• August 26, 1986
• Big K.R.I.T. was born in Mississippi and played in the school orchestra as a child. He used to play tuba and believes he can still play as the instrument is has only 3 buttons.
• At age 12, Big K.R.I.T. started rapping and trying to find his own voice. He released his first mixtape when he was just 18 and was quickly signed to Def Jam Recordings only 2 years later.
• Growing up in Mississippi, Big K.R.I.T. can relate to other rappers who feel segregated. The rapper says influences like Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X inspired a whole generation to stand up and make change. Big K.R.I.T. told Hip Hop DX that civil rights activists taught him that he needed to stop rapping for himself and his city and start making music that's special to everybody.
• In 2011, Big K.R.I.T. told The Boombox that even though he's not a political person, he's glad to see people taking a stance, like the protesters in the Occupy Wall Street movement. He's also happy that there are artists out there that take the focus off themselves and put aside their music in order to support the movement.
• In 2011, Big K.R.I.T. collaborated with the Philadelphia Hip-Hop/R&B band The Roots. The rapper appeared on a song called "Make My" from The Roots' album Undun. Big K.R.I.T. says his dream collaboration is to work with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings. Although he's come close to hooking up with Sharon Jones before, as of 2012 the collaboration had yet to happen.
• When it comes to sampling, Big K.R.I.T. likes to take songs that aren't obvious so that the result sounds like his own creation. He cites producers like Pete Rock, J Dilla, and 9th Wonders as masters of this type of sampling. Big K.R.I.T. says he likes to take electric guitar riffs from bands like Whitesnake and The Scorpions and make them sound bigger than they did in the original versions of the songs.

Comments

More Songfacts:

MMMbopHanson

Zac Hanson was just 11 years and 7 months old when "MMMbop" topped the Hot 100, making him the youngest group member to co-write and perform a US #1 single.

No More I Love You'sAnnie Lennox

The Annie Lennox hit "No More I Love You's" is a cover, originally sung by a man.

RehabAmy Winehouse

Amy Winehouse really did refuse "Rehab." She said she drank because she was lovesick, and "you can't go into rehab for that."

Let It GoIdina Menzel

The Frozen song "Let It Go" was recorded in 42 different languages for the movie's foreign releases. This earned it an entry in the 2016 Guinness World Records publication for "Most Languages Featured on a Single."

Ship Of FoolsWorld Party

One of the great "we're all going down" songs is "Ship Of Fools" by World Party, written when Margaret Thatcher was in power in England.

Master Of PuppetsMetallica

When Metallica performed in China in 2013, they weren't allowed to play "Master Of Puppets," probably because the theme of being controlled by a higher authority didn't sit well with the Chinese government.

Editor's Picks

Angelo Moore of FishboneSongwriter Interviews

Fishbone has always enjoyed much more acclaim than popularity - Angelo might know why.

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Rob Thomas of Matchbox TwentySongwriter Interviews

Rob Thomas on his Social Distance Sessions, co-starring with a camel, and his friendship with Carlos Santana.

Rufus WainwrightSongwriter Interviews

Rufus Wainwright on "Hallelujah," his album Unfollow The Rules, and getting into his "lyric trance" on 12-hour walks.

Classic MetalFact or Fiction

Ozzy, Guns N' Roses, Judas Priest and even Michael Bolton show up in this Classic Metal quiz.

Ian Anderson: "The delight in making music is that you don't have a formula"Songwriter Interviews

Ian talks about his 3 or 4 blatant attempts to write a pop song, and also the ones he most connected with, including "Locomotive Breath."