K'NAAN

AS PART OF MY MUSICAL BLOGGING I HAVE DECIDED TO ADD ONE MORE ON HIPHOP IN AFRICA. THIS IS BECAUSE HIPHOP IN AFRICA IS QUITE BROAD AND I BELIEVE IT SHOULD HAVE ITS OWN SPOTLIGHT.THE FIRST ARTIST I WANT TO TALK ABOUT IS K'NAAN. K'NAAN IS AT THE MOMENT BIG IN AMERICA AND EUROPE FOR HIS LATEST ALBUM CALLED TRABADOUR...THIS ALBUM HAS WON HIM MILLIONS OF FANS WORLDWIDE AND ACCOLADES FROM BIG NAMES IN THE HIPHOP INDUSTRY LIKE JAY-Z AND KANYE WEST....INFACT HE HAS EVEN TOURED WITH MAROON 5 AND LENNY KRAVITZ...

K'NAAN WAS BORN IN MOGADISHU, SOMALIA. HE LIVED THERE AT THE HEIGHT OF THE SOMALI CIVIL WAR WHEN THE THEN PRESIDENT MOHAMMED SIAD BARRE WAS OUSTED. FORTUNATELY HIS FATHER AT THE TIME, BEING AN INTELLECTUAL, HAD MOVED TO NEW YORK CITY, IN AMERICA AND WAS A TAXI DRIVER, SO WHEN THE WAR ESCALATED K'NAAN WAS AMONG THE LUCKY PEOPLE WHO GOT AN EXIT VISA FROM THE USA EMBASSY TOGETHER WITH HIS FAMILY.

AFTER LIVING IN NEW YORK CITY FOR A WHILE HIS FAMILY MOVED TO ONTARIO, CANADA.HERE HE STARTED LEARNING ENGLISH THROUGH HIPHOP ALBUMS AND TRYING TO IMITATE HOW THE MC'S SPIT. AND THUS HE BEGAN TO RAP...HE DROPPED OUT OF GRADE 10 TO GO AND SPIT IN OPEN MIC EVENTS...

HE EVENTUALLY GOT NOTICED AFTER HE RECITED A POEM BEFORE THE UNITED NATIONS HIGH COMMISIONS FOR REFUGEES IN 1999, AFTER BEEN HOOKED UP BY HIS FRIEND AND PRODUCER SOL GUY...HERE HE CAUGHT THE ATTENTION OF ACCLAIMED MUSICIAN FROM SENEGAL, YOUSSOU N'DOUR AND THEY DID A SONG TOGETHER FOR HIS ALBUM BUILDING BRIDGES AND EVEN TOURED WITH HIM IN EUROPE..DURING THE TOUR HE MET A PRODUCER FROM CANADA JARVIS CHURCH AND HE WAS THE ONE WHO PRODUCED HIS FIRST ALBUM, DUSTY FOOT PHILOSOPHER IN 2005..

DUSTY FOOT PHILOSOPHER WON CRITICAL ACCLAIM AND EVEN WON JUNO AWARDS FOR RAP RECORDING OF THE YEAR IN 2006. AMONG THE HITS IN THIS ALBUM WAS
SOOBAX WHICH MEANS COME OUT AND HE IS CALLING OUT ON HIS FELLOW SOMALIS TO COME OUT ( THE VIDEO WAS SHOT IN MY COUNTRY - KENYA):

IT ALSO INCLUDED "IF RAP GETS JELOUS" WHICH IN HIS NEW ALBUM TRABADOUR HE HAS REMIXED WITH METALLICA'S LEAD GUITARIST, KIRK HELMET: /



HE JUST RECENTL RELEASED HIS NEW ALBUM TRABADOUR WHICH HAS WON HAS WON HIM WORLDWIDE RECOGNITION AND EVEN LANDED HIM A DEAL WITH COCACOLA TO MAKE AN ANTHEM FOR THE WORLD CUP TO BE HELD IN SOUTH AFRICA NEXT YEAR (2010).

HITS FROM THIS ALBUM INCLUDE:
MY PERSONAL FAVOURITE AND THE SONG HE REMIXED TO BE THE WORLD CUP ANTHEM: WAVING FLAG...

AND TIA (THIS IS AFRICA!)IN WHICH I TOTALLY FEEL THE SPIRIT

AND ALSO, ABC'S:

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON K'NAAN AND HIS MUSIC, VISIT:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%27naan OR http://knaanmusic.ning.com/