This past Sunday (Jan. 1), Big K.R.I.T. decided to bring in the new year with “Birthday Song,” an energetic, bounce-inspired offering that’s full of call-in-response lyrics perfect for a proper celebration:

“If it’s your birthday, tell ’em it’s your birthday! If you want that cake, go and get that cake! B-day season on ’em! Blow the candles out wit’ it, blow the candles out!”

Last February, K.R.I.T. liberated his fifth studio LP, Digital Roses Don’t Die, a 17-track body of work that saw the Mississippi rapper delving into R&B and soul vibes. Ashanti Floyd the Mad Violinist, DJ Camper, Jared Alexander Jackson, Clarence Reid, Willie Clarke, and Rolynné provided additional support on the experimental effort. A couple of months later, he would team up with Wiz Khalifa, Smoke DZA, and Girl Talk for Full Court Press. Outside of his own releases, K.R.I.T also contributed to songs like Sy Air Da Kid’s “A Dream, A Plan (Remix),” Bilal’s “Pleasure Toy (Mixed),” Royce da 5’9″‘s “Black Lives Matter,” and “Extra Credit,” the last of which was a standout cut on the official soundtrack for Madden NFL 23.

In a past interview with XXL, K.R.I.T. opened up about his overall legacy within hip hop:

“It’s hard to explain, man, because it was a lot of me trying to prove myself because of where I was from. I’m from Mississippi. So, I had to do a lot of traveling, a lot of interacting with people in order to prove my capacity to do music, not only on a production level, but on a rapping level, and be very stern in that not only can I produce, but I am a lyricist and a top-tier lyricist and I’m from Mississippi. So, it was that.”

Press play on Big K.R.I.T.‘s “Birthday Song” below.