In the Media
The Purr-fect album: Rapper AOK mixes cats and hip-hop (Edmonton Sun; June 27, 2008 )
High Prairie influences rapper (South Peace News; July 16, 2008 )
Hustling Cats: Omar Mouallem financed his first rap album by writing a book about Amazing cats. Seriously. (SEE Magazine; July 31, 2008 ) Read text.
The Great White North's lone voice of bling-free Lebanese rap (feature & review) (The Daily Star - Lebanon; September 8, 2008 )
AOK's album is a-okay (Intercamp, Grant MacEwan college; September 25, 2008 ) Read text.
Winning a Sexy Gives Local Article on Muslim Sexuality National Audience (Canadian Arab News & Sex-Positive Journalism Awards; October 16, 2008 )
The Book, The Film, The CD: Recommended by... AOK (J Magazine, Inflight magazine of Jazeera Airways in Kuwait; Feb./Mar. 2009) Read text.
UGS Q&A (UGSmag.com, June 2009)
AOK: Two hearts (Vue Weekly, April 28, 2010)
CBC Radio 1 interview (June 1, 2010)
Blogs
New Artist Spotlight: A.O.K. (Wake Your Daughter Up; August 30, 2008 )
Supported Indie Artists: A.O.K (Assault Of Knowledge) (The Hip-Hop Post; August 31, 2008 )
Local Rapper is Making a Name for Himself (My Slave Lake; September 17, 2008 )
Reviews
BEIRUT: Are you tired of hip-hop stars bling blingin' about their cars and commodities, grabbing their crotch as they rap about the 'hood and referring to women in a less than chivalrous manner? Then the sound of A.O.K., Assault of Knowledge, may well come as a breath of fresh Bel Air.
A.O.K., otherwise known as Omar Mouallem, looks and sounds more "boy next door" than "big bad rapper." His songs are often thought-provoking and perceptive, with a sweeter, more digestible disposition than many other of his gun brandishing, gangsta-wannabe contemporaries.
What more could be expected, really, from someone who financed his recently released debut album - the ironically titled "If you don't buy this CD the terrorists win" - by writing a book? About cats, as it were. He has also written an article about mut'ah (temporary marriages), which earned him a gong at the New York Sex-Positive Journalism Awards. How many other rappers can you think of that double as award-winning journalists? At only 22 years old, A.O.K. is indeed a man of many talents, influences and interests, and they often shine through in his music. CONTINUE READING >>
By Dalila Mahdawi, The Daily Star (September 8, 2008 )
AOK (or Assault of Knowledge) is an interesting study. He’s the son of a Lebanese immigrant who grew up in small town Alberta -”on the prairies is where I spent most of my days”- and funded this album by publishing a book about cats. He has a lot to talk about.
If You Don’t Buy This CD the Terrorists Win discusses serious issues, but the beats are relaxed instrumentals and soulfully sung samples. The regularity of the rhythms allows the rapping, not the beats, to push the songs forward and highlight the lyrics.
Thematically, the album is all over the place: coffee-shop girls, atrocious wars, the difficulties of making it in the music industry. AOK’s got some witty lines, and “Coffee Shop Girl” is a sweet and kind of dirty monologue to the freckled girl behind the counter; the Arabic lines are a bonus. “Hip-Hop a la mode” is equally clever but is more introspective: “I rap for any ism in the world’s prism.” “Unintelligent Redesign” is a short but intense criticism of church and state’s “poison that’s positioned to pontificate the wisdom.”
The manifesto is revealed in “You Are a God,” where the artist makes some strong statements about leaving his “born and raised Muslim” roots in favor of non-theism, realizing that “you are a god… in the end only you can save yourself.” In the same vein, the powerful “Freedom is a State of Mind” is an unblinking critique of civil freedoms and global oppression: “Freedom is the right to bear arms; freedom is the right to wear bombs, run into a temple screaming Allah O Akbar”.
