Making sure the family was always together and squashing any beefs that may have been going on at the time are what my grandparents would always do before their passing. It seems like that is the role grandparents filled for a lot of families. Withe members of the older generations passing away each day it becomes more frequent that families drift apart. People no longer follow the examples their grandparents had set and move through life at a much faster pace. These are all things Big K.R.I.T has come to realize over the years with his family, that a lot of people are able to relate to.
The album Cadillactica follows the birth of a sentient Cadillac which takes a journey through the American South until it's death. In reality, it's actually just KRIT reflecting on how things were when he was growing up, compared with how they are now. The first tow tracks on the album are about the creation of his music described as a big bang. The third track, My Sub Pt.4 (Big Bang), is about the sound system in his car and the fourth is about the car itself. During track four, Cadillactica, he brags about how the car is something his grandfather wishes he could have had and even watching porn on the TV screens in the car. It's safe to say these two tracks are just about living life and having fun with no worries or consequences.
That changes at the end of the song Cadillactica when he pulls up to the drive through of a restaurant called more More Grease Than Beef. He tells his friend he doesn't want any of their biscuits because they're "giving away" biscuits or biscuits made with no love and thought, which seems odd based on the content of songs up until this point in the album. The drive through worker offers him two alternatives. Option #1 is he can choose two sides from: poverty, low self-esteem, famine, or a biscuit. Option #2 is the Plan B meal; it comes with:a free DNA test and "two bitch ass niggas." KRIT tells the worker he doesn't want any of that and the worker responds "It's already prepared for you, it's been sitting there all day waiting on you."
KRIT leaves the drive through thinking about what just happened and the album's tone takes the first major shift. The next track is called Soul Food. He sits and reflects on why things have changed with his family but also acknowledges that he's changed as well, and not necessarily for the better. In the first verse he raps:
Why wouldn't he receive salty looks from older members of his family? These are people who stuck together through it all. Meanwhile KRIT just has sex with a girl, argues and moves on. But it's not just him, he believes it's majority of the generation. The food metaphors keep going with the fact that some fruits and vegetables get bruised and are unusable and things like fish get battered, but sometimes people in relationships are bruised and battered as well. He refuses to use condoms but won't claim his son.
KRIT has a song called Rich Dad, Poor Dad where he mentions how great of of a father he had. A father who didn't have many monetary possessions but always gave good advice and was there for him. There's a saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. KRIT finishes his verse with "Apples fall off trees and roll down hill," bringing up the fact that he basically lost all of what his dad had taught him.
As to why he behaves the way he does he mentions "They keep us in and keep folk out but we don't feel safe," and "That American pie ain't even snappin." Here he's making reference to how police supposedly keep bad people out of neighborhoods, yet black people are locked in through redlining and other factors. Despite this there is no where for him to feel safe. The American Pie is a reference here to the American Dream. In this case people keep trying to sell the American Dream to younger generations like KRITs and it doesn't look good. It seems like a lie so why even bother aspiring to the American Dream?
The song Angels is KRIT's way of begging for forgiveness after he starts to believe that God is crying at his failures and is punishing him and others for losing faith, he says "Standing on the roof while helicopters swoop by, I think they don't see us. Not even FEMA could redeem the very faith we all lost." There's also the idea that good people aren't always around to provide and sometimes the provider is the bad person, especially when night comes around. He mentions "When the sun goes down, heroes don't come outside, I seen too many villains provide." When it's dark out you don't see people who work hard outside. You see pimps, drug dealers and the like providing for themselves and sometimes their loved ones.
Through all of this KRIT asks what a lot of young people are asking "How can I choose a side to be on?" A lot of younger people don't follow religion as strictly as their parents did or even at all. KRIT often struggles between the two in his music. Contemplating things like if he should hit the strip club or bible study. He was raised in the church, but at the same time he feels as if the church holds no real future for him and provides no enjoyment. In this specific situation KRIT seems as if he's asking God to show him a way to balance the two before he dies.
The song Saturdays = Celebration, continues his thinking about his death and his past. Deciding he just has to accept it deciding "In the event of my demise I won't go kicking and screaming, I know that God had a reason, just don't give up believing, as long as the sun shines after the storm." He also confesses sin by stating that everything looks great on the outside but his soul is dirty through using the Cadillac as a metaphor again with "Temptation ain't motivation, this money could never make it better, Cadi cleaner than it'd ever been, but it's blood all on my wood and leather."
