For Big K.R.I.T., the June 7 release of his "R4: The Prequel" through Island Def Jam was a proud moment. It's the first bar code offering from the Meridian, Miss., rapper/producer, and though the five-song set, available exclusively as a digital EP, is a collection packaged from material that can already be found online, to K.R.I.T., the release is still a sign of success.

"I'm happy to put it on a scale where it's in retail," says K.R.I.T., whose stage name is an acronym for a King Remembered in Time. "Regardless of if I already gave it away or it's not all brand-new, it's a milestone in my career. I produced it all, and it's available to buy now."

But while this may be new ground for K.R.I.T., it's quickly becoming well-worn territory for IDJ. Fabolous' recent "There Is No Competition 2: The Grieving Music EP" began as a popular grass-roots release before the label repackaged it for retail, and Frank Ocean's revamp of his "Nostalgia, Ultra," which was released on Tumblr earlier this spring and has already spawned the buzzing single "Novacane," is set to follow.

"R4: The Prequel" pulls from K.R.I.T.'s two independent releases, "K.R.I.T. Wuz Here" (May 2010) and "Returnof4eva" (April 2011), and allows him and his manager, Jonny Shipes of Cinematic Music Group, to meet IDJ in a kind of middle: The rapper had a single that he released for free getting radio airplay ("Country Sh*t"), and the label can put its muscle behind its budding new star (he inked with IDJ last year) while having something available at retail before the upstart's official debut due later this year.

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