Cadillactica, by Way of the Underground: Big K.R.I.T.'s Transformative Southern Waters.
This article explores Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T.'s 2012 Live from the Underground in the context of the water imagery that permeates the album. In a skit at the end of the second track, K.R.I.T. crashes into the "mainstream" in his mothership Cadillac, introducing himself as both an alien from...
| Publicado en: | Southern Cultures Vol. 31; no. 2; pp. 8 - 22 |
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| Formato: | Artículo |
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University of North Carolina Press
Summer2025
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| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| Sumario: | This article explores Mississippi rapper Big K.R.I.T.'s 2012 Live from the Underground in the context of the water imagery that permeates the album. In a skit at the end of the second track, K.R.I.T. crashes into the "mainstream" in his mothership Cadillac, introducing himself as both an alien from outer space and a subterranean from the underground. This skit pits the underground—where music and creativity bubble in pure waters—against the mainstream—where underground artists are watered down for mass consumption. In three key moments across Underground , K.R.I.T. braves the liquidy depths of the mainstream, powerfully transforming himself in communion with his ancestors instead of drowning. This article analyzes these three moments of transfiguration by grounding K.R.I.T.'s music in the work of the Mississippi Delta blues while also connecting it to a network of diasporic creative practices that combine to ensure K.R.I.T.'s survival and thriving as he navigates the mainstream. |
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