K'NAAN RSS Feed

Statement from K'NAAN Regarding Mitt Romney's Unapproved use of "Wavin' Flag" | News

amoctone — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:21:00 GMT

A&M/Octone recording artist K'NAAN was dismayed to learn that his song "Wavin' Flag" was used by Mitt Romney in his speech last night following Florida's Republican primary.

The artist was not aware that the song would be used by Romney and the campaign is not something K'NAAN endorses.

"I have not been asked for permission by Mitt Romney's campaign for the use of my song. If I had been asked, I would certainly not have granted it. I would happily grant the Obama campaign use of my song without prejudice."

K'NAAN is currently seeking legal action so that further use of the song by Romney's campaign can be prevented.

For more information Contact:
Carleen Donovan
Carleen@pressherepublicity.com

K'NAAN's "More Beautiful Than Silence" EP Out Today! | News

amoctone — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:17:00 GMT

K'NAAN's new EP "More Beautiful Than Silence" is now available on iTunes! The EP features 5 songs from the forthcoming album "Country, God Or Girl". Click the link above or copy the URL below to purchase the EP:
http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/more-beautiful-than-silence/id494717023

» itunes.apple.com

K'NAAN's "Is Anybody Out There" ft Nelly Furtado Premieres on PerezHilton! | News

amoctone — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:00:00 GMT

K'NAAN is premiering a second track off of his upcoming EP, More Beautiful Than Silence, today on PerezHilton.com. Head to the link below to view the lyric video for "Is Anybody Out There" ft Nelly Furtado:
http://perezhilton.com/2012-01-23-nelly-furtado-kanaan-is-anybody-out-there#.Tx2s1pgf9N3

» perezhilton.com

K'NAAN debuts "Nothing to Lose" ft. Nas on Complex | News

amoctone — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:46:00 GMT

K'NAAN is debuting the first track from his upcoming EP today on Complex. The track is called "Nothing To Lose" and features Nas. Head to this link to view the lyric video:
http://www.complex.com/music/2012/01/premiere-knaan-f-nas-nothing-to-lose

K'NAAN "More Beautiful Than Silence" EP Debuts Tuesday! | News

amoctone — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:44:00 GMT

K’NAAN to Debut New EP ‘More Beautiful Than Silence’ on January 24th
EP to Feature Single “Is Anybody Out There” Featuring Nelly Furtado

‘Nothing to Lose’ Featuring Nas to Premiere TODAY on Complex.com

K’NAAN’s New Album Set for Release on A&M/Octone Spring 2012

“K’NAAN sees the utopia of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ through a hip-hop lens…” ROLLING STONE

Critically acclaimed Hip Hop MC and singer/songwriter K’NAAN is set to debut his new EP More Beautiful Than Silence on January 24th through A&M/Octone Records. The collection includes five new tracks including the single ‘Is Anybody Out There’ featuring Nelly Furtado which is set to impact radio on February 7th, as well as ‘Nothing to Lose’ with Nas and “Better” produced by Ryan Tedder. ‘Nothing to Lose’ is set to premiere TODAY, January 19th on Complex.com, click here to listen. In addition to his EP, K’NAAN’s new album is set to be released in Spring 2012. More details will be announced in the coming weeks.

More Beautiful Than Silence Track Listing:
1.) Is Anybody Out There featuring Nelly Furtado
2.) Nothing to Lose featuring Nas
3.) More Beautiful Than Silence
4.) Better
5.) Coming to America

Wrapping his world tour for his acclaimed sophomore album Troubadour in the fall of 2010, K’NAAN has since been hard at work in the studio. The dynamic 5 tracks featured on his EP More Beautiful Than Silence will give fans a taste of the diverse sound that they have come to know the artist for, while highlighting the expansive sonic direction K’NAAN has explored writing and recording over the last year.

Globally celebrated hip-hop MC K’NAAN made a powerful mark on the music world with his series of album releases including his acclaimed debut release Dusty Foot Philosopher and sophomore album, Troubadour. With his eloquent and thought-provoking lyrics, in the tradition of great folk singers and protest songs, K’NAAN carved a new path that widened the traditional hip-hop music perspective. With his sophomore album, K’NAAN was declared an “Artist to Watch” by Rolling Stone, NPR, The Los Angeles Times and MTV. The album included his multiplatinum single “Wavin’ Flag,” which saw worldwide success after being selected by Coca-Cola as their theme song for their FIFA 2010 FIFA World Cup™ campaign. Declared the “People’s Anthem” with its message of hope and solidarity, the single reached #1 in over 18 countries and also topped Billboard’s European Hot 100 Singles chart.

