This year has had its up and downs in the genre of hip-hop. There has not been much that has stood out as different but ‘Digital Roses Never Die’ by Big K.R.I.T. changes that.
The creative choices that K.R.I.T made to make his own brand and personal to him is what makes this the project that it is.
All the risks he took with this album show how much of how he is a rap anachronist. Many people may not like his style, but it displays his talents of dynamic storytelling and great production and creativity.
Big K.R.I.T is one of the best rappers of this generation who got his inspirations from the southern rap genre that dominated the mid-90s to early 2000s.
He uses those influences and puts his own spin on them to showcase to the new generation of fans the history of hip-hop.
This is K.R.I.T’s fifth studio album and it feels like one of the most unique, diverse and projects of his career in a genre that has had plenty of recycled and impersonal projects lately.
‘Digital Roses Never Die’ showcases a smoother funk style. It shows inspirations from bands like Sly and the Family Stone and Parliament-Funkadelic and showcases the culture of crate-digging.
This album shot for a similar sound as albums such as Mac Miller’s ‘The Divine Feminine’, Outkast’s ‘Stanktonia’, and Silk Sonic’s ‘An Evening with Silk Sonic’.
This risk-taking album produced some soothing ballads but also some overachieving waste. The album had a lot of imbalances and seemed like it was everywhere, which is something rare for K.R.I.T because he is a genuine storyteller when it comes to his rapping. This was not really the case for this album, which surprised a lot of fans.
This album showcased a four-act love story from initial contact all the way up to the breakup. It was sectioned by four elements: the early passion of fire; the foundation of the earth; the familiarity and rhythm of water and the turbulence of wind as K.R.I.T stated.
The raps on his new record are very fleeting compared to previous projects. The only aspect that changed the atmosphere of the album is when he shifted gears completely, going into more of sex- like ‘70s jams which didn’t quite reach that standard he was going for.
This album was quite surprising but also very overwhelming. Rap needed this album.
With a run time of 38 minutes with 17 songs, this album had its problems but was also a breath of fresh air into rap.
The production on this project was by far the best aspect and saved the whole project.
Final rating 6/10
