k-os

k-os
k-os in November 2004
k-os in November 2004
Background information
Birth name Kevin Brereton
Born February 20, 1972 (1972-02-20) (age 37)
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genre(s) Hip hop; Alternative hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper, singer, songwriter producer
Instrument(s) Vocals, piano, acoustic guitar
Years active 1993–present
Label(s) Astralwerks
Website http://www.k-osmusic.com/

Kevin Brereton, better known by his stage name k-os, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. His given name may also be cited as Kheaven, a spelling he later adopted.

The alias "k-os" is pronounced "chaos" and is an acronym for "Knowledge of Self," although in a later interview he also said that it used to stand for "Kheaven's Original Sound." His music incorporates a wide variety of music genres including but not limited to rap, funk, rock, and reggae. The lyrics frequently focus on promoting a "positive message" while at times expressing criticism of mainstream hip hop culture's obsession with money, fame and glorification of violence.[1] A musician as well as a producer, k-os has written and produced nearly every part of all three of his albums. k-os usually performs with a live band, something that is uncommon in the hip hop genre. He sometimes plays guitar and keyboard both during live performances and in the studio.[2]

k-os received his first musical exposure with the single "Musical Essence", released in 1993. After the release of his second single "Rise Like The Sun" in 1996 he withdrew from the industry because he was dissatisfied with his musical style. He reappeared briefly in 1999 and released his debut album Exit in 2002. The album received positive reviews but sold relatively few copies. He released his second album Joyful Rebellion in 2004, which received platinum status in Canada. Joyful Rebellion received positive reviews, but at times was criticized for speaking extensively on the state of hip hop. k-os' third album, Atlantis: Hymns for Disco, was released in 2006.

Contents

Early life and childhood

k-os was born at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on February 20, 1972. He and his two younger brothers Joshua and Andrew Richard were raised by Trinidadian Jehovah's Witnesses parents. His father was a minister at two congregations in the Greater Toronto Area.[3] K-os moved along with his family to Trinidad when he was attending the third grade. In Trinidad, k-os surrounded himself with music to deal with being away from Canada.[4] Around the same time he also became a vegetarian at 8 years of age.[5] He returned to Canada with his mother in his teens, taking up residence in Whitby, Ontario, a town east of Toronto. His father temporarily stayed behind in Trinidad to continue work.[6] His father worked as a computer engineer and became Director of Communications for BWIA, the national Trinidadian airline, while his mother owned a cosmetics company. Growing up, k-os was a fan of artists and groups as diverse as New Order, Depeche Mode, Boogie Down Productions, Slick Rick, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Beatles.[3] He said that he was "insecure" in high school and he pursued his musical ambitions because after performing at an assembly in his high school gym he realized performing attracted people towards him and made him feel "powerful and... secure".[7] In 1992, he attended Carleton University in Ottawa for one semester to please his father.[8] He returned to Toronto and enrolled into York University. Being friends with Nigel Williams, a member of the band Pocket Dwellers, Nigel encouraged k-os to continue to develop his musical abilities when he was confronted with "difficult forays."[4]

Music career

While attending York University, k-os gained his first exposure in the music industry in 1993 when he released the single "Musical Essence" sample with a music video financed by a VideoFACT grant. The video can be viewed here. He dropped out of the university shortly afterwards. The single was produced with friends Clarence Gruff and Kevin Risto; currently, Risto is one half of the production duo known as Midi Mafia (produced the 50 Cent single "21 Questions").[8] After winning a MuchMusic Video Award for the single, k-os was noticed by NBA player John Salley, who became his manager. With the single gaining moderate success, k-os was invited to perform in the 1995 Hip-Hop Explosion Tour, with other Canadian acts such as Rascalz and Ghetto Concept. Salley and Raphael Saadiq began work with k-os on his planned debut Missing Links,[4] eventually releasing his second single "Rise Like the Sun" in 1996. k-os suddenly withdrew from the music industry in 1996 after receiving an offer from BMG. k-os would later say that during this time he had already completed several albums but was dissatisfied with his music. He described his music as "pretentious and derivative," and stated at the time that he was "still trying to figure out who he was."[3]