In addition, K’NAAN has won a variety of awards including two Junos for Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year and was also nominated for a Polaris Music Prize. The artist has guested on multiple notable projects including Nas and Damian Marley’s Distant Relatives, Keane and Mos Def.

For more information, please go to www.knaanmusic.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
Press Here Carleen Donovan/ Nartalie Sawyer
212-246-2640
carleen@pressherepublicity.com
Natalie@pressherepublicity.com

K'NAAN covers 'With God On Our Side' for Chimes of Freedom | News

amoctone — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:29:00 GMT

Chimes of Freedom -- 75 Newly Recorded Bob Dylan Songs by Over 80 Artists Scheduled for January 24 Release -- Salutes Amnesty International's 50th Anniversary and Life-Saving Human Rights Work

The Collection Features Songs By * Adele * The Airborne Toxic Event * Joan Baez * Natasha Bedingfield * Jackson Browne * Cage the Elephant * Elvis Costello * Darren Criss * Miley Cyrus * Dave Matthews Band * K'NAAN * Ke$ha * Mark Knopfler * Diana Krall * Lenny Kravitz * Kris Kristofferson * Ziggy Marley * Maroon 5 * Tom Morello * My Chemical Romance * Joe Perry * Queens Of The Stone Age * Raphael Saadiq * Seal & Jeff Beck * Silversun Pickups * Patti Smith * Sting * Sugarland * Pete Townshend * Lucinda Williams * Evan Rachel Wood

(New York) -- Two iconic forces that have impacted the past 50 years -- the life-saving human rights activism of Nobel Peace Prize-winning Amnesty International and the incomparable artistry of Bob Dylan -- are being saluted by 80 musicians who contributed new or previously unreleased recordings to Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International.

Chimes of Freedom is Executive Produced by legendary music executive Jeff Ayeroff and Julie Yannatta, who spearheaded Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur -- a 2007 collection of John Lennon solo compositions performed by major artists including U2, Green Day, and R.E.M.

The collection is scheduled for physical (4 discs) and digital release in North America on January 24, 2012 through Fontana Distribution. It will be distributed internationally through Fontana International, a Universal Music company, on January 30.

Chimes of Freedom features a stellar and diverse group of artists across the generational and musical spectrum. The performers, including many of Amnesty International's longtime supporters, range in age from teenage pop star Miley Cyrus, 19, to folk music legend Pete Seeger, who, at 92, records Dylan's poignant "Forever Young," with a children's chorus.

The diversity of the musicians and musical genres -- from rock, rap, hip-hop to pop, folk, country, jazz and blues -- attests to Amnesty's depth of support in the music community, the universal appeal of the core message of human rights, and the breadth of Dylan's impact on culture. Almost every track on the album is being released for sale for the first time* -- except for the title song, Dylan's original 1964 recording of "Chimes of Freedom." Seventy songs were recorded especially for this release -- with the addition of a few previously unreleased recordings.

"This album is a powerful fusion of the music community's respect for Amnesty's life-affirming work and for Bob Dylan's enduring brilliance," said Ayeroff and Yannatta. "We are proud to have worked with Amnesty to produce this remarkable project."

In 1962, Amnesty International evolved from a one-year campaign to free political prisoners into a worldwide movement fighting for justice, freedom and human dignity; today the organization has more than three million supporters in 150 countries. In March of that same year Bob Dylan's debut album was released, launching an unparalleled recording career. "Over the half century, Dylan's art has explored and expressed the anguish and hope of the modern human condition," observed Sean Wilentz, the noted historian, in the album liner notes.

"Bob Dylan's music endures because he so brilliantly captures our heartbreak, our joy, our frailty, our confusion, our courage and our struggles," said Karen Scott Amnesty International's Manager of Music Relations. "His words convey a depth of meaning that few artists can equal, inspiring us and always moving ahead of our expectations. We at Amnesty International are deeply grateful to this legendary musician and to all of the artists who have contributed to this project."

