K-os Starts 'rebellion'

The sophomore album by Canadian rapper K-OS, "Joyful Rebellion," backs up his belief that music can fight stereotypes of black culture.

Toronto-based K-OS (whose real name is Kevin Brereton) has a clear vision of how he wants to be perceived: as a black man with a positive message.

"We are not just victims of society," he says. "We are not just pimps or ex-cons. The weight of stereotyping is a heavy weight and needs to be revolted against."

The mostly self-produced and self-written "Joyful Rebellion" came out Aug. 24 on EMI Music Canada. It will come out Sept. 21 in the United States on Astralwerks/Virgin.

"The idea behind rebellion has always been a tragic one," K-OS says of the album's title. "I want to associate happiness with being rebellious. That's a revolutionary idea in itself."

"Joyful Rebellion" is a finely crafted work stamped with rap, funk, rock and reggae sounds. K-OS (the name stands for Knowledge of Self) is musically ambitious, but it is his insightful concepts and spiritual lyrics that mark him as a visionary.

"K-OS is a poet, a tremendous songwriter and a wonderful singer," EMI Music Canada president Deane Cameron says. "He wants to be part of that movement changing urban music and hip-hop. He has a tremendous commitment to that culture."

Errol Kolosine, GM of Astralwerks in New York, adds, "Kevin is an artist who is doing something that goes against the grain where mainstream hip-hop is, but in fact, he's being true to the origins and spirit of hip-hop."

K-OS holds blistering views on the state of the genre, criticizing what he calls its assembly-line recording and glorification of violence and misogyny. He believes artists and labels have to consider how hip-hop's negative side may be affecting impressionable kids.

"I'm hard pressed to find positive images of blacks on television today," he says. "Kids watch TV and appropriate themselves to images our culture is creating. When daughters and sons have no fathers, they find them. Jay-Z becomes their father, or 50 Cent."

K-OS denounces rappers' obsession with money and fame on the track "EMCEE Murdah" and celebrates hip-hop's early days in "B-Boy Stance." In "The Man I Used to Be," he shows compassion for Michael Jackson, noting that even the most successful artists can be unprepared to deal with fame. The rollicking "Crabbuckit" recalls the '40s jump-style recordings of Louis Jordan and his Tympany Five.

"The album is far beyond what we expected," EMI Music Canada VP of A&R and talent acquisition Tim Trombley says. "When 'Crabbuckit' and 'The Man I Used to Be' came in, we knew Kevin had delivered us singles. Then the rest of the record came in, and it was like, 'Oh my.' "

The Canadian and U.S. labels led with a 12-inch release of "B-Boy Stance" in June, servicing it to K-OS' solid urban base. The video has been a staple at MuchMusic in Canada and has been added to VH1 Soul and MTVU in the United States.

EMI Music Canada followed up with "Crabbuckit," which was No. 10 on the Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems top 40 chart and No. 43 on its hot AC chart for the week ended Aug. 16. Meanwhile, Virgin America has serviced "The Love Song" to U.S. urban radio.

Craig Halket, senior music programmer at MuchMusic, says "Joyful Rebellion" is "not what you expect from a hip-hop album. It is full of great songs. It's incredible that 'Crabbuckit' is registering so well."

K-OS was raised in rural Ontario and Trinidad. He jokes that he was the only black kid in Whitby, Ontario, in the '70s. For years, he hated being different, but later came to appreciate his uniqueness.

"With friends, I was forced to listen to Brit bands like Echo & the Bunnymen, Depeche Mode and the Clash," he recalls. "At home, I listened to my parents' records, including Bob Marley. I came to realize it wasn't too far from the Clash to Bob Marley. I figured I could maintain my own culture and find things I liked elsewhere."

K-OS first appeared on the Canadian hip-hop scene 11 years ago with independent singles "Musical Essence" and "Rise Like the Sun." In 2001, he signed with EMI Music Canada and the following year released his debut album, "Exit," on EMI in Canada and Astralwerks in the United States.