Bad rap? Web reviews of Mr. Britney Spears aren’t kind

The rap debut of Kevin Federline – known as K-Fed to some, but to most as Mr. Britney Spears – features only a snippet of his lyrical prowess.

Given the response to it, even less might have been better.

“PopoZao,” a Brazilian-inspired groove which features Federline rapping about large posteriors in between a few yelps and a gruff-voiced chorus, has become a popular track circulating on the Web since its release earlier this month.

But popular and likable are two distinct notions when it comes to “PopoZao.”

Entertainment Weekly said it was worse than expected, while the music trade magazine Billboard called it “a monument to mediocrity.”

“The good news is there’s a lot of exposure for him; the bad news is 75 percent are rating it as an ‘F,’ ” says Jack Isquith, executive director at AOL Music, which devoted a whole page – mockingly titled “The Emancipation of K-Fed” – to the song.

Still, Federline bets he’ll end up having the last laugh once his album, as yet untitled, is released this spring.

“I’m not too worried about any of that,” he says of the negative reviews. “Eventually the music will speak for itself. You’re only going to look at me like this for so long.”

The public hasn’t had much of a positive view ever since Spears thrust the baggy pants-wearing, chain-smoking Federline into the spotlight as her backup dancer – and boyfriend – in 2004.

The couple’s trashy exploits since hooking up – including televising their quickie romance on the reality show “Chaotic” and wearing track suits at their wedding celebration (his read “Pimp Daddy” on the back) – have helped make K-Fed a tabloid target and late-night joke magnet.

Lately, gossip mongers have suggested that Spears, who recently gave birth to son Sean, is tiring of Federline’s alleged party ways – though he denies the rumors of strife.

“I love my kids, I’m a proud father, a happy husband, and all of that,” says Federline, who also has two children with his ex-girlfriend, “Moesha” actress Shar Jackson. “I live my life with my wife as a normal person and that’s that.”

He adds that he hasn’t been spending most of his time partying, but working on the upcoming album.

“I’ve been in the closet with it for a while,” says Federline, who describes the rest of the album as “crazy,” “down south” and “gutta.”

“I don’t know,” he adds, “guess I would have to say I’m the rookie of the year.”

Besides a guest appearance from rapper Petey Pablo, Federline says there will be no guest stars on his album. He doesn’t yet have a record label – a curiosity, since, given his wife’s A-list status, he could have used her connections to get a deal. The first single was released through Yahoo Music Unlimited.

While a lack of a major label may indicate a lack of industry interest, Federline says he intentionally avoided major labels and producers because “I wanted to do this myself, I wanted to find my people, and I wanted to record the music that I wanted people to hear.

“It’s a little different. … The record is everywhere. It’s definitely going to be kind of a dance club record,” says Federline, who plans to perform his music in clubs in the coming months.

He adds his wife has been supportive of his record and even recorded a song with him, though the public likely won’t hear it for a while – he’s holding off so people won’t think he’s trying to ride his wife’s multiplatinum coattails.

“The support and the advice that she gives to me is advice that any wife would give to her husband,” he says. “She’s there for me, she loves the music.”

AOL’s Isquith says Federline’s notoriety can only help him as he brings his music to the masses.

“That’s a lot of reaction and a lot of play,” he says. “And clearly for any other new artist, without the controversy around the song and the general media attention, they would never have the chance of having 500,000 people visit a page in a couple of weeks.”

And radio airplay could soon follow.

“Who am I to say to say he doesn’t have his pulse on his generation?” asks DJ Star of New York’s Power 105.1, who describes “PopoZao” as “incredible – incredibly horrible.”

Says Star: “Radio is a mind-altering and conditioning monster within itself. You play something 45,000 times … you’re going to start singing it.”