All of the artists, session musicians, arrangers, engineers, producers and recording studios worked pro-bono to support the human rights cause. Almost 30 tracks on the album were mixed gratis by famed engineer Bob Clearmountain. Bob Ludwig and Adam Ayan of Gateway Mastering donated their mastering services. The album cover illustration is by Grammy Award winning artist Mick Haggerty. Eight tracks were produced or executive produced by Martin Lewis, who as co-creator/producer in the 1970s of Amnesty's ongoing "Secret Policeman's Ball" benefit series, instigated Amnesty's outreach to rock musicians by recruiting and producing Pete Townshend, Sting, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Bob Geldof and others. Executive Producers for Amnesty International are Helen Garrett, director of special projects, and Karen Scott, manager of music relations.

Through Chimes of Freedom, Amnesty International seeks to enlist support for its fight against censorship and attacks on free speech -- whether involving artists, writers, musicians, political activists or bloggers. In this campaign, Amnesty is fighting for people such as the imprisoned Nobel Prize winner Liu Xiaobo in China, a scholar and human rights defender imprisoned since 2009 for writing about corruption and criticizing China's political system. In addition to purchasing the album at www.amnestyusa.org/chimes, supporters will find actions they can take to help individuals whose freedom of expression is under threat.

The tracklisting for Chimes of Freedom: The Songs of Bob Dylan Honoring 50 Years of Amnesty International is as follows:

DISC 1
Raphael Saadiq Leopard-Skin Pill-Box Hat
Patti Smith Drifter's Escape
Rise Against Ballad of Hollis Brown
Tom Morello The Nightwatchman Blind Willie McTell
Pete Townshend Corrina, Corrina
Bettye LaVette Most of the Time
Charlie Winston This Wheel's On Fire
Diana Krall Simple Twist of Fate
Brett Dennen You Ain't Goin' Nowhere
Mariachi El Bronx Love Sick
Ziggy Marley Blowin' in the Wind
The Gaslight Anthem Changing of the Guards
Silversun Pickups Not Dark Yet
My Morning Jacket You're A Big Girl Now
The Airborne Toxic Event Boots of Spanish Leather
Sting Girl from the North Country
Mark Knopfler Restless Farewell

DISC 2
Queens Of The Stone Age Outlaw Blues
Lenny Kravitz Rainy Day Woman # 12 & 35
Steve Earle & Lucia Micarelli One More Cup of Coffee (Valley Below)
Blake Mills Heart Of Mine
Miley Cyrus You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
Billy Bragg Lay Down Your Weary Tune
Elvis Costello License to Kill
Angelique Kidjo Lay, Lady, Lay
Natasha Bedingfield Ring Them Bells
Jackson Browne Love Minus Zero/No Limit
Joan Baez Seven Curses (Live)
The Belle Brigade No Time To Think
Sugarland Tonight I'll Be Staying Here With You (Live)
Jack's Mannequin Mr. Tambourine Man
Oren Lavie 4th Time Around
Sussan Deyhim All I Really Want To Do
Adele Make You Feel My Love (Recorded Live at WXPN)

DISC 3
K'NAAN With God On Our Side
Ximena Sariñana I Want You
Neil Finn with Pajama Club She Belongs to Me
Bryan Ferry Bob Dylan's Dream
Zee Avi Tomorrow Is A Long Time
Carly Simon Just Like a Woman
Flogging Molly The Times They Are A-Changin'
Fistful Of Mercy Buckets Of Rain
Joe Perry Man Of Peace
Bad Religion It's All Over Now, Baby Blue
My Chemical Romance Desolation Row (Live)
RedOne featuring Nabil Khayat Knockin' on Heaven's Door
Paul Rodgers & Nils Lofgren Abandoned Love
Darren Criss featuring Chuck Criss and Freelance Whales New Morning
Cage the Elephant The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Band of Skulls It Ain't Me, Babe
Sinéad O'Connor Property of Jesus
Ed Roland and The Sweet Tea Project Shelter From The Storm
Ke$ha Don't Think Twice, It's All Right
Kronos Quartet Don't Think Twice, It's All Right

