This is the second studio album by Toronto rapper, singer, songwriter and producer, Kevin Brereton, otherwise known as k-os, spelled k dash o s. A little bit of background on k-os, his name is an acronym, which originally stood for Kevin’s Original Sound and was later changed to Knowledge of Self, which is really key for this album and k-os’ identity as an artist going into and ending up at Joyful Rebellion. His first foray into music was back in 1993 with a single, then in 1994 with another single. In 1996, he left the industry because he didn’t like his style, but he came back in 1999, and back again in 2002 to release his first album, Exit. It didn’t chart well, but it did get praise. Then in 2004, he makes this album, Joyful Rebellion, and that charts, going platinum in Canada. It was famous enough to reach my ears in the early 2000s when I lived in Scarborough, which, for anyone who doesn’t know Toronto well, is the eastern end of the city. I was 3 when this album came out and maybe 5 or 7 when I started getting exposed more and more to k-os, particularly through the songs Man I Used To Be, Crabbuckit and Sunday Morning off of his album, Atlantis: Hymns For Disco, an album that would be released 2 years after Joyful Rebellion. I have always loved these three songs as it invokes a deep-rooted sense of nostalgia. This guy WAS and IS the sound of the East End of Toronto to me, and my favourite rapper of my childhood. It wasn’t until Grade 12 when that changed to a different rapper whose name also starts with a K: Kendrick Lamar (he did indeed kill my favourite rapper). And now, I look back at k-os with fond memories and a desire to get back into that scrappy Scarborough sound. I just got vaccinated when I first listened to it, and I started to feel a little hope that things will open up again. So I thought, why not add fuel to the fire with some good ol’ nostalgia? It worked! K-os definitely held up to my huge expectations of him on Joyful Rebellion and then some. The production is pretty great and it gives off this raw, underground vibe to it. With that said, composition is anything but, with so many different instruments, live instruments no less on top of digital beats that are simply amazing. Lyrics are scatterbrained and lacking in cohesion at times, but when they hit, they really hit. To me, this album like taking a trip down memory lane, and then finding a different lane nearby that was always there, I just didn’t go down it for whatever reason. I went down that newish lane, and I am quite impressed with what I heard.
PRODUCTION
The production is a little inconsistent to me, but otherwise pretty good, if rough around the edges. I wasn’t crazy about the production at first, as I thought Emcee Murdah sounded a little flat, but it seemed to clean itself up for a few tracks, especially on Man I Used To Be. Acoustic guitars sound really nice at the ends of Man I Used To Be and B-Boy Stance as well as Halelujah and Commandante. Drums sound amazing all the time, especially the live ones on Man I Used to Be and Crabbuckit. The latter of which sounds super loud, echoey and powerful to go with the aggressive sax. It sounds like a video of a drum demonstration and it works perfectly for this musical explosion. The bass is always present and warm, which really works, especially for the more driving tracks. Strings sound great wherever they are, and they’re usually an auxillary piece, and as such, they don’t really butt in because they don’t need to. Pianos could be a bit more present because I want to hear those warm tones from them. A slight problem I have with Joyful Rebellion is that k-os’ voice is a teensy bit buried in the mix for me, but there are moments where k-os’ voice really pops and I wish that full sound from the instruments didn’t try and drown that out, but it’s a small problem.
There aren’t many effects to talk about. There are a few cool uses of stereo sound like the “Oh are you gonna make another album”, the trumpet/sax solo on Papercutz, and the opening of Hallelujah. This album has really nice layering too to bring forth a more full, more interesting sound. There’s some reverb at the beginning of Crucial to add a flair of urgency to the track like it’s coming out of a megaphone. As well as on the end of B-Boy Stance to add a bit more of a relaxed vibe to cool things off after how hard the track goes. The pitched up voice on the hidden track, The Mirror doesn’t do it for me. I find the alien inside k-os’ head bit goes on way too long and it kind of undercuts an album that otherwise finishes pretty strong. The EQ filter on Crabbuckit and especially on B-Boy Stance adds another layer to both those songs. It adds a different layer of diversity to Crabbuckit and it adds rawness to B-Boy Stance. But beyond that, it’s a pretty straightforward, solid sounding album as far as production is concerned. Its pizzaz comes more in layering and allowing k-os to do his thing and that he does.