In the event of his death he does have a few request "Battle with drinking so please don't pour me no liquor out on the curb," and "Beware those prophets that touch a leg before they touch your soul." Maybe seeing some preachers who were more concerned with having sex with women in the congregation is what pushed KRIT away from the church to begin with. He's just trying to tell people to avoid them. As we've already heard him mention that sometimes the villains have noble intentions but sometimes the heroes have their own personal demons.
The song Lost Generation features two contrasting views. KRIT wishes to save the generation stating "I'm saying what I gotta, cause the club songs ain't saving my partner," while Lupe Fiasco sarcastically wonders if there is a point retorting with "They ain't listening to us, they ain't playing this bitch in the club, so let's get paid, turn these motherfuckers into slaves." It a strange moment in Lupe's career, someone who has always been about free speech. In this verse he's essentially placing some of the blame on rappers who don't recognize the influence they have on people. He mentions:
Lupe may be a little more comical and sarcastic about it, but that's what the whole album is. Wanting a simpler time when things weren't as complicated. KRIT realizes he messed up and it may be too late to go back to those simpler times but it doesn't stop the longing.
You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts. He also plays classic arcade games on The Cabinet
Follow @OriginalKingD
The album Cadillactica follows the birth of a sentient Cadillac which takes a journey through the American South until it's death. In reality, it's actually just KRIT reflecting on how things were when he was growing up, compared with how they are now. The first tow tracks on the album are about the creation of his music described as a big bang. The third track, My Sub Pt.4 (Big Bang), is about the sound system in his car and the fourth is about the car itself. During track four, Cadillactica, he brags about how the car is something his grandfather wishes he could have had and even watching porn on the TV screens in the car. It's safe to say these two tracks are just about living life and having fun with no worries or consequences.
That changes at the end of the song Cadillactica when he pulls up to the drive through of a restaurant called more More Grease Than Beef. He tells his friend he doesn't want any of their biscuits because they're "giving away" biscuits or biscuits made with no love and thought, which seems odd based on the content of songs up until this point in the album. The drive through worker offers him two alternatives. Option #1 is he can choose two sides from: poverty, low self-esteem, famine, or a biscuit. Option #2 is the Plan B meal; it comes with:a free DNA test and "two bitch ass niggas." KRIT tells the worker he doesn't want any of that and the worker responds "It's already prepared for you, it's been sitting there all day waiting on you."
KRIT leaves the drive through thinking about what just happened and the album's tone takes the first major shift. The next track is called Soul Food. He sits and reflects on why things have changed with his family but also acknowledges that he's changed as well, and not necessarily for the better. In the first verse he raps:Grandma's hands used to usher Sunday mornings, now before Sunday school, I hustle and I'm on it [...] In this life you live, you're either the dealer or the fiend [...] Now I sideways tote, how did Bobby Johnson hold it? Pull the trigger 'til the clip goneThroughout the song KRIT wonders where the soul food is, but slowly realizes he might have killed it. He continues in his second verse comparing relationships to the soul food he knew:
Some get bruised and battered, thrown away half eaten as if their seeds never ever mattered. It ain't ripe, it ain't right. That's why most people don't make love no more, they just fuck and they fight, what happened to the stay togethers? Yeah, I’m with you and that means forever, grandparents had that kind of bond, but now we on some other shit, nah, we ain't got no rubbers here, I know she creepin' so that ain't my son.The whole verse is full of things like this. He starts the verse with "They say, some greens just can't be cleaned and you can't wash out the taste, of rotten roots, salted looks and herbs." In this opening he makes reference to the fact that some greens can't be cleaned like some of his actions just can't be forgiven. He continues with the idea of rotten roots, basically losing the roots of his family because of his actions then brings up the salty looks that he receives at family gatherings.
Why wouldn't he receive salty looks from older members of his family? These are people who stuck together through it all. Meanwhile KRIT just has sex with a girl, argues and moves on. But it's not just him, he believes it's majority of the generation. The food metaphors keep going with the fact that some fruits and vegetables get bruised and are unusable and things like fish get battered, but sometimes people in relationships are bruised and battered as well. He refuses to use condoms but won't claim his son.
KRIT has a song called Rich Dad, Poor Dad where he mentions how great of of a father he had. A father who didn't have many monetary possessions but always gave good advice and was there for him. There's a saying that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. KRIT finishes his verse with "Apples fall off trees and roll down hill," bringing up the fact that he basically lost all of what his dad had taught him.