DISC 4
Maroon 5 I Shall Be Released
Carolina Chocolate Drops Political World
Seal & Jeff Beck Like A Rolling Stone
Taj Mahal Bob Dylan's 115th Dream
Dierks Bentley Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) (Live)
Mick Hucknall One Of Us Must Know (Sooner Or Later)
Thea Gilmore I'll Remember You
State Radio John Brown
Dave Matthews Band All Along the Watchtower (Live)
Michael Franti Subterranean Homesick Blues
We Are Augustines Mama, You Been On My Mind
Lucinda Williams Tryin' To Get To Heaven
Kris Kristofferson Quinn The Eskimo (The Mighty Quinn)
Eric Burdon Gotta Serve Somebody
Evan Rachel Wood I'd Have You Anytime
Marianne Faithfull Baby Let Me Follow You Down (Live)
Pete Seeger Forever Young
Bob Dylan Chimes Of Freedom

» www.amnestyusa.org

Rolling Stone mentions K'NAAN's Clinton Foundation Performance | News

amoctone — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 16:03:00 GMT

ROLLING STONE
"Lady Gaga, Bono Rock for Clinton Foundation"
By: Matthew Perpetua

Clinton celebrated his 65th birthday and the 10th anniversary of his William J. Clinton foundation inLos Angeleson Saturday night with A Decade of Difference, a charity concert featuring superstars such as Lady Gaga, U2's Bono and the Edge, Stevie Wonder, Usher and Kenny Chesney.

The event, which was live streamed by Yahoo, was kicked off with a brief, funky set by Wonder and concluded with an intimate performance by Bono and the Edge (watch below) featuring the first-ever performance of the How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb deep cut "A Man and A Woman" and a rare run through the Pop track "Staring at the Sun."

But the night belonged to Lady Gaga, who rewrote the lyrics of some of her biggest hits as a tribute to the former president and his wife Hillary, the current Secretary of State. "I just love you and your hot wife," Lady Gaga said, wearing a blonde wig as a nod to Marilyn Monroe's famous performance for John F. Kennedy. At the end of her set, the pop queen played a rendition of her hit ballad "Yoü and I" (watch below) about the couple's marriage. "Sit back down where you belong in the Oval Office with those high heels on," she sang. "Sit back down on the couch where we watched you charm the whole world and the country." After Gaga's sexy set,Clintonlater joked "I thought I was going to have a heart attack from Gaga on my birthday."

In addition to the pop performances, the concert also included sets by Colombian rocker Juanes and Somali singer K'Naan, who was joined by Bono for his song "Bulletproof Pride."

» www.rollingstone.com

K'NAAN Mentioned in MTV News Article | News

amoctone — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:56:00 GMT

MTV News
"Lady Gaga Does Marilyn Monroe At Pres. Clinton B'Day"
By: Gil Kaufman

Even with a galaxy of big stars on hand to honor former President Bill Clinton on his 65th birthday, it was, of course, Lady Gaga who made the big headlines Saturday night at the four-hourClintoncharity fundraiser, "A Decade of Difference."

Emerging on the stage from an all-white tree house, Gaga sang a sedate, unplugged version of "Born This Way" on keyboards, while wearing a giant cloth hat and flesh-colored cape over a similarly colored top and leggings. The backing track soon pumped up and a group of dancers came out as Gaga made her way down to the main stage and sang the line, "Don't be a drag, just be a queen," while the former president and his wife, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, clapped and smiled along.

Wearing a blond wig, Gaga paid homage to Marilyn Monroe by changing some of the lyrics to "Bad Romance" to "Bill romance," prompting the president to later declare, "I thought, 'My God, I get Lady Gaga, and I will have a heart attack celebrating my 65th birthday.' "

"Well, I'm having my first real Marilyn moment," Gaga joked after the opening, running her fingers through her mane. "I always wanted to have one, and I was hoping that it didn't involve an accident with some pills and a strand of pearls, so here we are."

Gaga's set also included a run through "Edge of Glory," during which she said, "I wish you were playing sax with me tonight, baby," an homage to late E Street horn man Clarence Clemons, who played on the song, but a quip that Clinton could have also taken as a nod to himself, as he's also known for blowing a mean sax.

The show took place at the Hollywood Bowl to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Clinton Foundation and, though his birthday was on August 19,Clintonwas still feeling very thankful for all the fuss.

"I am the only person in history who got to be president and then had a post-presidential birthday party attended by both Lady Gaga and the secretary of state,"Clintonsaid to the crowd, which included such stars as Colin Farrell andChevy Chase. "I want to thank Hillary because we met 40 years ago this year. When I met her, she was already doing the kind of work you see here long before it was cool."