COMPOSITION
Composition is super fun throughout, as everything on this record is immaculately made. Acoustic guitars are amazing throughout the record, especially when they have a flamenco edge to them on songs like Commandante. They also really set the tone well on the opener with Emcee Murdah and Hallelujah, two songs that rely on acoustic guitars doing well. The electric guitars are fun too. I like their laid back, clean, yet stark reggae flavour on Crucial. Also, the alternative rock electric guitars on Dirty Water have a nice 2000s punch to it, thanks to none other than fellow Canadian compatriot, Sam Roberts. Speaking of Dirty Water, bass is also fantastic on this record. It’s got this jazzy vibe on Crabbuckit, and it usually has this super warm, full sound that just makes me melt and is the mark of not only a good hip hop record, but a good record in general. The studio that k-os recorded this album in must have had some kind of magic and/or good producers and whoever’s on the drums, whether it’s k-os or a studio musician who I need to call RIGHT NOW, I love these drums so much. Not only are they super crisp and clear, they have such feeling to them. The drums kicking in on Man I Used To Be with such authority are great. The explosive drums on Crucial and Crabbuckit are absolutely fantastic. They add a punch and urgency to add a nice drive to those cool clean guitars on Crucial. The way they explode on the sax solo on Crabbuckit, which is, by the way, amazing and I have been listening to it long enough to memorize it, give or take 13 years. The handclaps are a little flat and weak sounding though. I also have to mention beats on here for two reasons: 1. Because I love them as much as the live instruments and 2. I don’t wanna be known as that guy who’s like “Oh, rap isn’t music, they’re not even playing real instruments”, which side note: dude, anything that makes sound is an instrument in my eyes. And plus, B-Boy Stance has an excellent beat to it and it’s a perfect segue to the structure of this album.
This album has some catchy, catchy songs to it, and B-Boy Stance is one of the biggest surprises on this record for me and has quickly become one of my favourites. On the outset, it’s not too far off from old school rap music, which was like 10 years ago at this point, but k-os adds his own little pizzaz to it. The little “breaks” to add tension after the first chorus, then the acoustic section only to lull you back into that aggressive beat “huh”. In fact, acoustic sections are often used to cool things down on this album. The buildup with the strings on this album is used really well throughout Emcee Murdah, particularly the end. Tension is used pretty well on One Blood, and it’s a bit of an eerie song from a compositional standpoint like a lion in the tall grass, slowly stalking its prey with the heavy guitars. But k-os manages to balance the driving, in-your-face tracks with the more relaxed tracks well. Crucial is a good mix of both, which is really great, especially since it bridges the gap between a somber song like Emcee Murdah and a more driving song like Man I Used To Be. You can find this again with Commandante, The Love Song, and Hallelujah in that order, going from fast and powerful, to a more relaxed and fun song that oddly sounds like a prototype of Flo Rida’s My House, down to something somber in Hallelujah. And right after Hallelujah, we get the Outkast-ish Clap Ur Handz, which is made sadder because it’s after such a sad song. After that, album structure is not exactly note-worthy, but the songs themselves are good enough for me not to care. Besides, this is a really nice mosaic of different genres from not just hip hop, but reggae, jazz, flamenco, and even alternative rock and pop. It works pretty much every time with every genre and it shows k-os’ diversity.
LYRICS
Well, Joyful Rebellion is a heavier, more lyrical album as k-os is a more lyrical rapper. Let’s start with him. I think k-os laid the groundwork for my love of more lyrical rappers and more immediate, aggressive rappers. Now, mind you, I really don’t like that “spiritual lyrical miracle” crap that’s peddled as “real hip hop” by people who look and act like Politikz, which k-os does dabble in, unfortunately, but his flow still manages to stay far away from that. I like k-os’ immediate, yet comfortable flow and creative writing schemes, especially around the beginning of this album. Man I Used To Be, B-Boy Stance, Crabbuckit, Emcee Murdah, you name it. His tone is potent when it needs to be and he lays back when he needs to lay back. And another highlight from k-os is his singing voice. He is a very good singer, both tone-wise and emotion wise. Crucial has an immediate emotion to it from a vocal standpoint. Dejection comes from Emcee Murdah, Man I Used To Be’s hook and B-Boy stance’s acoustic bridge. Speaking of acoustics, Hallelujah is really beautiful and it showcases k-os’ ability to go stripped back on an album where he can also explode and get weird. Speaking of picking up energy, the harmonies on Dirty Water are just amazing, especially near the end.
