Schema Magazine

K-os responded to writer Jason Richard's cd review (in Toronto's NOW magazine) with an irrate blaze on his now removed Myspace retort in a fashion that could only be described as he wrote it:

"its plain to see that a black man at NOW mag. is being manipulated by his indie rock nerd bosses. As i sat down to talk with Jason Richards a so-called Trinidadian .. it was so easy to see how he has easily became 'the used!'.. a fall out boy. Reading my review in NOW was carthartic because once again it proved that their agenda is clearly personal and NOT musical. (sic)"

"The truth is that on a sambo level this young gentlemen is making sure he keeps in good favour with the NOW editor and sadly enough disses a 'brother' in the process. ... You love Uncle Tom!"

On K-os new album, he was worked with some of Canada's biggest indie rock figures, including Buck 65, Sam Roberts and most notably Kevin Drew of Broken Social Scene. While Ive always been a fan of K-os' music (and still am) and am also a big fan of Buck 65 and BSS, the whole being a pawn to Richard's so-called "indie rock nerd bosses" is about as coherent as talking shit about someone who is bordering on being hair metalish when they had recently collaborated with Motley Crue.

Richards responded with his own piece in NOW where he said "In his rant, Kheaven Brereton refers to our common Trinidadian background. Should I have based my review on ancestry? What does this have to do with a less than stellar album?

I write about music. If I like the music, I'll say so. If I don't, I'll say so. I also won't be deterred by the ravings of temperamental artists who can't accept the remote possibility that everything they touch doesn't turn to gold."

Richards also responded to the possibility that he was being "manipulated" by the white powers that be at NOW by saying "K-os thinks I should be loyal to him based not only on the Trinidad connection, but on a relationship he considers more personal than professional. Talk about manipulation."

While its never a bad sign to see a musician passionate about his own music and about music in general and one who isnt afraid to say some controversial things, it still leaves the individual up for comment himself if he's gonna throw it out there. Ive watched K-os from his debut and his musical talent and vision was obvious but as the years went, from watching him criticize a female rocker (on Much Music for being of the "if you got it, flaunt it" attitude then turn around and hi-brutha-5 music video director Little X (who has by now, probably outputted as many blingy booty videos as Hype Williams) to proclaiming "the black man is god" at the show's finale (to a bewildered George Strombo) to accusing Kardinal Offishall for trying to be too American (when K-os has gets similarly out of shape for being accused of not being hip hop enough) to dissing K-naan for his returning to his native Africa to shoot a video (in K-os' B-boy Stance), in a word or 2, I'll just say I cant stand the guy any more and his ways have seriously tainted the music I so used to respect and admire.