Also on hand to fete the former president was Stevie Wonder, who performed "Superstition," "Sir Duke" and "For Once in My Life," and U2's Bono and the Edge (accompanied by a laptop), who did acoustic versions of "Desire," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For," "Sunday Bloody Sunday," "One," "Staring at the Sun" and "Miss Sarajevo." The pair also unveiled the first-ever live version of "A Man and a Woman" from 2004's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb, dedicating it to Chelsea Clinton and her husband, Marc Mezvinsky.

The U2 singer praised the former president for his work in helping to broker peace in Ireland, saying that "at the top of the list" for playing the gig was the fact that his homeland is "truly at peace, north and south, because of the 42nd President of the United States of America," whom he dubbed the "most beloved president since JFK for us Irish."

Usher made news because he danced so hard that he split his pants during a mini-set that included a cover of the Joe Cocker take on the Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends," as well as his own "Yeah!" and "OMG." Also performing were Colombian pop star Juanes, country singer Kenny Chesney, Grace Potter and K'Naan. Among the celebrities on hand to make introductions were Ashton Kutcher, Ellen DeGeneres, Jason Segel and Maria Bello.

» www.mtv.com

K'NAAN in The Examiner | News

amoctone — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:47:00 GMT

EXAMINER
"Lady Gaga and Usher thrill crowd at A Decade of Difference"
By: Cathy O'Brein

Lady Gaga and Usher were among the star performers at Saturday night’s “A Decade of Difference” benefit concert which celebrated the past ten years of community work by the William J Clinton Foundation. Lady Gaga and Usher performed for a packed, enthusiastic crowd along with Juanes, Stevie Wonder, Jenny Chesney, K’Naan and The Edge & Bono. In addition to once-in-a-lifetime performances, former President Bill Clinton took to the stage to thank everyone for their dedication over the past decade.

President Bill Clinton: “I am deeply grateful that the artists associated with the concert are giving their time and talent to raise awareness of the work of the Clinton Foundation. In the past decade, commitments to my Clinton Global Initiative have improved the lives of more than 300 million people around the world. We’ve lowered the cost of AIDS and HIV treatment, combated climate change, strengthened economies, increased access to education and healthcare, provided financing and mentoring for small businesses. This celebration marks ten years of these efforts and demonstrated how much we can do to make a difference in the years ahead.”

Yahoo! Helped contribute to the fundraiser and “thank you” benefit concert by encouraging people to watch the concert live through Yahoo!. The company made a sizable donation to the event and is still encouraging readers to text “Clinton” to 20222 in order to donate $10 to the event.

Guests of A Decade of Difference enjoyed amazing performances by Lady Gaga, Juanes, Stevie Wonder, Jenny Chesney, K’Naan, Usher and The Edge & Bono as well as a moving speech by former President Bill Clinton. The concert not only thanked everyone who has supported the charity organization over the past decade through a star studded live concert, A Decade of Difference also raised much needed funds for the AIDS/HIV and environmental causes that the non-profit works so hard for each and every day.

» www.examiner.com

Yahoo Streams K'NAAN's performance | News

amoctone — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 16:13:00 GMT

YAHOO - The Difference Blog

Clinton Concert Video: Watch K'NAAN Performa
By: Eric Adelson

The Somali-Canadian artist K'naan performed an inspiring set at the Decade of Difference concert at the Hollywood Bowl on October 15. He moved the crowd with his hit single "Wavin' Flag" off the "Troubadour" album, which became the unofficial anthem of the 2010 World Cup inSouth Africa. But the most memorable part of his appearance was his speech on growing up inSomaliaand how President Clinton's efforts there made a difference in his young life.

» news.yahoo.com

LA Times covers 'Decade of Difference' | News

amoctone — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 15:37:00 GMT

LA TIMES Pop & Hiss Music Blog

Excerpt from – “Live: Bill Clinton’s ‘Decade of Difference’ party at Hollywood Bowl”
By: August Brown

K’Naan, a very likable singer-songwriter who pulls from reggae, East African jazz and rock balladry, had a rough time onstage, with sound problems that led to a couple of false starts and a clear discomfort in performing (even when Bono came out to duet on a new tune). But his story of turning from child soldier in a war–ravaged country to international pop star still carried the night -- his redemptive single “Wavin’ Flag” won over a Bowl crowd already inclined to uplift.