For an album called Joyful Rebellion, this album can get pretty depressing. Emcee Murdah sets the tone of k-os’ disillusionment with not just the music industry, but also perhaps with the Canadian music industry. Canada’s a fairly hard market to get out of, even if you’re in Toronto. Crucial fits more into the Toronto woes thing I’m alluding to. It’s a song that is both a critique of Toronto’s rap scene as well as more of a social critique of society taking him down for being who he is. It’s kind of vague but I still like it. Man I Used To Be is a lyrical journey of a man trying to find a moral path and a path to a higher power. Crabbuckit is k-os trying to rise above the Toronto scene to be the best within it so he can represent the city, but also to distance himself from the mistakes of his contemporaries off the stage. B-Boy Stance fits into the vibe of k-os trying to find his role in the Toronto music scene and to find his sound. Hallelujah uses religious imagery such as Babylon falling in an emotional ballad about him trying to find a moral path. These songs are possibly the most interesting from this album, but the rest are pretty standard rap tracks that I don’t necessarily feel make k-os stand out as much as he could and therefore should. Braggadocio in rap music goes together like peanut butter and jelly, which I think is fine, but I feel like k-os is a lot more than “I’m the best rapper”, he’ll clearly show us to the point where he doesn’t have to. Also, there are a few wack bars here and there, such as “I got something on my knee”, which makes me wince a little, but it’s not usually enough to make me hate the song. Sometimes I feel like k-os could, for lack of a better term, get his head out of his own ass on a few tracks here, and if he did that, this album would be that much better. I personally like the humility angle as it makes the artist more human. On Joyful Rebellion, I see k-os doing that really well, and I feel he could lean into that a little more, but otherwise, I really like this album and what k-os does on it. It’s super solid, it’s fun and it has really withstood the test of time.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, if you want to be my favourite rapper, make sure your name starts with a K. K-os’ Joyful Rebellion is a solid album that has pretty much held up when I listened to songs that weren’t the singles. Production is quite solid on this one. Instruments are handled pretty well and k-os sits on top most of the time. Effects are pretty sparse on this record, but it gives this album a more up-front presentation and when they are used, they are always used to add a little more bite or layering. Production is often used to aid the amazingly arranged composition. Nearly every instrument on this album is great and it really adds a vibrancy to this album that sets it apart from your average hip hop record. If live instruments aren’t your cup of tea, Joyful Rebellion has some drum machines and beats that are also incredibly catchy. Song structure is great. This album has a lot of diversity in tone going on and it balances the driving and more relaxed elements well. Album structure follows suit with that which is great to make sure this album isn’t too jarring. K-os’ flow is expressive and fun on Joyful Rebellion, fitting the tone of each song and setting the bar for all rappers I will ever listen to for the rest of my life. Good luck, schmucks. He’s a great singer as well, showcasing his talent from track to track. As for lyrics themselves, I really think this album’s title is quite ironic, at least for the first half or so. K-os shows off his conscious side in the first half, then it goes into feeding into the very cliches that he seems to want to avoid, as he seems to see the whole genre as growing stale and it’s up to him to bring hip hop back and to represent Toronto in the rap game. Despite the odd weak line here and there, I still quite like this album and I often underestimate its personal impact on me. K-os is an important rapper in my personal development, as I was that rock kid who saw all other genres of music as inferior, except for all the music from all the other genres that I liked, notably including k-os. K-os was the guy who kept me from writing off rap music entirely and becoming some Ben Shapiro clone using my high IQ to DESTROY all rap music for eternity. If it wasn’t for Joyful Rebellion, I probably wouldn’t have checked out To Pimp A Butterfly that fateful September day and I wouldn’t be doing these reviews. I would have a far more insular view of music, missing out on so much. Now that I’m looking at this album the full way through for the first time, it has definitely held up and then some.
I’m giving this one a Decent 8/10.
FAVOURITE TRACKS: Emcee Murdah, Crucial, Man I Used To Be, Crabbuckit, B-Boy Stance, Commandante, Hallelujah, Clap Ur Handz, Dirty Water, One Blood (Jiggy Homicide), Papercutz
LEAST FAVOURITE TRACK: The Mirror
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