As to why he behaves the way he does he mentions "They keep us in and keep folk out but we don't feel safe," and "That American pie ain't even snappin." Here he's making reference to how police supposedly keep bad people out of neighborhoods, yet black people are locked in through redlining and other factors. Despite this there is no where for him to feel safe. The American Pie is a reference here to the American Dream. In this case people keep trying to sell the American Dream to younger generations like KRITs and it doesn't look good. It seems like a lie so why even bother aspiring to the American Dream?
The song Angels is KRIT's way of begging for forgiveness after he starts to believe that God is crying at his failures and is punishing him and others for losing faith, he says "Standing on the roof while helicopters swoop by, I think they don't see us. Not even FEMA could redeem the very faith we all lost." There's also the idea that good people aren't always around to provide and sometimes the provider is the bad person, especially when night comes around. He mentions "When the sun goes down, heroes don't come outside, I seen too many villains provide." When it's dark out you don't see people who work hard outside. You see pimps, drug dealers and the like providing for themselves and sometimes their loved ones.
Through all of this KRIT asks what a lot of young people are asking "How can I choose a side to be on?" A lot of younger people don't follow religion as strictly as their parents did or even at all. KRIT often struggles between the two in his music. Contemplating things like if he should hit the strip club or bible study. He was raised in the church, but at the same time he feels as if the church holds no real future for him and provides no enjoyment. In this specific situation KRIT seems as if he's asking God to show him a way to balance the two before he dies.
The song Saturdays = Celebration, continues his thinking about his death and his past. Deciding he just has to accept it deciding "In the event of my demise I won't go kicking and screaming, I know that God had a reason, just don't give up believing, as long as the sun shines after the storm." He also confesses sin by stating that everything looks great on the outside but his soul is dirty through using the Cadillac as a metaphor again with "Temptation ain't motivation, this money could never make it better, Cadi cleaner than it'd ever been, but it's blood all on my wood and leather."
In the event of his death he does have a few request "Battle with drinking so please don't pour me no liquor out on the curb," and "Beware those prophets that touch a leg before they touch your soul." Maybe seeing some preachers who were more concerned with having sex with women in the congregation is what pushed KRIT away from the church to begin with. He's just trying to tell people to avoid them. As we've already heard him mention that sometimes the villains have noble intentions but sometimes the heroes have their own personal demons.
The song Lost Generation features two contrasting views. KRIT wishes to save the generation stating "I'm saying what I gotta, cause the club songs ain't saving my partner," while Lupe Fiasco sarcastically wonders if there is a point retorting with "They ain't listening to us, they ain't playing this bitch in the club, so let's get paid, turn these motherfuckers into slaves." It a strange moment in Lupe's career, someone who has always been about free speech. In this verse he's essentially placing some of the blame on rappers who don't recognize the influence they have on people. He mentions:
You got skills to help build these killers (killers). Take the murder rate even higher (higher) and take a nigga bitch in the process, turn the whole thing into a contest. My nigga fuck this mic, We should be fucking with MIC, military industrial complex, and we can get rich, nigga, fuck showing loveLupe is basically saying that artist have the skills to change a persons life but they choose to use it incorrectly. So instead they just build killers. In which case the microphone is unimportant and we should all just invest in private prisons. The thing is, we know Lupe is serious because he's broken down in tears before over the youth violence. Yet, he feels nobody is listening to artist like him who want peace, but instead listen to whoever has the highest kill count on a song. Then there's the part about not showing love. People used to show love all the time, now everyone is concerned with being the hardest. Rappers used to rap openly about how they loved and cared for other men or women, and that was it. You were just showing love and the same thing happened in just regular friendships. Now if you do that people start to question your sexuality. Which in itself can lead to more violence due to the idea that if someone checks your manhood, you have to check their jaw. Lupe just wants to go back to a time where nobody was afraid to admit they cared about others.
Lupe may be a little more comical and sarcastic about it, but that's what the whole album is. Wanting a simpler time when things weren't as complicated. KRIT realizes he messed up and it may be too late to go back to those simpler times but it doesn't stop the longing.
You can hear Darrell on the CP Time and Powerbomb Jutsu podcasts. He also plays classic arcade games on The Cabinet
Follow @OriginalKingD