» latimesblogs.latimes.com

Bill Clinton Mentions K'NAAN on 'Late Show with David Letterman' | News

amoctone — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 23:25:00 GMT

Bill Clinton mentioned K'NAAN in his recent interview on Late Show with David Letterman. Check it out here:

http://amoctone.com/video/billclinton/

» amoctone.com

K'NAAN mentioned in USA Today | News

amoctone — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 16:08:00 GMT

USA TODAY
By: Edna Gundersen

Bono, Gaga, Chesney to perform in Bill Clinton's honor

U2's Edge and Bono, Lady Gaga, Kenny Chesney and Usher are among musical luminaries serenading former president Bill Clinton at Saturday's "A Decade of Difference" inLos Angeles. The concert at the Hollywood Bowl toasts Clinton's birthday (he turned 65 on Aug. 19) and celebrates 10 years of the William J. Clinton Foundation with an all-star revue that will be broadcast live at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Yahoo (http://clintonconcert.yahoo.com). K'Naan and Juanes also are performing.

» www.usatoday.com

"The Sing-Off" Perform's K'NAAN's "Wavin' Flag" | News

amoctone — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 21:15:00 GMT

Last night, The University of Rochester YellowJackets performed K'NAAN's "Wavin' Flag" on NBC's The Sing-Off. Click the link above or copy the URL below:

http://www.nbc.com/sing-off/video/week-1-the-yellowjackets-sing-wavin-flag/1356418/

» www.nbc.com

Associated Press Covers K'NAAN's trip to Somalia | News

amoctone — Mon, 22 Aug 2011 15:19:00 GMT

Somali Rapper K'naan Visits Famine-Struck Homeland

By Abdi Guled

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somali-born rapper K'naan brought his waving flag back home Sunday, promising to help his countrymen as they struggle with a devastating famine that has killed tens of thousands of children.

The rapper, who left Somalia as a child more than two decades ago to settle in Canada, made a brief visit to Mogadishu on Sunday. He was mobbed by famine refugees who tried to shake his hand or hug him as he toured Mogadishu's Banadir Hospital and met with malnourished children.

"I came to Somalia to see the situation here and give any donation I have to the people and anything else available," he said, speaking in Somali. "I will do all I can to help my people in Somalia."

He did not perform his hit song "Wavin' Flag," which tells of the difficulties he faced growing up in the lawless, impoverished Horn of Africa nation. A version of that song was used for a Coca-Cola campaign when South Africa hosted the 2010 World Cup.

The United Nations says more than 3.2 million Somalis need food aid. The U.S. says 29,000 Somali children under age 5 have died.

The U.N. says tens of thousands of people already have died in Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti and has warned that the famine hasn't peaked. More than 12 million people in the region need food aid, according to the U.N. Somalia has been hit hardest because of a confluence of conflict and climate change.

Decades of violence in Somalia has left population vulnerable to the vagaries of weather changes. Islamist insurgents are also attempting to overthrow Somalia's weak U.N.-backed government. The most dangerous among the groups is the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militant group, which has barred aid agencies from operating in the territories it controls in southern Somalia.

The southern parts of Somalia, which are mainly under the control of al-Shabab extremists, have been worst affected because of the group's refusal to allow in key humanitarian groups including the World Food Program, the world's major aid provider.

» www.google.com

K'NAAN Interviewed on MSNBC | News

amoctone — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 15:52:00 GMT

Check out K'NAAN's interview on Andrea Mitch Reports that aired on MSNBC:

http://knaan.visibli.com/share/kYaFGb

» knaan.visibli.com

K'NAAN Interviewed on Anderson Cooper 360 | News

amoctone — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 15:50:00 GMT

Check out the full interview with K'NAAN, Bono and Anderson Cooper that aired on CNN here:

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/10/video-full-length-bono-knaan-interview/?hpt=ac_mid

» ac360.blogs.cnn.com

K'NAAN to be Interviewed on CNN Tonight! | News

amoctone — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:10:00 GMT

K'NAAN will be featured on Live with Anderson Cooper on CNN tonight at 8pmET. He will be interviewed alongside Bono (from U2) in Mogadishu.

K'NAAN's "Take A Minute" Nominated for MuchMusic Award! | News

amoctone — Fri, 20 May 2011 22:04:00 GMT

K'NAAN's video for "Take a Minute" has been nominated for two MuchMusic Video Awards - Best Post Production of the Year an and MuchVibe Hip Hop Video of the Year. Make sure to watch on June 19th at 9pm to catch the award ceremony. Check out the MuchMusic website to see all the other nominees and categories.

