Editing K-os (section)

==Music career ==
===Early career===
While attending [[York University]], k-os gained his first exposure in the music industry in 1995 when he released the single "Musical Essence" with a music video financed by a [[VideoFACT]] grant. He dropped out of the university shortly afterwards. The single was produced with friends Clarence Gruff and Kevin Risto; currently, Risto is one half of the production duo known as [[Midi Mafia]] (produced the [[50 Cent]] single "[[21 Questions]]").<ref name="ottawa" /> After winning a [[MuchMusic Video Award]] for the single, k-os was noticed by [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] player [[John Salley]], who became his manager. 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]]. Salley and [[Raphael Saadiq]] began work with k-os on his planned debut ''Missing Links'',<ref name="youth" /> eventually releasing his second single "Rise Like the Sun" in 1996. k-os suddenly withdrew from the music industry in 1996 after receiving an offer from [[Bertelsmann Music Group|BMG]]. k-os would later say that during this time he had already completed several albums but was dissatisfied with his music. He described his music as "pretentious and derivative," and stated at the time that he was "still trying to figure out who he was."<ref name="now1" />{{Failed verification|date=January 2010}}

He continued to live with his manager Salley in Los Angeles. Soon after, Red1 of the [[Rascalz]], whom k-os befriended at the 1995 ''Explosion Tour'', invited him to move to [[Vancouver, British Columbia]]. There he contributed a verse and chorus lines to the Rascalz' ''[[Global Warning (Rascalz album)|Global Warning]]'' album, released in 1999. He had also been invited to contribute to Rascalz' groundbreaking single "[[Northern Touch]]", but was unable to participate due to other commitments.<ref>[http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/17/40/Ent/music.html Canadian hip hop gets the Northern Touch] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070929091325/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/17/40/Ent/music.html |date=September 29, 2007 }}, ''[[Now (newspaper)|NOW]]'', June 4, 1998.</ref> k-os returned to the music scene by performing at the [[North by Northeast]] music festival in 1999. He took stage with the Vancouver band Namedropper.{{Failed verification|date=January 2010}}<ref name="now1" />

Inspired by [[Michael Jackson]], [[A Tribe Called Quest]], [[The Beatles]], [[The Roots]] and [[Stevie Wonder]], k-os worked on a new debut album. He described his new musical focus on "doing stuff really obscure and making music for myself."<ref>{{cite web
 |title=BET.com – The Next: K-Os 
 |url=http://www.bet.com/Music/Archives/BET.com+-+The+Next_+K-Os+1125.htm 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070330023733/http://www.bet.com/Music/Archives/BET.com%2B-%2BThe%2BNext_%2BK-Os%2B1125.htm 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-date=March 30, 2007 |publisher=[[Black Entertainment Television|BET]] 
 |access-date=October 21, 2006 }}</ref>
He recorded a demo tape and began looking for a record company to sign with, eventually settling on [[Capitol Records]]. Later, the parent company [[EMI]] transferred his record deal to another label, [[Astralwerks]], co-owned by [[Virgin Records]], after some management and scheduling issues.<ref name="info">{{cite web
 |author     = Karen Bliss
 |title      = America to re-release k-os CD
 |url        = http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Lowdown/2006/01/12/1390720-ca.html
 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20070623032604/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Lowdown/2006/01/12/1390720-ca.html
 |url-status   = usurped
 |archive-date = June 23, 2007
|publisher  = JAM! Music
 |access-date = October 21, 2006
}}</ref>
After the transfer k-os was added to the roster of the Toronto-based artist management firm ''Chris Smith Management''.

===2002–2003===
On March 26, 2002, k-os released his debut album ''[[Exit (k-os album)|Exit]]'' in Canada to critical acclaim. The United States release followed the next year on January 28, 2003. The album incorporated several music styles, and was described as a "carefully blended pastiche of hip-hop, soul, rock, R&B, and a touch of reggae" by ''[[Stylus Magazine]]''.<ref>{{cite news
 |author=Ed Howard 
 |title=k-os 
 |url=http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/k-os/exit.htm 
 |work=Stylus Magazine 
 |date=September 1, 2003 |access-date=October 20, 2006 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061112143208/http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/k-os/exit.htm 
 |archive-date=November 12, 2006 }}</ref>
''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard Magazine]]'' called the album "One of the finest hip-hop records Canada has ever produced."<ref>{{cite news
 |author=Entertainment Editors 
 |title=k-os' Joyful Rebellion Set for Release in September on Astralwerks/Virgin; Joyful Rebellion Set to Follow-up the Award Winning 2003 Release of Exit 
 |url=http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_May_25/ai_n6043486 
 |publisher=[[Business Wire]] 
 |date=May 25, 2004 |access-date=October 19, 2006 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071104024306/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_2004_May_25/ai_n6043486 
 |archive-date=November 4, 2007 }}</ref>
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 then released, which won "Best Music Video" award at the 2003 [[Urban X-Posure Awards]].

After the Canadian release of the album, k-os toured with [[India Arie]] across United States to promote his album. Despite receiving positive reviews, ''Exit'' sold only 40,000 albums in the U.S.<ref>{{cite web
 |author     = Karen Bliss
 |title      = The joyful return of k-os
 |url        = http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Lowdown/2004/11/22/pf-726303.html
 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20070623032604/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Lowdown/2004/11/22/pf-726303.html
 |url-status   = usurped
 |archive-date = June 23, 2007
|publisher  = JAM! Music
 |date       = February 2, 2006
|access-date = October 19, 2006
}}</ref>
and 27,000 in Canada according to [[Nielsen SoundScan]].<ref name="info" /> 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 [[The Source (magazine)|Source Awards]] the same year. k-os also appeared and performed on [[Jimmy Kimmel Live!]] In 2003, k-os collaborated with [[The Chemical Brothers]] on their single "[[Get Yourself High]]". The track was nominated for "Best Dance Recording" at the [[2005 Grammy Awards]]. k-os said, on the show "profile" on mtv, that [[The Chemical Brothers]] sent him 5 tracks and he picked the one they wanted him to pick ("[[Get Yourself High]]") and he freestyled to it. In the same year, the song "Freeze" was featured in the songlist for [[SSX 3]].

===2004–2005===
[[File:K-os.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|k-os in 2004]]
Despite suggesting that ''[[Exit (k-os album)|Exit]]'' might be his only album,<ref>{{cite web
 |author = Dan Leroy
 |title = Exit
 |url = http://ca.music.yahoo.com/read/review/12040732
 |publisher = [[LAUNCHcast|Yahoo Music]] Canada
 |date = June 30, 2005
 |access-date = October 19, 2006
 |archive-date = September 28, 2011
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110928062134/http://ca.music.yahoo.com/read/review/12040732
 |url-status = dead
 }}</ref>
k-os released his second album ''[[Joyful Rebellion]]'' on August 24, 2004. The album was well received and became platinum in Canada in February 2005.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Audio Certifications February 2005 
 |url=http://www.cria.ca/gold/0205_g.php 
 |publisher=[[Canadian Recording Industry Association|CRIA]] 
 |date=January 21, 2003 |access-date=October 21, 2006 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717025426/http://www.cria.ca/gold/0205_g.php 
 |archive-date=July 17, 2011 }}</ref>
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. The album also earned the number two spot on ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' critic Karen Bliss's top ten album list for 2004, where she described the artist as a "destined superstar."<ref>{{cite web
 |author = Karen Bliss
 |title = Critics' Top Ten Lists
 |url = https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thedrivebytruckers/articles/story/6795933/critics_top_ten_lists
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071002074714/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/thedrivebytruckers/articles/story/6795933/critics_top_ten_lists
 |url-status = dead
 |archive-date = October 2, 2007
|publisher =  Rolling Stone
 |date = December 29, 2004
|access-date = October 19, 2006
}}</ref>
The album maintained the same formula as ''Exit''; k-os himself later described ''Joyful Rebellion'' as, to quote the Canadian Press, "a rant against the state of hip hop".<ref>
{{cite news |date=October 13, 2006 |title=K-os runs gamut of genres on new album 'Atlantis' |publisher=[[CTV Television Network|CTV]] |agency=Canadian Press |publication-place=TORONTO |url=http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20061013/kos_album_061013 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120315111239/http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Entertainment/20061013/kos_album_061013/ |archive-date=March 15, 2012 |postscript=. Was titled "Canadian hip-hop artist k-os runs gamut of genres on new CD 'Atlantis'".}}</ref>
''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 (k-os song)|The Love Song]]", each accompanied by a music video. The radio exclusive titles "Crucial" and "Dirty Water" were released shortly after. The single "Crabbuckit" went on to be nominated three times at the 2005 Canadian Radio Music Awards.

k-os 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 of 2005|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. On November 15, 2005, k-os released the ''Publicity Stunt'' DVD. The DVD featured singles and concert footage dating back to 1998<ref name="info" /> and footage from the 2005 concert at the [[Molson Amphitheatre]], Canada's highest attended Hip Hop concert.<ref name="virgin">
{{cite web
 |author=Unknown 
 |title=K-OS 'ATLANTIS – HYMNS FOR DISCO' DEBUTS No. 1 ON DIGITAL ALBUMS CHART AND No. 5 ON CURRENT ALBUMS CHART IN CANADA 
 |url=http://www.virginmusic.ca/artist_page_news_view.asp?section=news&artist_id=1643&news_id=1351 
 |publisher=Virgin Music 
 |date=October 20, 2006 |access-date=October 20, 2006 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070930011218/http://www.virginmusic.ca/artist_page_news_view.asp?section=news&artist_id=1643&news_id=1351
 |archive-date=September 30, 2007
|url-status=dead 
}}</ref>
According to the [[Canadian Recording Industry Association]], the DVD became platinum in February 2006 in Canada.<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Video Certifications February 2006 
 |url=http://www.cria.ca/gold/0206_g.php 
 |publisher=[[Canadian Recording Industry Association|CRIA]] 
 |date=June 30, 2005 |access-date=October 19, 2006 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325204052/http://www.cria.ca/gold/0206_g.php 
 |archive-date=March 25, 2010 }}</ref>

In a relatively quiet dispute, some lyrics from the single "B-Boy Stance" were interpreted as an insult on the Toronto-based rapper [[K'naan]]. In the single, k-os rapped "They took cameras to Africa for pictures to rhyme/Over; Oh, yes, the great pretenders", and "Religious entertainers who want to be life savers". K'naan interpreted the lyrics as being aimed at him filming the music video for the single ''Soobax'' in [[Kenya]]. Friends say that k-os was simply expressing ideas about the LoveMovement (his videproduction team) who shot the video in Kenya and ex manager Sol guy who was managing K'naan at the time. k-os has been said to believe that hip hop allows friends to express their ideas to each other via song. He was very puzzled by Knaan's personal 'public' angle on the lyrics of "B-Boy Stance" especially because his song Revolutionary Avocado came after Knaan's repeated efforts to collaborate with k-os. Later on k-os told younger brother Josh that he believed it was a way for K'naan to 'get attention' very close to the release date of his album and that Sol guy, who k-os left to be managed by ''Chris Smith Management'', pit the two against each other<ref name="beef">{{cite news
 |last = McKinnon
 |title =  Kicking Up Dust
 |url = http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/knaan.html
 |publisher =  [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation]]
 |date = June 30, 2005
|access-date = October 19, 2006
}}</ref>

K'naan responded in the song "Revolutionary Avocado" with the lyrics: "You the all-knowing with a beer bottle/Wishing you was Plato and me Aristotle?/...Suburban negro turned hip-hop hero/Is there a reason he really hates me, though?"<ref name="beef" /> Furthermore, K'naan stated in an interview that he thought "k-os was out of line".<ref name="beef" /> The two have since spoken and there is no conflict.

===2006===
Early in 2006, k-os collaborated with the [[CBC Radio Orchestra]] to compose "Burning to Shine."<ref>{{cite web
 |first=Brian 
 |last=Pascual 
 |title=K-OS Goes Orchestral in Burning To Shine 
 |url=http://www.chartattack.com/news/40565/k-os-goes-orchestral-in-burning-to-shine
 |publisher=ChartAttack.com 
 |date=February 2, 2006 |access-date=July 9, 2009 |url-status=usurped
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607165059/http://www.chartattack.com/news/40565/k-os-goes-orchestral-in-burning-to-shine 
 |archive-date=June 7, 2011 }}</ref>
A documentary produced by new media pioneer McLean Greaves chronicling the production and performance of the song aired on Canadian national television on February 2, 2006, and was titled after the song. k-os then traveled across Canada recording his third album, stopping mainly in Toronto, Vancouver and [[Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia|Halifax]]. In the proceeding summer, the first single from the upcoming album titled "ELEctrick Heat – the seekwiLL" was released. The single became the "#1 most downloaded Single of the Week" on [[iTunes]].<ref name="virgin" /> 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]].

Before the release of his third album, ''Atlantis: Hymns For Disco'', k-os wrote derogatory comments on his [[Myspace]] page aimed at Jason Richards, a contributing writer at Toronto's ''[[Now (newspaper)|NOW]]'' magazine, for his review of the album. k-os stated that he was angered by Richards referring to him in the review<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Richards |first=Jason |date=October 5–11, 2006 |title=K-OS: Atlantis: Hymns For Disco |url=http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2006-10-05/music_discs6.php |url-status=dead |department=discs |magazine=[[Now (newspaper)|NOW Magazine]] |volume=26 |issue=5 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061103182114/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2006-10-05/music_discs6.php |archive-date=November 3, 2006 |access-date=October 19, 2006}}</ref> as a "crossover pop artist disguised as a true-school b-boy". He was also disillusioned when he remembered he had granted an interview to Richards when he was a teenager, and that they had similar small town Trinidadian upbringings. Nervousness about the experimental nature of ''Atlantis'' and the passive aggressiveness of Canadian media most likely led to his blow up.
Part of the comment called Richards "a black man ... manipulated by his indie rock nerd bosses" and called on him to "eat a dick!"<ref name="can">it was speculated that this comment was inspired by k-os realization that Richard's review of ''Atlantis'' mirrored a review of his previous work ''JoyfuL RebelLion'' by his boss Tim Perlich years before. k-os saw it as the same review coming from different lips.
{{cite web |author=canada.com |date=October 5, 2006 |title=k-os fires back at reviewer |url=http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=1f70bd7c-35fa-46b9-bb9f-a55cb29c5ace&k=97556 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102205958/http://www.canada.com/topics/entertainment/story.html?id=1f70bd7c-35fa-46b9-bb9f-a55cb29c5ace&k=97556 |archive-date=November 2, 2007 |access-date=October 19, 2006 |publisher=[[canada.com]]}}</ref> NOW says that k-os called Richards "a 'sambo' beholden to his 'white indie rock nerd bosses'" in October 2006.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NOW Staff |date=November 6, 2006 |title=2006 |url=https://nowtoronto.com/news/2006/ |access-date=September 27, 2023 |website=NOW Toronto |language=en-US}}</ref>
After receiving advice from a psychologist on Myspace k-os later removed the comments, stating in an interview that it was a "personal situation"<ref name="sun">{{cite news
 |first      = Bill
 |last       = Harris
 |title      = K-os pulls Net critic bashing post
 |url        = http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/K/K_OS/2006/10/11/2000100.html
 |archive-url = https://archive.today/20130115070408/http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/K/K_OS/2006/10/11/2000100.html
 |url-status   = usurped
 |archive-date = January 15, 2013
|newspaper  = [[Toronto Sun]]
 |date       = October 11, 2006
|access-date = July 9, 2009
}}</ref>
between himself and Richards and he was angered because the two had previously "had many discussions on music".<ref name="sun" /> 

k-os' comments also received attention from the lead vocalist of the band [[Danko Jones]], who wrote to NOW magazine saying that k-os "had too much sunshine massaged up his ass".<ref name="danko">
{{cite web
 |first=Aaron 
 |last=Brophy 
 |title=Danko Jones Ignites Feud With K-OS 
 |url=http://www.chartattack.com/news/42287/danko-jones-ignites-feud-with-k-os
 |work=[[Chart (magazine)|Chart]] 
 |date=October 31, 2006 |access-date=July 9, 2009 |url-status=usurped
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110607165441/http://www.chartattack.com/news/42287/danko-jones-ignites-feud-with-k-os 
 |archive-date=June 7, 2011 }}</ref>
k-os responded to the letter, making sarcastic remarks discussing a band named "STANKO JONES", which referred to Danko Jones.<ref name="danko" /> He also remarked again upon Jason Richards, comparing him to the "Arnold Jackson" character played by [[Gary Coleman]] on the sitcom ''[[Diff'rent Strokes]]''.<ref name="danko" /> Jones stated in an interview that he thought k-os' comments were a "lame response", and that "a five-year-old could come up with something wittier".<ref name="danko" /> k-os and Danko shared a rehearsal space and often had in depth conversations during their breaks outside the rehearsal space. He was very disappointed that someone whom he considered a friend spoke out in the press before trying to contact him first.

On October 10, 2006, ''Atlantis: Hymns For Disco'' was released in Canada, with a global release scheduled on February 6, 2007. The album went platinum in Canada during December of the same year.<ref>
{{cite web
 |title=Audio Certifications December 2006 
 |url=http://www.cria.ca/gold/1206_g.php 
 |publisher=[[Canadian Recording Industry Association|CRIA]] 
 |date=June 30, 2005 |access-date=September 16, 2007 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001143307/http://www.cria.ca/gold/1206_g.php 
 |archive-date=October 1, 2007 }}</ref>
Atlantis, written and produced by k-os, featured collaborations with [[Sam Roberts (singer-songwriter)|Sam Roberts]] and [[Buck 65]]. The album debuted as number one and number five on the "Digital Albums" and "Current Albums" Canadian charts, respectively.<ref name="virgin" /> The album reached number five on [[Music World]]'s top ten in its opening week.<ref>
{{cite news
 |agency = The Canadian Press
 |title =  Music World: Evanescence takes top spot in CD sales
 |publisher =  [[Canadian Press|Broadcast News]]
 |date = October 17, 2006
}}</ref>
While the album continued to merge several musical genres, k-os described the album as being more vocal due to him becoming more comfortable with his singing voice.<ref>
{{cite news
 |author=Ida Jorgensen 
 |title=Exclusive Interview with K-OS 
 |url=http://media.www.theconcordian.com/media/storage/paper290/news/2006/10/11/News/Interview.With.KOs-2343996.shtml
 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20100309054627/http://media.www.theconcordian.com/media/storage/paper290/news/2006/10/11/News/Interview.With.KOs-2343996.shtml
 |url-status=dead
 |archive-date=March 9, 2010
|publisher=The Concordian 
 |date=October 11, 2006 |access-date=July 9, 2009 }}</ref>
''Atlantis'' was also described as leaving behind the "social commentaries" and hip hop critique present on his last two albums.<ref>
{{cite web
 |author=Andrea Miller 
 |title=K-os talks about 'Hymns' inspiration 
 |url=http://www.virginmusic.ca/artist_page_news_view.asp?section=news&artist_id=1643&news_id=1351 
 |publisher=CANOE Live 
 |access-date=October 21, 2006 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070930011218/http://www.virginmusic.ca/artist_page_news_view.asp?section=news&artist_id=1643&news_id=1351
 |archive-date=September 30, 2007
|url-status=dead 
}}</ref>
Subsequent singles are "Sunday Morning" and "Flypaper". [[ESPN]]'s [[Sunday NFL Countdown]] has used the chorus of "Sunday Morning" as an intro returning from commercial break the past two seasons. k-os was one of the top 3 nominees for the [[Juno Awards of 2007]] with five nominations, but failed to win any.<ref>{{cite web |last=Bishop |first=David |date=April 2, 2007 |orig-date=April 1, 2007 |title=2007 Juno Awards Winners |url=http://www.junoawards.ca/PDF/20070401_winners.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927012526/http://www.junoawards.ca/PDF/20070401_winners.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |website=[[Juno Awards]] official website}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Knought |first=Brenna |date=February 28, 2007 |title=2007 Juno Awards Nominees |url=http://www.junoawards.ca/PDF/2007_nominees.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927172010/http://www.junoawards.ca/PDF/2007_nominees.pdf |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |website=[[Juno Awards]] official website}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=k-os |url=https://junoawards.ca/artist-profile/k-os/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927205451/https://junoawards.ca/artist-profile/k-os/ |archive-date=September 27, 2023 |access-date= |website=The JUNO Awards |language=en-US}}</ref>

===2007–2010===
[[Image:K-os07.jpg|right|thumb|k-os 2007 Vans Warped Tour in [[Las Cruces, New Mexico]], July 2007]]

His fourth studio album, entitled ''[[Yes! (k-os album)|Yes!]]'', was released on April 14, 2009. Four singles were released from the album. They were "[[4, 3, 2, 1 (k-os song)|4, 3, 2, 1]]", "Burning Bridges", "I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman" and "Zambony".

k-os also held an online contest from 2008 to 2009 at [[Indaba Music]] in which he provided the public with 11 tracks from the album ''Yes!'' to be remixed. At the end of the contest, the most voted remixes of each song were selected to be on a remix album of ''Yes!'' entitled ''Yes It's Yours (Fan Remix Album)'', which is set to be released in the spring of 2009. The 11 contest winners were also awarded $1,000 each.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indabamusic.com/studio_access/kos |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081207193720/http://www.indabamusic.com/studio_access/kos |url-status=usurped |archive-date=December 7, 2008 |title=Studio Access: K-OS Studio Access |publisher=Indaba Music |access-date=March 31, 2012}}</ref>

In April 2009, k-os began the Karma Tour across Canada. For this tour, no advance tickets were sold. Fans were simply asked to donate what they think the show was worth as they leave the venue.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090429.AKOS29ART1630/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Music/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20110122162435/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090429.AKOS29ART1630/TPStory/TPEntertainment/Music/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 22, 2011 |title=Music |website=Archive.is |access-date=April 6, 2020}} {{registration required}}</ref>

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. The musician will return to his old job at [[Hudson's Bay (retailer)|The Bay]] and will help customers select toys in the store's toy department.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}}

In November 2009, [[Need for Speed Nitro]] was released. k-os's song "Fun" was featured on the soundtrack, along with the likes of [[Taking Back Sunday]], [[Rye Rye]], [[Major Lazer]], and others.

On February 28, 2010, k-os performed at the [[2010 Winter Olympics closing ceremony]] in Vancouver. On August 9, 2010, k-os released a follow-up [[mixtape]] to ''Yes!'', entitled ''[[The Anchorman Mixtape]]''. Mainly recorded on his tour bus, it featured leftover tracks from ''Yes!'', as well as new tracks.

===2011–2013===
On October 4, 2011, in Canada, Much Music released his March 30, 2011 ''MTV Unplugged'' concert recordings at the Masonic Temple in Toronto as "MuchMusic presents K-OS LIVE", 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 (musician)|Drake]], and two versions of "Holy Cow".

On October 30, 2012, k-os announced via Facebook that the album release date would have to be pushed back due to "sample clearance issues". He went on to mention that a sample from [[Neil Young]] was taking longer than expected to clear. On November 5, 2012, K-OS announced the release date for his double LP entitled, ''Black on Blonde'' via Twitter and Facebook. A November 13, 2012 pre-order via iTunes was also announced. The first single off the album "The Dog Is Mine" was released on iTunes on September 18, 2012. The follow-up single "Nyce 2 Know Ya" was released on iTunes on October 9, 2012, and peaked at number 47 on the Canadian Hot 100. On January 29, 2013, ''Black on Blonde'' was released and charted at number 16 on the Canadian Albums Chart.

===2014–present===
k-os' latest album, ''[[Can't Fly Without Gravity]],'' was released in September 2015.

He followed it up with mixtape ''Views From the Stix'' which was a surprise released on May 20, 2016, ahead of the Victoria Day holiday in Canada. The mixtape was produced when k-os visited his family's countryside home near Whitby, Ont., about thirty minutes outside Toronto. The title is a direct reference to ''Views from the Six'', the original title of Drake's album ''Views'' (2016).

In 2018, k-os released a new single titled "No Bucks" along with the music video.<ref>[https://music.apple.com/ca/album/no-bucks-single/1423797054 No Bucks - Single]</ref>

On May 29, 2020, k-os released an EP called ''Boshido'', a collaboration effort with producer [[Kaytranada]]. It contains a remix to "Crucial", previously released on Kaytranada's [[SoundCloud]] in 2013.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://soundcloud.com/kaytranada/k-os-crucial-kaytranada-remix |title=k-os - Crucial (Kaytranada remix) |publisher=Souncloud |access-date=May 31, 2020}}</ref>