Word O.K.
2014 studio album by Kool A.D.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Word O.K. is an album by Kool A.D., released March 20, 2014.[1] The album features guest appearances from Sir DZL, Ladybug "Santos Vieira" Mecca of Digable Planets, Toro Y Moi, Talib Kweli, Boots Riley of The Coup, and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire.[2]
| Word O.K. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 20, 2014 | |||
| Recorded | Oakland, California | |||
| Genre | Hip hop, alternative hip hop | |||
| Kool A.D. chronology | ||||
| ||||
Videos
Kool A.D. has stated that Word O.K. is a visual album, like Beyoncé's Beyoncé.[3] The video for the song "Open Letter," directed by Nick Knight, who had previously directed Kanye West's "Bound 2" accompanied the release of the album.[4] The videos for "Tight" and "I'm on a Plane" were released later that year on April 21, and May, 9, respectively.[5][6] On May 28, Kool A.D. released the video to "Word," an animated video in which Kool A.D. imagines himself as a weed-smoking cartoon dog. Stereogum described the video, which Kool A.D. co-directed (along with Teddy O'Connor), as "hysterically perverse in that Fritz The Cat sort of way".[7] Mother Jones magazine described the video as "a three-and-a-half minute, highly NSFW animated short that feels like an acid-fueled journey through a dystopian corporate carnival. It pans smoothly from Bart Simpson wearing a McDonald's tee and smoking a joint to a sexualized, anthropomorphized rabbit doing the same. Yin-yangs, peace signs, and other pop symbols breathe in and out of cartoon orifices."[8] On June 9, 2014, Kool A.D. released the video for the title track, "Word O.K.", which was also directed by Nick Knight.[3][9]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Cuepoint (Expert Witness) | A[10] |
| Pitchfork Media | 6.7/10[11] |
| The Skinny |   [12] |
Word O.K. received generally positive reviews from critics. Consequence of Sound called it "more focused of an effort, featuring tighter, doubly succinct examples of Kool’s genre-leaping hijinks".[13] CMJ praised the album, noting that "Kool A.D. hasn’t lost his dry sense of humor and ability to charmingly fit words into places they shouldn’t really fit."[14] Robert Christgau named it the 9th best album of the year in his ballot for the Pazz & Jop critics poll.[15]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Open Letter" | Amaze 88 | 5:20 |
| 2. | "I'm on a Plane" | Sha-Leik | 5:00 |
| 3. | "Tight" (featuring Lakutis and Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire) | Toro y Moi | 3:48 |
| 4. | "Naughty by Nature" | Mike Finito | 4:24 |
| 5. | "Word" | Blesone | 3:36 |
| 6. | "Look" (featuring Kassa Overall) | Issue | 3:43 |
| 7. | "The Front" (featuring Toro y Moi and Amaze 88) | Toro y Moi | 4:20 |
| 8. | "Life and Time" (featuring Del the Funky Homosapien as Sir DZL and Ladybug Mecca as Santos Vieira) | Amaze 88 | 7:16 |
| 9. | "Hickory" (featuring Talib Kweli and Boots Riley) | Amaze 88 | 4:04 |
| 10. | "Special Forces" | Dame Grease | 6:44 |
| 11. | "Word O.K." | Amaze 88 | 3:09 |