K-OS Is Back with A New Album Thanks To a Little Help From Drake!
More than 15 years after k-os helped a young Drake navigate the Canadian music industry, Drake is returning the favour.
Canadian alt-rap favourite k-os is back with his first full-length studio album in more than a decade, and one of the people helping make it happen is none other than Drake.
The Toronto superstar reportedly invested hundreds of thousands of dollars into the project, giving k-os the resources to make the kind of ambitious, genre-bending record he says can be difficult to finance in today's music industry.
The new album, BLackneck, was released October 30 and features seven tracks blending hip-hop, country, rock and soul.
In other words, classic k-os.
The Album Has Some Serious Ontario Roots
The title BLackneck is a play on the word “redneck” and reflects k-os's upbringing in Whitby, Ontario, along with his desire to stay connected to where he came from.
And he took that idea pretty literally.
Much of the album was recorded at his parents' farm near Whitby, with some sessions even taking place inside a 1984 camper van.
It's a long way from a giant Los Angeles recording studio, but that anything-goes approach fits an artist who has spent his career refusing to stay in one musical lane.
K-os first broke through with his 2002 debut album Exit before becoming one of Canada's most distinctive artists with 2004's Joyful Rebellion.
That album gave us songs including “Crabbuckit” and “Man I Used to Be,” which became staples of Canadian radio in the 2000s.
K-os and Drake Go Way Back
The connection between k-os and Drake dates back to 2009, when Drake was still beginning his climb to international superstardom.
K-os has recalled offering the younger Toronto rapper advice about navigating Canada's music industry.
Fast-forward more than 15 years and Drake is now helping fund k-os's musical comeback.
And considering Drake has become famous for placing some rather enormous bets on sports over the years, this might be one of his more wholesome wagers.
Instead of betting hundreds of thousands of dollars on a basketball game...
he bet on k-os.
And for Canadian music fans who grew up with Crabbuckit blasting through the radio, that's a pretty great full-circle moment.
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