k-Os, K'naan, and Drake: Northern Touch Two to happen via Twitter?

I was browsing through my Twitter feed this morning and found this little exchange between k-Os and K'naan, arguably Canada's two best-known MCs.

Drake, in case you haven't heard, is probably THE best-known Canadian MC, at least south of the border. The one-time Degrassi star is, apparently, being touted as the next big thing in hip-hop, coming up under the wing of Lil Wayne and starring on tracks alongside the likes of Jay-Z, Eminem, and Kanye West. Unfortunately, k-Os seemed to play off K'naan's pretty awesome request by asking him to say "hey" to Lenny Kravitz. So it looks to be just Drake and Kheavan on the track, out.. soon... this week!

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

MW Music Review on Pamela Brennan.

London Free Press on the new Rock Plaza Central.

Herohill interviews K-OS

Chartattack reports Fucked Up's Pink Eyes Joins Fox News

iheartthemusic.com chats w/ Hey Ocean!

Natalia Yanchak checks in from the Dears tour where people are getting tired (but they're back in Canada now.)

the Times Columnist is also taking a look at the Dears and old songs new.

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

NxEW.ca got our first official shout out from CBC Radio 3 and Ladysound.org! Thanks guys and girls, we love you back!

Forest City Lovers have wrapped up their European tour and are taking some down time while they are there before heading back home.

Lonely Vagabond weighs in on the Craft Economy show at the Silver Dollar.

NPR's Fresh Air has a live performance by John Doe and the Sadies.

Will McGuirk has the goods on the Mississauga Waterfront Festival which, this year, features Sam Roberts, Kathleen Edwards, 54:40, Spoons, Skydiggers and Bruce Cockburn among others and a 3 day pass is less than $30!

Do Make Say Thing has taken over their fan run Myspace and made it their own.

Dragon Fli Empire has dug up a K-Os video from '94

the Yellow Bird Project: Indie Rock T-shirts for Charity

The Yellow Bird Project sells t-shirts, but not just any t-shirts. They sell unique t-shirts that you won't find at shows. T-shirts designed by prominent indie rockers with the proceeds going to charity.

Just today there is a new shirt from the Dears the shirt was designed by Natalia Yanchak and Murray Lightburn's three year old daughter Neptune. Proceeds from the shirt go to the Pablove Foundation, which is dedicated to helping children fight cancer with love.



While you are lookling at the shirt you can also grab a free MP3 of the acoustic version of 'Whites Only Party'.

Then you can go check out shirts by the Stars, the New Pornographers and Immaculate Machine, K-Os, Broken Social Scene and others.

Edmonton: K-Os Storms W.E.M with Free Beats

Waiting in line from as early as 2 P.M. (as this cash-strapped student blogger did) for doors at 8, an opener at 9, and the headliner not until 10 can be a brutal experience. Lucky for all those in attendance at the Edmonton Event Center (Ed's, to locals) in West Edmonton Mall's "pay what you want" show last night, the wait was well worth it.

The schtick of Toronto rapper/rocker/crooner K-Os's entire Yes!Karma Tour is that the shows are not ticketed and entry is on a first come, first served basis. Everyone who made a donation to the David Suzuki Foundation was also thanked with a copy of the aptly titled It's Yours! CD, which includes fan-remixes off of his latest album Yes!.

Regina, Saskatchewan openers Library Voices certainly brought the party, but Edmonton crowds can be fickle, and the party remained onstage. All 9 members of the upbeat indie-rock collective looked to be having a fantastic time, but the crowd was largely unmoved by their loud attempts to get everyone rocking.

When K-Os finally hit the stage however, the crowd was 100% with him. Oldies like 'Crabbuckit' and 'Heaven Only Knows' had the older fans singing along to every word, while new tracks such as 'I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman', lifted from the Phantom Planet song, and O.C. theme song 'California' rocked the fans both new and old.

To catch K-Os in a city near you, check here for upcoming tour dates:

k-os Joins NMC (finally), Joel Plaskett Gets His Hip-Hop On

As a big k-os fan, and a bigger CBC Radio 3 fan, it's long been a frustration of mine that the latter was never involved with the former. The fit seems perfect: Radio 3 promotes independent Canadian music, k-os is a Canadian musician who's all about promoting independence; it's like peanut butter ignoring jelly for years.

Poor metaphors aside, it was a happy surprise when I visited the Radio 3 site today and saw that Lauren Burrow's weekly rap sheet playlist contained none other than Mr. Brereton himself-- at long last, k-os has joined forces with the CBC! At the moment it's just stuff from his latest album, Yes!, but with any luck he'll start adding some of his older (and perhaps hard to come by?) singles to the list, as well.

While we're on the subject, you should now that the aforementioned rap sheet is a highlight of the CBC Radio 3 week. Remember on MuchMusic when for half an hour they would put aside the pop and the rock and just focus on the hip-hop artists during Rap City? That's what the rap sheet is like. Personally, I think it would be great to take these playlists and turn them into a podcast-- it would focus on an area of Canadian music that is oft-ignored, even in the open confines of independent music. As it is, though, just check out the archives-- Ms. Burrows has been putting these Saturday playlists together for a while, and it's easy to give them a listen and perhaps hear some artists you might not otherwise.

That's why it's so great to k-os is involved. He's about as big a crossover success as Canadian rap has produced, and if he's available as a hook it might open more doors for other artists. Alternatively, they could just do as Nova Scotian MC Classified has done and get Joel Plaksett to sing their hooks, because that's pretty awesome, too.

k-os New Music Canada playlist


Classified feat. Joel Plaskett - "One Track Mind"


The Rap Sheet on CBC Radio 3 Archives

Library Voices Head to Alberta (with K-Os and Keys)

There is a new post on the Library Voices blog about two dates they have coming up in Alberta with K-OS:

"Dear Albertan friends,
We're coming to visit. It won't kill you put down your steak and wash the oil off your hands for one night...

May 3 - Edmonton, Ab - k-os Yes! Karma Tour
Edmonton Events Centre

May 4 - Calgary, Ab - k-os Yes! Karma Tour
MacEwan Hall"

Short and to the point - but the best part about it has to be this pic of the band. I don't know if they've recovered from the gear theft but they seem to have acquired some keyboards! = )