He continued to live with his manager Salley in Los Angeles. Soon after, Red1 of the Rascalz, who k-os befriended at the 1995 Explosion Tour, invited him to move to Vancouver. There he contributed a verse and chorus lines to the Rascalz Global Warning album, released in 1999. k-os returned to the music scene by performing at the North by Northeast music festival in 1999. He took stage with the Vancouver band Namedropper.[3]

Inspired by Michael Jackson, A Tribe Called Quest, The Beatles, The Roots and Stevie Wonder, k-os worked on a new debut album. He described his new musical focus on "doing stuff really obscure and making music for myself."[9] He recorded a demo tape and began looking for a record company to sign with, eventually settling on Capitol Records. Later, the parent company EMI transferred his record deal to another label, Astralwerks, co-owned by Virgin Records, after some management and scheduling issues.[10] After the transfer k-os was added to the roster of the Toronto based artist management firm Chris Smith Management.

2002–2003

On March 26, 2002, k-os released his debut album Exit in Canada to critical acclaim. The United States release followed the next year on January 28, 2003. The album incorporated several music styles, and was described as a "carefully blended pastiche of hip-hop, soul, rock, R&B, and a touch of reggae" by Stylus Magazine.[11] Billboard Magazine called the album "One of the finest hip-hop records Canada has ever produced."[12] The first single and promotional track for the album was "Heaven Only Knows" sample. Like the "Musical Essence" single, the video for "Heaven Only Knows" was sponsored by a VideoFACT grant. The second single, "Superstarr Pt. Zero," was then released, which won "Best Music Video" award at the 2003 Urban X-Posure Awards.

After the Canadian release of the album, k-os toured with India.Arie across United States to promote his album. Despite receiving positive reviews, Exit sold only 40,000 albums in the U.S.[13] and 27,000 in Canada according to Nielsen SoundScan.[10] The album went on to win several music awards including the "Album Design of the Year" award at the Juno Awards of 2003. k-os won the "Best International Hip Hop Artist" award at the Source Awards the same year. k-os also appeared and performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live. In 2003, k-os collaborated with the The Chemical Brothers on their single "Get Yourself High." The track was nominated for "Best Dance Recording" at the 2005 Grammy Awards. k-os said, on the show "profile" on mtv, that the The Chemical Brothers sent him 5 tracks and he picked the one they wanted him to pick ("Get Yourself High") and he freestyled to it.

2004–2005

Despite suggesting that Exit might be his final album,[14] k-os released his second album Joyful Rebellion on August 24, 2004. The album was well received and became platinum in Canada in February 2005.[15] The album and the second album single, "Crabbuckit" sample, were rated the most downloaded "Hip Hop/Rap" album and track on the iTunes store in Canada upon their release. The album also earned the number two spot on Rolling Stone critic Karen Bliss' top ten album list for 2004, where she described the artist as a "destined superstar."[16] The album maintained the same formula as Exit, but was criticized by a few reviews for speaking "extensively about the integrity of hip-hop."[17] k-os himself later described Joyful Rebellion as being a "rant against the state of hip hop."[18] Joyful Rebellion featured a total of six singles. The debut single, "B-Boy Stance," was followed by "Crabbuckit," "Man I Used to Be," and "Love Song," each accompanied by a music video. The radio exclusive titles "Crucial" and "Dirty Water", which did not feature Sam Roberts, were released shortly after. The single "Crabbuckit" went on to be nominated three times at the 2005 Canadian Radio Music Awards.

