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With his unique voice
but still truly authentic style, K'NAAN brings an enormous dose of
realness and urgency to the hip-hop world in a time when people are
desperate for it. From a personal and cultural history rooted in
poetry (being the grandson of one of Somalia's most famous poets ),
K'NAAN widens the traditional hip hop perspective, from ghetto's to
slums, from drug dealers to war lords, from 9mm and eagle 440's to
AK's and rocket propelled grenades. "Where I'm from there are no
police or fire fighters, we start riot's by burning car tires." from
K'NAAN's song entitled "What's Hardcore".
Leaving Somalia at the age of thirteen on what turned out to be the
very last commercial flight to ever do so, amidst a crumbling
society and the end to this day of any form of central government,
K'NAAN carried with him a very strong sense of purpose. It is this
sense of purpose as well as his amazing lyrical gift, which has made
him a beacon for other artists as well as those dedicated to global
change.
In 2001 after gaining notoriety as a skilled mc and spoken word
poet, K'NAAN was invited to Geneva to perform a spoken word piece at
the 2001 50th anniversary of the UN Commission for Refugee's. In
front of some of the biggest suits in the world, K'NAAN brought the
house down with his politically charged poem, K'NAAN explains, "I
basically called out the UN for its failed relief mission in
Somalia" The audience was so moved by the piece that they gave
K'NAAN a standing ovation and African superstar Youssou N'Dour who
was also in attendance loved the performance so much that he invited
K'NAAN to Senegal to record with him.
Similarly, in Toronto in 2002 while recording a verse for a War
Child benefit track entitled "Keep the Beat K'NAAN's unique flow
caught the attention of artist/producer Jarvis Church, one half of
the Grammy award winning production team Track and Field (Nelly
Furtado). From there began a creative partnership that would lead to
the creation of K'NAAN's' first full length album "The Dusty Foot
Philosopher."
K'NAAN creates urgent "music with a message" because his whole
existence depends on it. "Soobax" produced by Track n Field is
percussion-fuelled protest music at its finest. It's more than a
song, it's something people raise arms for," explains K'NAAN "The
term Soobax actually means to "come out" so when I recorded that in
the studio, I imagined myself being in front of gun men, and I'm
communicating directly to them". He adds: "Sixty-year-old women in
Canada jam to that song because it's saying things they couldn't
say. When my brother heard the song he said that it's the first song
he'd heard of mine that could get me killed.""
"Hardcore", is a truthful reflection, a comparison track for those
MC's who believe that they, their circumstances or themselves to be
Hardcore. "Strugglin" is tracks for those who struggle and find
themselves pushed to the brink yet at that point transform that
struggle into power and the ability to overcome. The African Way"
utilizes superb backing music supplied from a group of nomadic
musicians K'NAAN ran into and recorded in a restaurant in Mombassa,
Kenya. "Wash It Down" is another must-hear track made entirely out
of the sounds of crashing water, done by the "forces of nature". All
and all the LP is a break out from the braggadocio world of Hip Hop
"One of those homeless kids in the video that was dancing actually
hid his machete in his coat pocket when he heard my music. He then
started to dance and put his machete away under the tree. That's why
my long term goal is to use whatever fame I get to help change the
situation in my region...not to own a clothing line like some of my
rap peers".
By most accounts, The Dusty Foot Philosopher is well on his way.
Website:
www.thedustyfoot.com
www.myspace.com/knaanmusic
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