Hip Hop and Beyond: Introducing K'Naan

Sometimes we forget or take the Hip Hop culture for granted. The media can hype up beef between 50 and Rick Ross, talk about DMX getting locked up or how Hova is going to retaliate on Chris for the incident he had with Rihanna. But when a good story comes along that shows the world the reach and influence on how Hip Hop can be a positive factor, we here little about it. Here's a success story on how Hip Hop helped a person cope with his struggles and ultimately put him in a position not only to help himself but people and the country he came from. Introducing K'Naan!

Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in the district of Wardhiigleey ("The Lake of Blood") during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most famous singers. K'naan's grandfather, Haji Mohamed, is a poet. K'naan is also a Muslim. His name, K'naan, means "traveller" in the Somali language. K'naan's father, Abdi, left the country, along with many other intellectuals to settle in New York City and work as a cab driver. He mailed money home to his family—and for K'naan, hip hop albums by artists like Nas and Rakim. Despite speaking no English, the young K'naan taught himself hip hop and rap diction, copying the lyrics and style phonetically.As the civil war continued and the situation in Somalia continued to deteriorate, K'naan's mother, Marian Mohamed, petitioned the United States embassy for an exit visa. In 1991, on the last day the US embassy remained open as the government of Mohamed Siad Barre collapsed, their visa was approved, and they boarded the last commercial flight out of the country.They joined relatives in Harlem, New York City, before moving to the Toronto, Ontario neighbourhood of Rexdale, where there was a large Somali Canadian community. His family still lives there. In his new country, K'naan began learning English and also began rapping. He dropped out of school in grade ten to travel for a time, rapping at open mic events, and eventually returned to Toronto.

K'Naan's debut album The Dusty Foot Philosopher, which was released in 2005 to critical acclaim. Since then, he has been on tour promoting his album and working on his follow-up release, "Troubadour," his debut album for new label A&M/Octone Records. He has also been working with artists like Nelly Furtado, Mos Def, The Roots, Dead Prez, and Pharoahe Monch on tours such as Live 8 and Breedlove Odyssey. He also collaborated with Damian Marley on the "Welcome to Jamrock" touring session.

His second studio album, Troubadour, is set for release on February 24, 2009 on A&M/Octone Records, and will be distributed through Universal Music Group worldwide. The album's first single, "ABC's", was released to radio in late 2008, and is featured in the videogame Madden NFL 09.

Open your ears and mind and check out a child of Hip Hop all the way from Somolia. 2009 is the year K'Naan breaks through to mainstream radio!