k-os was nominated four times at the 2004 Canadian Urban Music Awards and won two awards for the single "B-Boy Stance". In 2005 k-os received three Juno Awards for the album. In the same year, the single Crabbuckit won the "Best Pop Video" award out of four nominations while Man I Used to Be won "MuchVibe Best Rap Video," "Best Director" and "Best Cinematography" at the annual MuchMusic Video Awards. He won the "Best Songwriter" and "Fan Choice Award" at the 2005 Canadian Urban Music Awards. On November 15, 2005, k-os released the ?Publicity Stunt? DVD. The DVD featured singles and concert footage dating back to 1998[10] and footage from the 2005 concert at the Molson Amphitheatre, Canada's highest attended Hip Hop concert.[19] According to the Canadian Recording Industry Association, the DVD became platinum on February 2006 in Canada.[20]

In a relatively quiet dispute, some lyrics from the single "B-Boy Stance" were interpreted as an insult on the Toronto-based rapper K'naan. In the single, k-os rapped "They took cameras to Africa for pictures to rhyme / Over; Oh, yes, the great pretenders," and "Religious entertainers who want to be life savers." K’naan interpreted the lyrics as being aimed at him filming the music video for the single Soobax in Kenya. Friends say that k-os was simply expressing ideas about the LoveMovement(his videproduction team) who shot the video in Kenya and ex manager Sol guy who was managing Knaan at the time. k-os has been said to believe that hip hop allows friends to express their ideas to each other via song. He was very puzzled by Knaan's personal 'public' angle on the lyrics of b-boy stance especially because his song Revolutionary Avacado came after Knaan's repeated efforts to collaborate with k-os. Later on k-os told younger brother Josh that he believed it was a way for Knaan to 'get attention' very close to the release date of his album and that Sol guy who k-os left to be Managed by Chris Smith management pit the two against each other[21] K’naan responded in the song "Revolutionary Avocado" with the lyrics: "You the all-knowing with a beer bottle / Wishing you was Plato and me Aristotle? / ...Suburban negro turned hip-hop hero / Is there a reason he really hates me, though?".[21] Furthermore K'naan stated in an interview that he thought "[k-os] was out of line."[21] The two have since spoken and there is no conflict.

2006

Early in 2006, k-os collaborated with the CBC Radio Orchestra to compose "Burning to Shine."[22] A documentary chronicling the production and performance of the song aired on Canadian national television on February 2, 2006 and was titled after the song. k-os then traveled across Canada recording his third album, stopping mainly in Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax. In the proceeding summer, the first single from the upcoming album titled "ELEctrick Heat - the seekwiLL" was released. The single became the "#1 most downloaded Single of the Week" on iTunes.[19] During the year, k-os also recorded a version of John Lennon's song "Jealous Guy" for the Make Some Noise campaign of the human rights organization Amnesty International.

Before the release of his third album, Atlantis: Hymns For Disco, k-os wrote derogatory comments on his MySpace page aimed at Jason Richards, a contributing writer at Toronto's NOW magazine, for his review of the album. k-os stated that he was angered by Richards referring to him in the review as a "crossover pop artist disguised as a true-school b-boy".He was also disillusioned when he remembered he had granted an interview to Richards when he was a teenager, and that they had similar small town Trinidadian upbringings. Nervousness about the experimental nature of Atlantis and the passive aggressiveness of Canadian media most likely led to his blow up.[23] Part of the comment called Richards "a black man ... manipulated by his indie rock nerd bosses"[24] and called on him to "eat a dick!".[24] after receiving advice from a psychologist on myspace k-os later removed the comments, stating in an interview that it was a "personal situation"[25] between himself and Richards and he was angered because the two had previously "had many discussions on music."[25] k-os' comments also received attention from the lead vocalist of the band Danko Jones, who wrote to NOW magazine saying that k-os "had too much sunshine massaged up his ass."[26] k-os responded to the letter, making sarcastic remarks discussing a band named "STANKO JONES", which referred to Danko Jones.[26] He also remarked again upon Jason Richards, comparing him to the "Arnold Jackson" character played by Gary Coleman on the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes.[26] Jones stated in an interview that he thought k-os' comments were a "lame response," and that "a five-year-old could come up with something wittier."[26] k-os and Danko shared a rehearsal space and often had in depth conversations during their breaks outside the rehearsal space. He was very disappointed that someone whom he considered a friend spoke out in the press before trying to contacting him first.

