A change is sweeping this nation and I like it. With mainstream rap music still plagued by misogyny, violence, anger, bling and general fantasy, it's refreshing to see Toronto based rapper K-OS (Knowledge Of Self) outsell Chingy in Canada.

Equipped with a positive soulful vibe, K-OS's latest album, 'Joyful Rebellion,' presents a sonic diversity with noticeable influences of rock, soul, rap, jazz and funk. The feel-good sound is not often found in the mainstream, but has managed to captivate audiences regardless of their musical preference. Even his less impressive previous album, 'Exit,' managed to win a 2003 Source Award for Best International Album.

After taking a brief break to rest, K-OS hit the tour path again with a trip to Atlantic Canada. His stop in Fredericton, NB on Saturday, January 15th at the SUB cafeteria resulted in a huge turnout of a crowd ranging from rappers to hippies.

K-OS' ability to reach the common listener, and thus generate a musically diverse crowd, is reiterated upon surveying a sample of his fans. Names like Wide Mouth Mason and Finger 11 are mentioned as favorites, with K-OS sharing a close pedestal.

Peter Elkas, backed by his band the Elkaholics, opened the night with a taste of the emotional honesty found on his first solo full-length album, 'Party Of One.' As the former front man for the Montreal indie rockers, The Local Rabbits, and current guitar player for Matthew Barber, his lo-fi rock received a mixed response from the growing crowd of K-OS fans.

"K-OS always has an open-minded crowd," said Elkas. "I think those who appreciate musicianship were the ones who enjoyed my music tonight. The vibe was nice."

After an hour of anticipation, K-OS took to the stage shortly after 11 pm accompanied by his five-piece band. The combination of a drummer, hand-drum player, guitarist, bassist and a DJ, Lil Jaz, immediately made for a funky beat-driven sound as they stirred the crowd into a frenzy by starting with the first radio single, 'B-Boy Stance.'

Without delay, K-OS served up a mix of old and new songs including 'Freeze,' 'Commandante,' 'Emcee Murdah' and 'Superstarr,' before interacting with the crowd. He pleased all the single fellas in the crowd by asking all the single ladies to make some noise. Then in a seemingly ironic move, he burst into a rendition of the Ray Charles' hit 'Hit the Road Jack,' followed by a seamless mix into his smash hit 'Crabbuckit.'

After using his arm as a noise meter and disappointingly declaring the Halifax crowd much louder, he dedicated his next song to a man going through a rough time: Michael Jackson. Indeed, 'Man I Used To Be' provided an intrinsic Jackson feel, before giving way to Lil Jaz showcasing his turntable skills. The band smoothly transitioned into Pink Floyd's 'Another Brick in the Wall,' a trick I thought only Skratch Bastid could pull off, yet again reiterating that this was far from your typical hip-hop show.

After an hour K-OS left the stage and I was worried the show was over. The sound mysteriously died, the lights went off, and then the sound came back on. A scramble to the side of the stage revealed K-OS had accidentally knocked loose a power cable, to which he responded by covering with an impromptu beat box session - in true hip-hop fashion.

Amazingly, another hour of K-OS performance ensued with him even playing keyboard for several songs. They plowed through 'The Love Song,' 'Papercutz,' some mediocre freestyling, a band jam session, a cover of The Police's 'Message In A Bottle,' and a crowd-stirring sing-along to 'Heaven Only Knows.' The rock-heavy encore featured K-OS on guitar for a different rendition of the opening song, 'B-Boy Stance.'

Jonah McCavour, an avid rap fan, admitted he was at first worried by circulating rumours that K-OS' show lacked appeal to the common hip-hop fan. "I didn't think it was going to be a hip hop show, but when K-OS stepped on stage everything changed."

"There were people break dancing in the crowd, K-OS was rapping, and there was a DJ backing him up. Three of the four elements of hip-hop were present. The show was crazy and definitely exceeded my expectations." In fact, Jonah's sentiment was the consensus among the crowd.

Regardless of musical preference, everyone in attendance was left nothing short of captivated. K-OS's commanding stage presence and groove-laden sound, made for a feel good positive vibe capable of enjoyment by all.