BLack on BLonde

by k-os

Overview

"Mellowing out" after his move from Toronto to Vancouver, Canadian rapper K-Os decides that genre ain't nuthin' but a major category header, and that millennial artists aren't bound by such labels, so let the rap-rocking and rock-rapping begin, and then sequester it. BLack on BLonde is a conceptual piece, putting all its more rap-oriented material on the "Black" disc and all its more rock-oriented material on its "Blonde" disc, but with more highlights falling toward the front, these two discs just beg to be shuffled. It makes for a big and a bit cumbersome listen, but K-Os is best when he's true to his moniker, offering the listener an unpredictable and unclassifiable blitzkrieg of ideas that range from clever to brilliant. There's no reason the furious and twitchy indie rocker "Billy Bragg Winners" ("I wanna read between the lines of a book that means nothing") shouldn't sit next to the alt-rap space poem called "MTV" ("I rap and I think/I am the king") and when you put "Sunglasses at Night" singer Corey Hart on the rap-oriented disc, talking points and blurb-worthy moves seem more important than the music. It's an annoyance because Hart fits perfectly into the karate-kicking, Kid Cudi-styled highlight dubbed "Like a Comet (We Rollin')," as does special guest Travie McCoy during "C.L.A." (like an electro-disco update of Jay-Z's "99 Problems") and Sam Roberts during "Don't Touch" (it's as if the Magnetic Zeros and Bell Biv Devoe came together for the song "That Coachella-Attending Girl Is Poison"). K-Os has always been like Murs over a mash-up and there's no stopping his talent here, so skip the "think piece"-styled segmenting, shuffle, and get right to enjoying this wild, rewarding kaleidoscope of a ride. ~ David Jeffries

Product Details

Release Date:	05/21/2013
Label:	Nettwerk
UPC:	0067003098014
Rank:	87369

Tracks

Disc 1

1. Like a Comet (We Rollin')
2. Diamond Sky
3. Mojo On
4. Try Again
5. Spraying My Pen

Disc 2

6. The Dog Is Mine
7. Don't Touch
8. Alone in My Car
9. Surf's Up
10. Wonder Woman (As My Guitar Gently Streets)

Album Credits

Performance Credits

k-os   Primary Artist
Black Thought   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Sebastien Grainger   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Corey Hart   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Sam Roberts   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Saukrates   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Jay Malinowski   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Shad   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
Travie McCoy   Primary Artist,Featured Artist

Technical Credits

Tariq Trotter   Composer
Ray Garraway   Composer
Sebastien Grainger   Composer,Producer
Corey Hart   Composer
Roger Swan   Mixing,Engineer,Producer,Mastering
Ryan Dahle   Mixing,Composer,Producer
k-os   Producer
Sam Roberts   Composer
Neil Young   Composer
Hazel   Producer,Producer
Phil Tan   Mixing
Thomas D'Arcy   Composer
Shadrach Kabango   Composer
Moo   Photography
Adrien Gough   Composer
Tom Coyne   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
Nicholas Murray   Composer
Karl Amani Wailoo   Composer
Doc   Producer,Producer
Tony Bourge   Composer
Ray Phillips   Composer
DJ Kemo   Producer
Jay Malinowski   Composer
Martin McKinney   Composer
Colin Leonard   Mastering
Steve Krecklo   Composer
Rich Kidd   Composer,Producer
Vago   Producer
Dreamteam   Producer
T-Minus   Producer
Kevin Brereton   Composer
Travie McCoy   Composer
Al Gough   Composer
Sheldon Scott Calnek   Composer
Daniel Humberto Orellana   Composer
Daniela River   Engineer,Assistant Engineer
Veronica Chu   Make-Up,Grooming,Hair Stylist
Phen Ray   Producer
Cristian Bahamonde   Composer
John Burke Shelley   Composer
Henry Walter   Composer
Donald Augustus Sales   Composer
Stephen Murray   Composer
Tarique Williams   Composer