Imagine Kanye West being born and raised in Meridian, Mississippi. Now imagine him being produced by Organized Noize. That imagery would create music almost identical to the state's next hip-hop heavyweight, Big K.R.I.T. (King remembered in time). Rapping since the age of 12 and producing from age 14, the now 24-year-old rapper slash producer defied the odds of both his personal life and hip-hop's current landscape to be the most in-demand and respected rookie on the Cinematic Music Group/Def Jam Records roster. After years of releasing underground mix tapes, K.R.I.T.'s May 2010 release, K.R.I.T. Wuz Here, and his March 2011 release, Return of 4Eva, have put him in the spotlight, gaining him praise from many of the industry's tastemakers. An artist that insists on remaining an individual and feeding his growing audience with feel-good rhythms and "rhymes with morals", Big K.R.I.T. has the dimension and ambition to make him a true rap legend.