If You Don’t Buy This CD the Terrorists Win is sharp in all its facets. Intelligent enough to support the serious themes, fun enough to house some bold statements.
By Amalia Nickel, Abort Magazine (September 4, 2008)
Despite the uncohesiveness between tracks and spotty production, rapper(?) A.O.K.’s solo debut is pretty decent. It’s like one long joke that, at times, isn’t funny—yet you can’t help but listen. It all begins to make sense when you realize A.O.K. is from Canada. And you have to give the guy credit; he’s definitely on to something with the album title— If You Don’t Buy This CD the Terrorists Will Win. It’s marketing genius. Who really wants terrorists to win at anything (save for the terrorists themselves)? In that spirit you should go out right now and buy the album. If not for him, at least for your country.
out of 5
By Jason Parham, Format Magazine (August 20, 2008, Issue #48.)
Recorded over several years in three different cities and even more studios, If You Don't Buy This... tends to jump around a bit, but never in a bad sense. "Walk Like a Man" kick starts things with a quick, feisty beat and snappy lyrics that feature a fun little localized Fresh Prince-theme knock-off before the first chorus.
From there, the album sets off into "Tales from Planet Grolic", a droll criticism of dense gangster rap and an instant classic much like the cutsey-pie lead single "Coffee Shop Girl." A.O.K. (aka Omar Mouallem), who earns his keep as a writer, touches on flat-out serious political and religious commentary as well, namely on tracks like "Unintelligent Redesign" and "Freedom Is A State Of Mind," without ever making things sound pretentious or misplaced.
The pinnacle of hilarity here is "The Hood Samaritans Interlude," a knock on the Wu-Tang Clan's Method Man intro and the friendliest foul-mouthed exchange you'll probably ever hear.
Striking a rare balance of laid back and brisk sounds with comical and intelligent lyrics, If You Don't Buy This... swings back and forth at all the right times.
By Kevin Maimann, BeatRoute (August 2008 )
As would be expected from any album sporting this too-long title, Edmonton MC A.O.K. (aka Assault On Knowledge) presents his fair share of controversial topics. On “Unintelligent Redesign,” A.O.K. counters the arguments of creationists with a timely rebuttal to Ben Stein’s documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed and takes the religious subject one step further on “You Are a God.” “Freedom is a State of Mind” breaks down the impossibility of true freedom, connecting the dots between a set of quotes from George W. Bush and Martin Luther King, Jr., and A.O.K. finishes off the album with a bonus track on Middle East politics over Middle East-inspired production featuring guests Cousin Moe and Spinning Truth. But it’s not all serious. With opening anthem track “Walk Like a Man,” A.O.K. shows his swagger and then on smooth “Hip Hop a la Mode,” he demonstrates his lyrical wordplay. “Miss Green” and “Coffee Shop Girl” cover two different sides of the hip-hop love ballad, while “The Hood Samaritans” is a humorous homage to Ol’ Dirty Bastard. Album highlights “Tales From Planet Grolic” and “Fake I.D.” attack the current state of hip-hop, with the former putting a unique spin on what is fast becoming an underground staple. If You Don’t Buy This CD The Terrorists Win is a refreshing release from an artist intent on providing variety within his music, and is certainly worth finding for those interested in the same. (Ill-Legitimate)
By Thomas Quinlan, Exclaim! magazine (August 2008 )
Edmonton is a strange place for hip hop. You never know what to expect when someone new steps up to bat; and you probably have no idea what to expect from AOK’s debut CD, If you don’t buy this CD the terrorists win. You read the title and think it might be a revolutionary-themed album, influenced by greats like Public Enemy and KRS-One. Then you look at the cover and see a picture of AOK with his glasses on, and 64 of his friends wearing those same signature glasses pasted over every flap of the cover slip, all laughing and being quirky. It is now obvious that AOK is simply trying to make you pay attention to his CD any way he can; or at least be humourous about it. But even that isn’t quite what he’s about. The truth is that he does have something quite serious to say and to prove.
