k-os's second album was never supposed to happen. Despite having had some early success, Kevin Brereton named his 2002 debut album Exit, and that was intended to be the end of the road — his abrupt departure from a music biz he saw as toxic.
But rather than leave his rap career, he chose to stage his very own Joyful Rebellion from within the system itself. That giddy, combative energy was infectious on his sophomore LP, 2004's Joyful Rebellion, which earned k-os three JUNO Awards and scored k-os a major radio hit with the single "Crabbuckit."
At every turn, the 13 tracks exude joyful rebelliousness. He directly targets the music industry and its creatively sapped rappers on opener "EMCEE Murdah," and then proceeds to lead by example with a freewheeling hip-hop collage that gleefully careens between reggae syncopations ("Crucial"), MJ-mugging disco pop ("Man I Used to Be"), floodboard-stomping folk rap ("Crabbuckit"), flamenco ("Commandante"), strutting boom bap ("The Love Song") and acoustic balladry ("Hallelujah").
Stylistically, it's anything-goes — reflective of a man who had already given up on the restrictions of the mainstream music industry and chose to rewrite the rules as he saw fit, forcing his quickly exploding audience to meet him on his level.
Joyful Rebellion came out on August 13, 2004, and as the album turns 20, Exclaim! caught up with k-os to discuss writing a major hit in a matter of minutes, casting aside those who tried to drag him down, and making the music industry work for him instead of the other way around.
What do you remember about making Joyful Rebellion?
After my first album Exit, i wanted to make an exit. I wasn't even supposed to record another album. I had had my taste of the music industry, and it was sour. However, whence reading a book by my fave author, I noticed all the publishing business info on the back and quickly realized that, for me to get my hands on this very book I adored, "the artist" had to deal with the corporate politics that go along with manufacturing and distributing their creation. It was a eureka moment, and right then it all clicked. I remember I felt obligated to maintain my disruptive nature while finding a way to have fun with this game I was now contractually bonded to. The concept of a Joyful Rebellion exploded! Once I decided to make that the title, songs just oozed out.
What does this record mean to you — both at the time it came out, and now in hindsight?
Very high record sales.
Listening to Joyful Rebellion 20 years later, what stands out?
How the song that took me five minutes to write on the top string of my guitar became the most successful. Pop music shouldn't take long to write at all!
Is there anything you wish you had done differently on Joyful Rebellion? Conversely, are there any qualities of Joyful Rebellion that you wish you had carried forward to subsequent albums?
Not a damn thing! I burn the schematic after I make the product.
"Crabbuckit" was the big hit of the album. Why do you think that song resonated so strongly, and were you surprised by its success?
In many big cities, the desire for success is all around us. A lot of people move to major cities to fulfill their dreams, but, in reality, only a few will realize forecasted success. As you inch closer to any kind of zenith, the energy of your friends and family can change, and even though many encourage you to rise to the top, many more may try to pull you down from your magic carpet ride. No matter how incremental your success, people can tend to ignore it, make fun of it, or straight up sabotage! We gotta shake those types of personalities off and move on up. I think that's why people subconsciously resonate with the song. It's also just catchy, with a descending bassline and a sax solo.
What's next for you?
Next, I plan to enter the astral plane to change my Akashic record by pretending to be the me that no longer exists with a shocking plot twist.