| Word O.K. | |
| Type: | studio |
| Artist: | Kool A.D. |
| Cover: | Word_O.K._cover_art.jpg |
| Recorded: | Oakland, California |
| Genre: | Hip hop, alternative hip hop |
| Prev Title: | Not O.K. |
| Prev Year: | 2013 |
| Next Title: | O.K. |
| Next Year: | 2015 |
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, Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire.[2]
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]
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".[10] 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."[11] Robert Christgau named it the 9th best album of the year in his ballot for the Pazz & Jop critics poll.[12]