“Walk Like a Man” serves as the introduction for the whole album and presents himself as a person who stands by what he says. Of the things he says, one of his most recurring topics is his disgust for people adopting the gangster life for the sake of fashion and insecurity. While that style of life might make more sense occurring in depressed poverty stricken areas, if your from anywhere else you know that theirs a ridiculous overabundance of copycat gangsters. AOK constantly attacks this phenomenon, especially in songs like “Fake I.D.” and “Planet Grolic”.
Other topics include some personal ones, such as his cynical tale about coming-of-age sexual encounters in “Miss Green”, his angst-ridden negative opinion on religion itself in “Unintelligent Redesign”, and of course his obsession with girls in the coffee shop industry in “Coffee Shop Girls”. The most important topic though can be found in his last two songs, ”You Are A God” and “Freedom is a State of Mind”, where he declares that your beliefs, freedom, and happiness are entirely dependent on your own thinking and mind state. I believe this is where his most revolutionary and important message comes out; about how we can redefine any of the terms that both religion and political philosophy present to us in any way we want.
As an MC he keeps his rhymes simple and straightforward, and employs a flow just a notch above the average rapper. Though he does really step it up in one my favorite tracks “Hip Hop a la Mode”, employing a skillful vocabulary set. The song does have a rather trite chorus, but is an impressive song for AOK. For the most part though, he rhymes bar-for-bar in a natural everyday Canadian voice. The production sticks close to a New York approach, featuring many soulful samples and upbeat drums. All the beats bump, though none completely stand out.
I’d have to say the most impressive thing about AOK’s CD is his strongly presented no-bullshit common sense beliefs. And if this is his debut, it’s a very promising start for him and his crew; Ill-Legitimate Productions.
by Shawn Lajeunesse, UGSmag.com (July 2008 )
Diversity is the name of the game on If You Don't Buy This CD The Terrorists Win, the debut album from Edmonton rapper A.O.K. (an acronym for Assault of Knowledge). The album starts strong with aggressive battle track “Walk Like a Man,” where A.O.K. proudly proclaims, “Fuck the intro, go right into the L.P. / Release my blue balls all over the streets...” Unfortunately, the bad-ass swagger is gone by the second verse, making for an easier transition into the oddball “Tales From Planet Grolic,” where, over minimal production of drums and keys, A.O.K. castigates the current state of hip hop from the point of view of future alien archeologists examining our Earthly recordings. He also attacks current rap trends (read: gangsta rap) with the funky “Fake I.D.”
Then there's the ballads “Miss Green,” an ode to the much older woman who taught him many great things, and “Coffee Shop Girl,” a love song for an unnamed, uhm, coffee shop girl that has cross-over appeal written all over it. Also on the smooth side, even if it is a little more uptempo, is “Hip Hop a la Mode,” a skills-flexing track about himself. A.O.K. attempts a few laughs midway through the album with an homage to Ol' Dirty Bastard on the interlude “The Hood Samaritans,” saving the controversy for the end with politics and religion discussed on “Unintelligent Redesign,” “You Are a God,” and “Freedom is a State of Mind.”
The final two bonus tracks are the only collaborations on the album: The Filthy Varmint joins A.O.K. to give thanks on the fun, banging “Thank You Dot Com” while Cousin Moe and Spinning Truth join A.O.K. for some serious Arabic politics over a Middle East-inspired beat. Diverse, dope and definitely Canadian, I can think of no better way to support the War on Terror.
by Thomas Quinlan, HipHopCanada.com (July 2008 )
[Paragraphs indented for cleanliness]
Some boast, on the pretext of whatever, necrosing pseudo-legitimity, of financing their rap (as if this word could still qualify such moronic outbursts of mythomania) by dealing and ripping off some naïve dudes. Then comes Omar "A.O.K." Mouallem, who dares show another way when he announces that he pulled off his first album, If You Don't Buy This Cd, The Terrorists Win... by selling books. His books, at that.
