k-os covers The Hip: 'I wanted to be ahead by a century'

k-os still remembers being "mesmerized" by The Tragically Hip as a boy, watching them on Much Music from his hometown of Whitby, Ontario. 

"As cliche as it is, I wanted to be ahead by a century," says the musically eclectic rapper, who has described the Hip as a window into white Canada. "You don't always have to take references from people who look like you."

Today he dazzles us with a rap-infused spin on The Tragically Hip's 1996 classic Ahead By A Century. He also sits down with guest host Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss the band's impact on his own artistry and how Courage sent a sublimable message to his high school crush. 

A nod to the hip

Did you notice? K-os has always been down with Downie; he referenced the song in his own 2004 hit Crabbuckit.