k-os Is Back With BLackneck, His First Album in 11 Years, Bankrolled by Drake

Toronto hip-hop veteran k-os is back with his first new studio album in more than a decade, and he has Drake to thank for paying for it.

The album, BLackneck, came out Oct. 30 on Spiritual Tech Records via The Orchard, Billboard Canada reported. The Canadian Press called it k-os's first studio album in 11 years. AllHipHop noted it follows 2015's Can't Fly Without Gravity.

"Kind of a gambler"

In an interview with The Canadian Press at the Horseshoe Tavern on Queen Street West, k-os, who is 54, said Drake put up hundreds of thousands of dollars to make the record happen. He described Drake as "kind of a gambler," willing to bet big on music he believes in.

The two first met in 2009, according to CP. Drake grew up listening to k-os, whose albums in the 2000s, including Joyful Rebellion and Atlantis: Hymns for Disco, made him one of the best-known Canadian hip-hop artists of his era.

Billboard Canada reported that the deal came together through Matte Babel of DreamCrew, Drake's management and production company. k-os told Billboard that Drake's message was simple: "please make me a k-os record." He also joked about the money arriving in "bags of cash".

How it was made

The project is compact. Apple Music lists seven songs running about 22 minutes, AllHipHop reported. k-os recorded it on Mayne Island in British Columbia and on his parents' farm in Whitby, Ont., Billboard Canada said.

The funding let him think big on the arrangements. The track "Still Number One" features a string section and a children's choir, CP reported. Another song, "i would never.," was produced by Bob Rock, the Canadian producer best known for his work with Metallica and Mötley Crüe.

Despite the Drake connection, the album is an independent release.

Seven tracks, big sound

A short running time does not mean a small production. Drake's money paid for touches such as the strings and choir described in the Canadian Press interview, which independent artists rarely get to use. The Bob Rock collaboration links k-os with one of Canada's best-known rock producers, a pairing few would have predicted earlier in his career.

The album was also made far from Toronto's downtown, on a Gulf Island off the B.C. coast and on a family farm in Durham Region. For listeners, it is a chance to hear a veteran voice on his own terms.

A homecoming of sorts

It is also a reminder of how much Toronto's music scene has changed since k-os broke through, when local hip-hop artists struggled for national radio play.

For Toronto fans, the story has a nice symmetry. Drake has often credited earlier Toronto artists with opening doors. Now one of the city's biggest stars is paying that back to an artist who helped lay the groundwork.

k-os has spent much of the past decade away from the spotlight, releasing music only sporadically. Whether BLackneck turns into a full comeback may depend on touring plans, which had not been announced at the time of the interviews.

Read the Canadian Press interview and Billboard Canada's feature for more.