice about the game and about the industry...He's doing a lot right now and he jumped on [the song "Sookie Now"]. It just worked out. Lord willing, we're going to shoot a video for it."

As for this year's Rock the Bells Festival, K.R.I.T. said he's excited to join the bill and looking forward to the atmosphere.

"That's pretty major right there," he said. "It's a different environment [when you do festivals], so to be out in the open, everybody having fun, and different fan bases all blending together, I want to see how everybody do."