NEW YORK — 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," Brazilian-inspired groove that features Federline rapping about large posteriors in between a few yelps and a gruff-voiced chorus, made its debut on the Internet earlier this month. Though the track is three minutes long and Federline's rap lasts for less than a minute, it has already become a popular music track circulating on the Web.

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."

"It's incredible — incredibly horrible," laughs DJ Star of the raucous Star & Buc Wild show, which broadcasts from New York's Power 105.1 but is syndicated nationally.

"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, and allowed visitors to rate "PopoZao." He said a half-million visitors have been on the site and about 85,000 have played the song.

"So far, there's a lot of interest but not a lot of people yet are feeling this is a great song or his career is going to go," he said.

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," Federline said of the negative reviews in an interview last week. "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 tracksuits at their wedding celebration (his read "Pimp Daddy" on the back) — have helped make K-Fed a tabloid target and late-night show 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 Federline 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 ex-girlfriend Shar Jackson. "I live my life with my wife as a normal person and that's that."

And Federline says 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. "I don't know, 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 upcoming album. Nor will the album be produced by any major industry producers, and 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 eschewed 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."

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 her multiplatinum coattails.