'Spike ... please do this video,' K.R.I.T. pitches to the director on 'RapFix Live.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway
Big K.R.I.T. on "RapFix Live"
Photo: MTV News
Big K.R.I.T. has a vision he just can't let go. Last year on his debut album, Live From the Underground, the Meridian, Mississippi, MC recorded "Praying Man" with blues legend B.B. King and he is dying to shoot a music video for it — but only if one man directs.
"Spike: Where you at, man?" K.R.I.T. pitched on-camera to acclaimed film director Spike Lee when he appeared on "RapFix Live" on Wednesday. "Spike, I know you're going to the games and I know you're focused on the playoffs and the Knicks. Please do this video."
The soul-filled song, which K.R.I.T. produced himself, tells a story from the perspective of three deceased slaves. In the first verse, K.R.I.T. personifies a man hanged from a tree, and the second tells a tale of a captive who jumped into the Atlantic Ocean while being brought to the U.S. On the song's final verse, Krizzle paints the picture of a man trying to make his way to the North through the Underground Railroad. "Yes, I was on the road, didn't know which way to go, think I hear a praying man coming," King sings in between each story.
K.R.I.T. clearly put a lot of thought into the record, and if he has his wish, he will collaborate with the "Malcolm X" director to bring the song to life. Through his films, the iconic Lee has tackled complex racial divides with celebrated films such as "Do the Right Thing," "Bamboozled" and the Katrina-focused documentary "When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts."
"Spike, please do this video. It's featuring B.B. King. It's not a sample; he really sung on the record, I really was in the studio with him. Please do this visual," K.R.I.T. said in his passionate pitch. "It's not just about that album; it's about that song. I think it's extremely important for society and where we're at now, and it's the message that it brings that I think is extremely important."
If you would like to see Spike Lee direct Big K.R.I.T.'s "Praying Man" video, tweet @BigKRIT and @SpikeLee with the hashtag #SpikeLee4PrayingMan.
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