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k-os

With the Benzino-tarnished hip-hop landscape taking a critical beat-down in early 2003, K-Os’s debut offers a smattering of hip-hope. With a vocal drone resembling Q-Tip or Magoo, and a Lauryn Hill-esque penchant for crooning and rapping fiery anti-Babylon rhymes over acoustic guitars ("Follow Me," "Heaven Only Knows"), K-Os’s Exit is as nontraditional sounding as a contemporary rap long-player gets. The genre bending begins with the pop ballad "Call Me" and forges ahead with dubby roots reggae ("Superstar, Pt. 1") and catchy Brit-pop tunes ("Superstar, Pt. 2"). Hip-hop purists might find self-produced tracks like "The Anthem," "Freeze"--which utilizes an old Slick Rick drum pattern--or "Fantastique" slightly underproduced or unpolished. However, one gets the sense that the beats were intended to take a backseat to K-Os’s provocative anti-bling-bling protest rhymes. This one's for hip-hop fans who like their lyrics left-of-center. --Dalton Higgins

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