Kenneth WhalumMight Not Be Ok (Ft. Big K.R.I.T.) hip-hopsoulrapfrank oceanmale vocalistpianomale rapperjohn legendgil scott-heronacoustic hip-hopbig k.r.i.t.Why Big K.R.I.T. is still slept on is hard to explain. He has a humble authenticity and an undeniable prowess on the mic that shape shifts his deeply Southern accent on beats that he produces himself with a nimble fluidity that can only be matched by a Kendrick Lamar or J. Cole in today’s rap game. His stage presence is so packed with energy that it can be felt in a venue of 30 people or 15,000. Yet, he lacks the same mainstream popularity of his counterparts after ten years in it. It’s either the radio and the internet haven’t come to accept an artist so unapologetically from Mississippi, or K.R.I.T. still hasn’t found a way to make his sound “radio friendly”. Likely, it’s a combination of both. His official album releases, Cadillactica, Live From the Underground, KRIT Was Here, are void of that same homegrown, bass-heavy, southern country boy realness that his core fanbase comes to expect out of him in exchange for a more polite attempt to reach for a larger audience.

It’s an understandable logic that is possibly prompted by his label, but it’s just not what makes K.R.I.T. special. Trust, he’s well aware of how disingenuous it comes across. In fact, his lyrics are lined with explicit commentary on the slow grind to making it in the industry and the conscious decision to no longer compromise his art for the sake of the quick dollar. No, what makes K.R.I.T. special is that he’s able to put together some of the best bodies of work mixtapes have ever seen. Mastering an aesthetic that embodies the spirit of UGK, Scarface and Three 6 Mafia so naturally, at times, it feels as though they’re featured. Where most look at a mixtape as a filler, a throwaway, Big K.R.I.T. tapes are crafted with a thoughtfulness and a passion that can only be accomplished by an artist that truly believes in their own music and loves making it. For him, the mixtape is the album. The product of an incredible talent trapped in the purgatory which exists between Billboard charts and the underground rap world is a jamming collection of 14 tracks here on It’s Better This Way.

K.R.I.T. is credited as a producer on 10 of those, and there’s not a single trending hitmaker present here. parental advisory sweatshirt shopThe closest thing to a superstar feature is Ludacris who is better known for his role in Fast and Furious than rap in 2015. oxnard hoodieThose gimmicks just aren’t needed here for this tape to be good, and outside influences tend to sound obviously foreign in his work anyway.nike fleece hoodie v2 K.R.I.T. has the skill and the fire to hold his own. postseason hoodies mlbWhen good artists get snubbed, they become more hungry. octopus pullover hoodie

Even Leo DiCaprio is eating raw bison liver these days for the sake of his art. cheap hollister fur hoodiesK.R.I.T. doesn’t have a problem putting in that sort of sacrifice until the rest of the world realizes the quality of what he’s doing. sons of anarchy hoodie 4xlHonestly, it’s better this way. “King Pt. 4” = +1 “No Static”/ Warren G = 0 “Piece On Chain” = +2 “Shakem Off” / Ludacris / K. Camp = +1 “How Bout That Money” / Young Dolph = 0 – Yeahh..can’t really believe in another over simplified ode to money and strippers from K.R.I.T. at this point. Just leave it out. “In the Darkness” / Wolfe de MCHLS = +2 JAM “Vanilla Sky” = 0 “Got Me Thru” / DeLorean / Big SANT = +1 “Can’t be Still” / BJ the Chicago Kid = +1 “Keep it Boomin” = +1

“Party Tonight” = +1 “It’s better this way” = 0 Total = 11 of 13 ZHORA, Blue, The Misfit, Sam Lao, picnictyme, Ronnie Heart 2.18.17 This event is all ages CitySTRONG Dallas: Erin Oprea & Shawn BoothDJ Kaitlyn Bristowe 2.19.17 Erykah Badu presents: Sauceizm, Another Badu Birthday BounceThe Cannabinoids 2.26.17 Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular St. Paul & The Broken Bones Public Access TV 4.29.17 Todrick Hall Presents: Straight Outta Oz 4.30.17 An Evening With Sigur Ros The Gipsy Kings 6.19.17 Killer Queen: The UK's Premier Queen Tribute 7.21.17Bangkok-born artist Korakrit Arunanondchai originally created his wildly-colorful, limited-edition clothing label Kora-Krit as an extension of his digitally influenced art. Working chiefly with silkscreen printing, Arunanondchai intended for visitors to his gallery shows to wear the pieces for a fully immersive and visually seamless experience. The RISD grad (now based in Brooklyn, NY) takes up various themes in his work, but considers them all to have a shared feeling.

He sees his layered compositions as a fortunate glimpse of a fleeting moment, like "a bunch of kids playing basketball" who appear to fight and dance as they bump into each other on the court. But in Arunanondchai's amped-up world, the scene plays out at an even faster tempo and is possibly "happening in the sky." The current collection borrows strong graphic shapes found in video games, particularly the letters X and O, as well as triangle and square shapes. Printed on neon fabrics, the choice links the apparel back to his black light art installation on the same subject. The forthcoming project, dubbed "Thrs" for the typical gallery opening night, takes Arunanondchai back to a simple black, white and gray palette for series of intricate prints that explore computer-generated gallery spaces. A fan of Hieronymus Bosch, the phantasmagorical world Arunanondchai creates has something in common with contemporaries like Ryan McGinness, who similarly makes densely-layered imagery that toes the line between organization and chaos.