Right there, we feel the giant gap that's forming between the different actors of the "game". More than this, we sense the singular approach that defines Assault Of Knowledge. A most singular touch that goes beyond the promotional slogan and actually permeates the contents of these twelve titles. This collection is dense, glued together by a rootsy if not rough production style, yet made breathable by samples that range from the soulful (Walk Like A Man) to the smartly satirical (Hip Hop à La Mode) and the comically ironic (the hilarious The Hood Samaritan), without ever losing sight of an overall ethical message.
Resisting easy-and-caricatured, trite-and-overdone ways that would only fail to champion his views (views powerful and hopefully persuasive: see the very pedagogical Freedom Is A State Of Mind), this native Lebanese MC based in Edmonton, Canada has spent half his 23 years scratchin' paper, rhymin' away. And here he shares with us a personal path, in a life where his roots, elders' religion and country's history take centre stage.
One piece illustrates this perfectly: The Cedar Seed. Though quickly produced (or so to say, not produced, really), this track says more in a few measures than we would in spates of lines about this character, a fella that well deserves we lend him an ear, or two. And that we pay him further attention, for sure.
By Manooch, L'oreille de moscou (June 2008 )
[Kindly translated by former linguist, now rising actor Manuel Sinor]
There is something wonderfully unsettling about beginning a track with George W and ending it with Martin Luther King, but in just over two minutes Assault of Knowledge draws the line from one to the other in “Freedom is a State of Mind,” pointing out all freedom’s contradictory definitions. Hip hop is another state of mind, and it’s one that local rapper AOK (aka Omar Mouallem) fully inhabits with his debut and its hell-yeah, head-bopping moments aplenty. There are times when things fall unfortunately flat—the heartfelt message of “The Cedar Seeds” gets a little lost in unrealized production—but there are also times when you’ll laugh out loud. “The Hood Samaritans” is downright hilarious.
by Carolyn Nikodym, Vue Weekly (June 2008 )
A.O.K. stands for Assault of Knowledge, and is the rappin’ moniker of 23 year old Edmonton resident Omar Mouallem. Omar’s a bit a renaissance man, working as a writer and journalist in order to pursue his love for hip hop the rest of the time. Although he isn’t the best MC in a technical sense, he’s smart and engaging and so the songs on If You Don’t Buy This CD The Terrorists Win make for an enjoyable listen. The production is decent, but Omar commands centre stage as he address topics like religious self-discovery, un-requited love for coffee girls, wigroes or his Lebanese heritage. Growing up Lebanese in High Prairie, Alberta must have provided Omar with plenty of material, but he’s a well-rounded dude that can address any number of topics. Worth checking if you’re looking for some hip hop that’s a little smarter and more thoughtful than your average rap album.
by Shane Naedoo, Hero Hill (June 2008 )
The sounds of Brooklyn hip-hop seep out of A.O.K.'s debut full-length If You Don't Buy This CD the Terrorists Win. With his steady gangster-influenced flow and minimalist old school beats weaving in and out of symphonic string loops, this northern Alberta native proves he's learned a thing or two from the genre's greats. On The Hood Samaritans interlude pays direct homage to the crew as he gives listeners a satirical version of the Wu-Tang Clan's intro of Method Man. However, A.O.K. doesn't forget his roots. On his opening track, Walk Like a Man, the rapper of Lebanese immigrants makes very Canadian references as he tells his tale of how he came to be in Edmonton hip-hop. On other cuts, A.O.K. successfully switches from the satirical to the serious. On Freedom is a State of Mind, the MC and writer gives listeners something to think about with his intelligent commentary that questions the definition of freedom.
by Sheena Rossiter, Edmonton Journal (June 2008 )
