K-os

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. He has released four studio albums, two compilations, nineteen singles, one mixtape, and one DVD.

His music incorporates a wide variety of music genres, including rap, funk, rock, and reggae. A musician as well as a producer, k-os has written and produced nearly every part of all four of his albums. He usually performs with a live band, something that is uncommon in the hip hop genre.

His first exposure in the music industry in 1993 when he released the single "Musical Essence" with a music video financed by a VideoFACT grant and won a MuchMusic Video Award for the single. 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. His released his second single "Rise Like the Sun" in 1996. He suddenly withdrew from the music industry in 1996 after completing several albums but was dissatisfied with his music.

In March 2002, k-os released his debut album Exit in Canada to critical acclaim. The United States release followed the next year. The album incorporated several music styles and the first single and promotional track for the album was "Heaven Only Knows". Like the "Musical Essence" single, the video for "Heaven Only Knows" was sponsored by a VideoFACT grant. The second single, "Superstarr Pt. Zero" was released, which won "Best Music Video" award at the 2003 Urban X-Posure Awards.

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.

He released his second album Joyful Rebellion in August 2004 which was well received and became platinum in Canada. The album and the second album single, "Crabbuckit", were rated the most downloaded "Hip Hop/Rap" album and track on the iTunes store in Canada upon their release. Joyful Rebellion featured a total of six singles. The debut single, "B-Boy Stance" was followed by "Crabbuckit", "Man I Used to Be" and "The Love Song", each accompanied by a music video. The single "Crabbuckit" went on to be nominated three times at the 2005 Canadian Radio Music Awards.

He 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.

In November 2005, k-os released the Publicity Stunt DVD. The DVD featured singles and concert footage dating back to 1998 and footage from the 2005 concert at the Molson Amphitheatre.

In 2006, the first single from the upcoming album titled "ELEctrick Heat - the seekwiLL" was released. 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.

In October 2006, Atlantis: Hymns For Disco was released in Canada, with a global release in February 2007. The album went platinum in Canada. The album debuted as number one and number five on the "Digital Albums" and "Current Albums" Canadian charts, respectively.The album reached number five on Music World's top ten in its opening week.

His fourth studio album, entitled Yes!, was released in April 2009. Four singles were released from the album. They were "4, 3, 2, 1", "Burning Bridges", "I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman" and "Zambony". In October 2009, k-os paired up with the Stephen Lewis Foundation and their campaign A Dare to Remember to raise money for HIV/AIDS affected families in Africa. In February 2010, k-os performed at the 2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony in Vancouver.

In October 2011, in Canada, Much Music released his MTV Unplugged Concert recordings at the Masonic Temple in Toronto that also includes a DVD of all the live performances. The CD portion of the release additionally included "Catch 22", "Faith Part 2" featuring Drake, and two versions of "Holy Cow".