On October 27, 2017 at midnight est, Big K.R.I.T. released the highly anticipated, 4Eva is a Mighty Long Time, available on Apple Music and Spotify. Immediately, I added it to my digital library. The following morning, I made my way to my local Best Buy [#notsponsored] to purchase a hard copy and support the movement. It has only been 3 years since Cadillactica dropped, which isn't a huge gap for passive fans, but for K.R.I.T. fans like myself, this record sounds like the highly anticipated project we'd been waiting on since 2010.

Easily falling into my personal category of top 5 hip-hop artist of all time, Justin Scott, better known as Big K.R.I.T., never ceases to amaze me with his artistry. The admiration I have for this man's work is insane (in the best way possible). Even back in his Myspace and early mix tape days in the early/mid 2000's, I knew then he had so much potential. He's worked extremely hard to get to the place he's in now, and it's been absolutely rewarding to witness his evolution. The fact that he's given his audience an opportunity to connect every step of the way makes me all the more proud of what he's been able to accomplish so far.

Multi Alumni Executive producer, Justin Scott, is so meticulous and the heart, soul, and intellect that breathes through this record conveys that brilliantly. Everything from the collaborative efforts down to the instrumentation was so flawlessly executed, especially for it to be his first independent studio album. It was also a very ambitious attempt to complete a double album, but I believe he and his team did an incredible job at creating a project that showed duality without losing authenticity. One week post-release, and this album still feels like a fresh experience with each spin; I'm still impressed, but not at all surprised.

As an artist, Big K.R.I.T. has always been focused on maintaining his integrity as a creative and honing his craft in the process. It's apparent that he doesn't allow himself to get caught up in the hype of the music industry by doing things just because it's popular and I respect him for always remaining true to his art, and always putting quality before quantity. Perhaps, it's taken him a little longer than most to finally get his message across, but I think his timing and the timing of 4Eva is a Mighty Long Time is impeccable.

a play-by-play of favorite tracks:

Big K.R.I.T.

Big Bank ft. T.I.: This one is a heavy hitter, reminiscent of songs like King of the South and Money on the Floor. It's the kind of song that needs to blast on the loud speaker with the bass level on max and a good song to listen to in the car.
1999 ft. Lloyd: Intertwining classic R&B with a hood classic (Piece of my Love - Guy and Back that Azz Up - Juvenille) it's hard not to jam to this one. It's fun, nostalgic, sexy, and laid back.
Get Up 2 Come Down ft. CeeLo Green + Sleepy Brown: The OG anthem! The UGK influence was definitely prominent on this track.

Justin Scott:

Layup: This track is what I would refer to as an ode to the come up and a testament of some of the perks of success, such as sending his mom on vacation and retiring pops. Of course, the basketball reference and using a layup as a metaphor for how life is coasting at the point of success is a nice touch.
Everlasting: This song is a tale of boy meets girl, thinks it's love at first sight, isn't exactly sure, but willing to find off. Not sure if this another love song for Mara, but it's cute and I'm here all this black boy emotion!
Drinking Sessionsft. Keyon Harrold: This song provides insight on what it's like deal with certain things, internally and externally and the struggle of coping in harmful ways when expressing it is hard, which connects me to my past self in a really eerie and unexpected way. Although a heavy subject matter, I love how honest it is while talking about addictions in the form of self-medication,.
The Lightft. Bilal, Robert Glasper Jr., Kenneth Whalum, + Burniss Earl Travis II: Incredibly poetic and socially aware, this song - the lyrics, especially- literally gave me chills. The jazz accompaniment alone is stellar. It's one of the many 'wow' moments I had when first listened to this album, where his production capabilities were showcased in a different light.

Thought provoking and captivating, bass lines smooth and heavy, both southern and universal in its approach, this album speaks volumes about Mr. Scott as an artist, as a producer, and more importantly as a human being. The humanity is honestly the highlight component of this album. Not only does it make it easy to relate to, but it also adds to the authenticity of it. In other words, it's real and that element makes it special.

There's a lot of good things to be said about this album, but what made this record as a whole an instant classic for me personally - and I can't imagine saying that and not actually mean it - is that press play, start to finish listening experience, and how many times a day I catch myself pressing play over and over again.

4Eva is a Mighty Long Time, indeed, but it was worth the wait.

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