On October 10, 2006, Atlantis: Hymns For Disco was released in Canada, with a global release scheduled on February 6, 2007. The album went platinum in Canada during December of the same year.[27] Atlantis, written and produced by k-os, featured collaborations with Sam Roberts and Buck 65. The album debuted as number one and number five on the "Digital Albums" and "Current Albums" Canadian charts, respectively.[19] The album reached number five on Music World's top ten in its opening week.[28] While the album continued to merge several musical genres, k-os described the album as being more vocal due to him becoming more comfortable with his singing voice.[29] Atlantis was also described as leaving behind the "social commentaries" and hip hop critique present on his last two albums.[30] Subsequent singles are "Sunday Morning" sample and "Flypaper". ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown has used the chorus of "Sunday Morning" as an intro returning from commercial break the past two seasons. k-os was one of the top 3 nominees for the Juno Awards of 2007 with five nominations although failed to win one.[31]

2007–2008

k-os 2007 Vans Warped Tour, in Las Cruces NM, 12JUL07.

On February 20, 2007, he performed "Sunday Morning" on the Late Show With David Letterman.

Crabbuckit can be heard in the trailer for the 2007 blockbuster Shrek the Third.

In 2007, k-os toured with P.O.S., RX Bandits, and Gym Class Heroes on The Darryl Hall For President Tour

His 2007 single "Born To Run" was featured in the soundtrack for FIFA 08.

Stated himself, his new album, Yes!, will be released sometime in January 2009, with a single debuting in December 2008. A demo for a track called "Eye Know" has also been released on myspace.[32]

His song CatDieseL is featured in the opening of an episode of CSI: Miami titled Bloodline.

Discography

Singles

Year Single Peak positions Album
CAN US UK
1993 Musical Essence - - - -
1996 Rise Like the Sun - - - -
2002 Heaven Only Knows 34 - - Exit
Superstarr Pt. Zero - - -
2004 B-Boy Stance 76 - - Joyful Rebellion
Crabbuckit 23 - -
2005 Man I Used to Be 12 - -
Love Song - - -
Crucial 98 - -
Dirty Water - - -
2006 ELEctrik HeaT - the seekwiLL - - - Atlantis: Hymns for Disco
Sunday Morning 19 - -
Flypaper - - -
2007 Born To Run - - -
Equalizer - - -

