Big K.R.I.T. Brings Out Smoke DZA And Big Sant At NYC’s Highline Ballroom

Photography By: Joseph Chea

Last night (Oct. 7), Big K.R.I.T. hit the stage at NYC's Highline Ballroom as part of his nationwide Pay Attenion Tour.  To celebrate the upcoming release of his second studio album Cadillactica, the tour offered fans a chance to relive K.R.I.T.'s growth as an artist as he performed some of his earliest and most recent material.

Opening up the show was  Two-9, an Atlanta-based rap collective featuring Curtis Williams, Key!, FatKidsBrotha and Retro Su$h!. The eclectic group of up and coming rappers laced the audience with tracks they could easily bump to. With their fun mix of hip-hop, rock and trippy music, the crowd couldn't help but bop their heads and move their feet.

Around 9 P.M., the lights went black, instantaneously setting in with the crowd that their main event was ready to hit the stage. As soon as Big K.R.I.T. stepped out the crowd exploded with applause and screams. The mood was officially set with a sea of anxious faces waiting for hip-hop's country cousin to turn up with them. K.R.I.T. kicked off the night with some high energy tracks including "Something Right" and "Talkin' Bout Nothin", but the crowd really began to let loose when he performed his hits "New Agenda", "My Trunk" and "Rotation."

The encouraging energy in the room gave Krizzle the unspoken "okay" to perform whatever song touched him at the moment. Realizing fans have asked him on countless occasions why freestyles aren't a top priority for him, K.R.I.T. decided to break the audience off with a recent freestyle he debuted over Lil Wayne and Drake's "Believe Me" beat — "I remember starving for real ni**a, now I got steak on the grill ni**a." As if the freestyle wasn't surprising enough, K.R.I.T. brought out Smoke DZA as a special guest to perform "Only One."

Fans were able to get a taste of Big K.R.I.T.'s latest single off Cadillactica, "Pay Attention" featuring Rico Love, which is also happens to be the name of the tour. While Rico Love didn't perform with him, K.R.I.T. was easily able to swoon the ladies in the crowd with this track that delivers both a soft and rugged sound. The Mississippi rapper guaranteed the men in the audience if they could find a woman that knows all the words to this song, there would be a strong possibility of making a certain connection with her. The audience seemed to love every minute of it. Shortly after, he surprised the concert-goers with another special guest, Big Sant. The two performed "Return Of 4eva", "Pull Up", "How U Luv That" and "Just Last Week", where K.R.I.T. made his way into the crowd surrounding himself with nothing but their love and support.

The mood quickly changed when K.R.I.T. graced the audience with an intimate performance of "The Vent". He dedicated the track to Mike Brown and anyone else who lost their life this year. K.R.I.T. asked everyone to pull out their lighters and cell phones to officially set the scene for the solemn song. The song was initially written about his deceased grandmother and dealing with death in general. K.R.I.T. then closed out the show on a more positive note with his highly acclaimed track, "Mt. Olympus", which left everyone in the room desperate for more.

Big K.R.I.T. hits Boston today as the next leg in his Pay Attention Tour.

Previously: Train Of Thought: Big K.R.I.T. Breaks Down His Single “Mt. Olympus”
Big K.R.I.T. Is Creating A Planet Called ‘Cadillactica’ For His New Album
7 Things You Need To Know About Big K.R.I.T.’s ‘Cadillactica’