- Release Info -------------------------------------------------------------- -
Artist: Knaan
Album: Troubadour
Label: A&M
Playtime: 59:05 min
Genre: Hip-Hop
URL:
Rip date: 2009-02-16
Street date: 2009-00-00
Size: 82.78 MB
Type: Normal
Quality: 187 kbps / 4410kHz / Joint Stereo
- Release Notes ------------------------------------------------------------- -
The name alone conjures up images of unbridled destruction, merciless
warlords and ruthless terror. A place where nobody--children, the elderly,
religious figures--is safe from the atrocities of war, and where the idea of
"childhood," where 8-year olds handle AK-47s like toys, exists in
chronological terms alone. When Forbes magazine recently unveiled their "Most
Dangerous Destinations," Somalia--above Iraq and Afghanistan--topped the
list.
But it's also "The Nation of Poets," where a poem can both inspire peace and
end wars. Where every weekend, regardless of the climate, one can find a play
or concert at a local theatre.
Growing up, it was both of these Somalias that informed musician/emcee K'naan
Warsame, whose sophomore album, Troubadour, is released this February. The
grandson of Haji Mohamed, one of Somalia's most famous poets, and nephew of
famed Somali singer Magool, the emcee is creating his own musical path
through reggae, funk, pop, soul and, above all, hip-hop.
Recorded primarily in Kingston, Jamaica, at the legendary Tuff Gong studios
and Bob Marley's home studio, Troubadour is a hip-hop album like no other.
With contributions by Damian Marley, Mos Def, Chubb Rock, Vernon Reid, and
Adam Levine (Maroon 5), K'naan successfully blends samples and live
instrumentation for a sound that's rooted in both traditional African
melodies and the classic hip-hop tradition.
It would be easy to brand K'naan with the "political rapper" tag. But that'd
be both easy and disingenuous. K'naan's lyrics lie in stark contrast to
emcees that use their medium as a pulpit to promote their beliefs. "My job is
to write just what I see / So a visual stenographer is who I be," he rhymes
in "I Come Prepared." Doubtless, K'naan is not without his opinions, but
songwriting always comes before sermons.
On Troubadour, events like these don't need to be glorified or exaggerated
for the sake of art. "I think there are some people that are struggling in
'hoods [in Canada and America], but it is so much harder and so much more
violent [in Somalia]," says K'naan. "If you want to be like, 'I'm from the
hood. We got it rough. We got gats,' I think you should know the alternative
exists. I'm speaking in the same language of hip-hop which decidedly speaks
about rough neighborhoods. So if there is a place for rough neighborhoods,
then here comes the Mother of Rough Neighborhoods."
Troubadour represents the sum of these experiences and more. Having spent the
better part of the last two years on the road, soaking in everything from Bob
Dylan to Fela Kuti to Talib Kweli, K'naan here releases the sonic document of
an artist who has a lot to share now, but clearly a lot more to come. For
anyone who's said that hip-hop has nothing left to say, Troubadour proves
that it all depends on where you look.
- Track List ---------------------------------------------------------------- -
01. T.I.A ( 3:38)
02. ABC's (feat. Chubb Rock) ( 3:09)
03. Dreamer ( 4:32)
04. I Come Prepared (feat. Damian Marley) ( 4:08)
05. Bang Bang (feat. Adam Levine) ( 3:06)
06. If Rap Gets Jealous (feat. Kirk Hammett) ( 3:39)
07. Wavin' Flag ( 3:40)
08. Somalia ( 3:33)
09. America (feat. Mos Def and Chali 2NA) ( 4:45)
10. Fatima ( 5:01)
11. Fire in Freetown ( 4:36)
12. Take a Minute ( 4:06)
13. 15 Minutes Away ( 4:56)
14. People Like Me ( 6:16)
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