Album Description
K'naan, former refugee, now based in Toronto makes music that is a mixture of hip hop, African beats and world music intertwined - combining African drums, chants, handclaps, guitars and organic instrumentation sets this album outside the hip hop herd. K'naan creates music with a message. Leaving Somalia at the age of thirteen on what turned out to be the last commercial flight ever to 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 as well as his amazing lyrical gift, which has made him a beacon for other artists a well as those dedicated to global change. Canada only release! With his unique voice and 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. Discovered and produced by Track & Field, same producers that discovered and produced Nelly Furtado, Dusty Foot Philosopher is comprised of 18 total tracks including 'Smile', 'My Old Home', 'In The Beginning', 'Voices In My Head', 'Wash It Down', 'Hoobaale', 'Rap Gets Jealous' and more. BMG. 2005.
Album Details
Negotiating his Way Forcefully Through a Gritty Sandstorm of Spoken-word and African Instrumental Interludes, K'naan Brings Us a Collection of Funky, Original Backgrounds Nearly as Weighty as the Cautionary Words that Float above Them. In his Liner Notes, K'naan Recounts a Nearly Fatal Incident Involving a Live Grenade which He and a Couple of his School Friends Discovered in their Classroom in Mogadishu, Somalia. While Playing with the Mysterious Object, which Initially Looked Like a Potato, the Grenade's Pin Slipped. Throwing it as Fast and as Far as He Could, the Destructive Object Lay to Ruin Much of the Empty Building. Thankfully, No One was Hurt. Then Only Ten Years Old, K'naan (Whose Name Means "The Traveller" in Somalian) Credits that Event as the Watershed Moment which Led Him to Become a Writer.