Media

References

  1. ↑ Larry LeBlanc (September 4, 2004). "K-OS starts 'Rebellion': Toronto MC wages war against stereotypes with sophomore set.", Billboard. Retrieved on 2006-10-22. 
  2. ↑ Bartley Kives (21 October 2004). "The gospel according to k-os not about preaching to choir", Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved on 2006-10-22. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Galloway, Matt. "K-OS", NOW. Retrieved on 2006-10-19. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Del F. Cowie (January 31, 2002). "K-OS: Organised K-OS", Exclaim!. Retrieved on 2006-10-21. 
  5. ↑ Unknown. "K-OS". Peta2. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  6. ↑ Stevenson, Jane. "K-os has firm grip on his career", Toronto Sun. Retrieved on 2006-10-19. 
  7. ↑ O'Brian, Amy (October 7, 2006). "Hip-hop artist known as k-os seeking, not always finding peace", Vancouver Sun. Retrieved on 2006-10-19. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Fateema Sayani (October 7, 2006). "K-Os, as the spirit moves him", The Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved on 2006-10-19. 
  9. ↑ BET.com Staff. "BET.com - The Next: K-Os". BET. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Karen Bliss. "America to re-release k-os CD". JAM! Music. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
  11. ↑ Ed Howard (September 1, 2003). "k-os", Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-10-20. 
  12. ↑ Entertainment Editors (May 25, 2004). "k-os' Joyful Rebellion Set for Release in September on Astralwerks/Virgin; Joyful Rebellion Set to Follow-up the Award Winning 2003 Release of Exit", Business Wire. Retrieved on 2006-10-19. 
  13. ↑ Karen Bliss (February 2, 2006). "The joyful return of k-os". JAM! Music. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  14. ↑ Dan Leroy (June 30, 2005). "Exit". Yahoo Music Canada. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  15. ↑ "Audio Certifications February 2005". CRIA (January 21, 2003). Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
  16. ↑ Karen Bliss (December 29, 2004). "Critics' Top Ten Lists". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  17. ↑ Tom Mantzouranis (April 20, 2005). "K-OS". PopMatters. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
  18. ↑ Cassandra Szklstski (October 12, 2006). "Canadian hip-hop artist k-os runs gamut of genres on new CD 'Atlantis'". CBC. Retrieved on 2006-10-20.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Unknown (October 20, 2006). "K-OS 'ATLANTIS – HYMNS FOR DISCO' DEBUTS #1 ON DIGITAL ALBUMS CHART AND #5 ON CURRENT ALBUMS CHART IN CANADA". Virgin Music. Retrieved on 2006-10-20.
  20. ↑ "Video Certifications February 2006". CRIA (June 30, 2005). Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 McKinnon (June 30, 2005). "Kicking Up Dust". CBC. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  22. ↑ ChartAttack.com Staff (February 2, 2006). "K-OS Goes Orchestral In Burning To Shine". ChartAttack.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  23. ↑ Richards, Jason (October 5–11, 2006). "K-OS Atlantis: Hymns For Disco". NOW. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 it was speculated that this comment was inspired by k-os realization that Richard's review of Atlantis mirrored a review of his previous work JoyfuL RebelLion by his boss Tim Perlich years before. k-os saw it as the same review coming from different lips. canada.com (October 5, 2006). "k-os fires back at reviewer". canada.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-19.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Harris, Bill (October 11, 2006). "k-os pulls Internet critic bashing post", Toronto Sun. Retrieved on 2006-10-19. 
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 ChartAttack.com Staf (October 31, 2006). "Danko Jones Ignites Feud With K-OS". Chart. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
  27. ↑ "Audio Certifications December 2006". CRIA (June 30, 2005). Retrieved on 2007-09-16.
  28. ↑ The Canadian Press (October 17, 2006). "Music World: Evanescence takes top spot in CD sales", Broadcast News. Retrieved on 2006-10-21. 
  29. ↑ Ida Jorgensen (October 11, 2006). "Exclusive Interview with K-OS", The Concordian. Retrieved on 2006-10-21. 
  30. ↑ Andrea Miller. "K-os talks about 'Hymns' inspiration". CANOE Live. Retrieved on 2006-10-21.
  31. ↑ 2007 Juno Awards WinnersPDF (32.5 KiB) / 2007 Juno Awards NomineesPDF (117 KiB). Juno Awards official website. Retrieved on 2007-09-16.
  32. ↑ http://www.myspace.com/kos

External links

k-os
Studio albums
Exit (2002) • Joyful Rebellion (2004) • Atlantis: Hymns for Disco (2006)
Singles
"Musical Essence" • "Rise Like The Sun" • "Heaven Only Knows" • "Superstarr Pt. Zero" • "B – Boy Stance" • "Crabbuckit" • "Man I Used to Be" • "Love Song" • "Crucial" • "Dirty Water" • "ELEctrik HeaT – the seekwiLL" • "Sunday Morning" • "Flypaper" • "Born To Run"
Featured singles
"Top of the World" • "Get Yourself High"
Persondata
NAME k-os
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Brereton, Kevin; Brereton, Kheaven
SHORT DESCRIPTION Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer
DATE OF BIRTH February 20, 1972
PLACE OF BIRTH Toronto, Ontario
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH