''Exit'' is the debut album of underground hip-hop artist k-os, released 26 March 2002 in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

and 28 January 2003 in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

by Astralwerks. The album is an amalgam of an eclectic mix of musical styles, incorporating everything from standard hip-hop beats to

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

and

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

. ''Exit'' was among the top 45 best-selling rap albums in Canada in 2002 and the fifth best-selling rap album of the year in Canada by a Canadian rap artist.

Overview

The track "Entrance" starts off ''Exit'' with a comment on the diversity of the album from talk show host

John Salley John Thomas Salley (born May 16, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player, talk show host, and actor. He was the first player in NBA history to win championships with three franchises (since joined by Robert Horry, Danny Gree ...

. He asks k-os, "With all this different stuff on this one album, what is it?" Then, as the track number changes on the LCD display, k-os begins his answer. "Fantastique" itself is more of an introduction piece than "Entrance" is. The second track introduces k-os and characterizes him. In this song, he puts forth his mission statement. He raps that he was happy with his metaphorical girl named Wise, and that he was content with his own wisdom until the "phone rang," which he decided to ignore. Upon the next ringing, however, he picked up the phone and heard the man on the other end calling him to arms, because "hip-hop is dying." Though at this point he has characterized himself as something of a rap savior, the chorus depicts him as a humble person. The major talking point of verse two is the first mention of his aversion to pimps and those who objectify other humans, rapping, "pimps just react to things, men make 'em happen." After "Fantastique" has come to a close with its spasmodic guitar loop, "EXIT (Call Me)" begins with the listener's first taste of k-os's singing skills. This ode to escapism, similar to "Hallelujah" from his next album, '' Joyful Rebellion'', combines a beautiful melody, matching k-os's vocals quite well, with a lyric full of hopelessness at the helplessness of the world around him. This song has the first reference to his apparent amusement at the metamorphosis of glass to sand, which will appear later in "Superstarr Pt. 2."

Track listing

# "Entrance" – 0:19 (Also known as "Intro"; Spoken by John "Spider" Salley.) # "Fantastique" – 2:52 # "EXIT (Call Me)" – 3:58 # " Heaven Only Knows" – 3:55 # "Superstarr part 1 (Yoshua's Song)" – 3:41 (Also known as "Superstarr Pt. 1".) # "Freeze" – 3:54 # "The Anthem" – 4:22 # "Patience" – 3:48 # "Higher" – 3:42 # "Masquerade" (featuring

Kamau Kamau is a male name of Kenyan origin that may refer to: It is primarily a masculine name in the Kikuyu, belonging to the Bantu group who migrated from the Congo region. The name was given to a group of young men who went through initiation togeth ...

) – 5:37 # "Follow Me" (featuring Red1) – 4:00 # "Superstarr part 2 (Babylon Girl)" – 3:26 (Also known as "Superstarr Pt. 2".) # "Neutroniks" – 3:52 # "Superstarr Pt. Zero" – 4:51 # "Heaven Only Knows (Remix)" – 4:49 (Remixed by

DJ Kemo Rascalz are a Canadian hip-hop group from Vancouver, British Columbia. The group played a crucial role in the artistic and commercial development of Canadian hip hop as well as specifically for the Westcoast scene in Vancouver popularizing the te ...

) onus Track NOTE 1: "Neutroniks" and "Superstarr Pt. Zero" are not available on the Canadian version of the album. However, "Neutroniks" appears on the Canadian version of his next album '' Joyful Rebellion''. NOTE 2: The CD version of the album adds 61 seconds of silence at the end of "Superstarr, Pt. 2", bringing the track's length to 4:05.

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control K-os albums 2002 debut albums Astralwerks albums