» mmva.muchmusic.com

"Wavin' Flag" Young Artist for Haiti Wins JUNO Award! | News

amoctone — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 23:29:00 GMT

K'NAAN's song "Wavin' Flag" as performed by Young Artists for Haiti has won a 2011 JUNO Award for Single of the Year!

» www.sonyatv.com

Take a Minute | Video

IGAadmin — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 00:35:00 GMT

K'NAAN's "Take a Minute" video premieres on VEVO today! | News

amoctone — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 15:20:00 GMT

K'NAAN's new music video for "Take A Minute" is premiering today on VEVO!

Head to this website to check it out:

http://www.vevo.com/watch/knaan/take-a-minute/USUV71001335

» www.vevo.com

K'NAAN's "Dreamer" on Tomorrow's Grey's Anatomy! | News

amoctone — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Tune into tomorrow (Thursday) to Grey's Anatomy to hear "Dreamer" by K'NAAN! The show will air on ABC at 9pm/8pmCT!

Check out the website for more information on the show:

http://abc.go.com/shows/greys-anatomy

Bang Bang | Video

IGAadmin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:04:00 GMT

Tavis Smiley Interviews K'NAAN on PBS | News

amoctone — Sat, 06 Nov 2010 14:51:00 GMT

Check out the interview here:

http://www.okayplayer.com/news/Video-KNaan-Interview-w-Tavis-Smiley.html

» www.okayplayer.com

K'NAAN to Perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live Tonight! | News

amoctone — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 07:40:00 GMT

Tune in to Jimmy Kimmel Live! tonight on ABC to see K'NAAN perform. The show will air at 12:05am/11:05pmC. Check your local listings for more details.

K'NAAN Wins MOBO Award | News

amoctone — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 07:57:00 GMT

K'NAAN has won a 2010 MOBO Award for Best African Act.

For more details, please visit the Billboard link below:

http://www.billboard.com/events/tinie-tempah-jls-big-winners-at-mobo-awards-1004123325.story#/events/tinie-tempah-jls-big-winners-at-mobo-awards-1004123325.story

» www.billboard.com

K'NAAN Interviewed by Fast Company | News

amoctone — Wed, 20 Oct 2010 07:20:00 GMT

Portrait of the Rapper as a Young Marketer: How K'naan Delivered on Coca-Cola's $300 Million Bet

By Rick Tetzeli

Somalia. Spring 1989.

On a dusty street in a Mogadishu district known as Wardhiigleey (Somali for "river of blood"), three 10-year-old boys, known in the neighborhood as K'naan the Skinny, Shorty, and La'ib, are washing wooden tablets. Each tablet, or loh, is used for note taking at school; pupils write their alphabets and math equations, as well as the phrases they are learning from the Qu'ran, in ink on these tablets. At the end of the day, they are washed clean.

Somalia is riven by clan wars. These are the last few years of the reign of President Mohamed Siad Barre, who has been looting the national treasury and speeding his country's descent into the hell later memorialized in the movie Black Hawk Down. The battle zone is mostly to the north, but the war is felt more and more here in the capital. A cascade of refugees has flooded the town, survivors with strange accents. The local boys insult them with the nickname habadi keento, meaning "those who are brought by the gun." The northern boys, presciently, have dubbed the locals habadi sugto -- "those for whom the gun awaits."

K'naan the Skinny splashes a bucket of soapy water against the wall of a house, exposing something round, small, and dull. He walks over to pick it up. It's a grenade.

He passes it around to the other kids, who start tossing it to one another. They've seen grenades before and know they're safe as long as the pin's set. They're playing catch, laughing, taking a break from the tedium of washing. But then two of them tussle over the grenade, and the pin pops free.

K'naan throws the grenade away, fast, toward the wall of the school. The kids run like hell. There's screaming. Things go black.

Twenty years later, Coca-Cola will decide to build its biggest marketing campaign ever, a $300 million -- plus global adventure involving 160 countries and the greatest sporting event in the world, around that skinny child from that godforsaken country. The deal will go so well that Coke, which Interbrand calls "the world's No. 1 brand," will completely redefine the way it works with content providers. And, of course, it will change K'naan's life, although not in the ways you might expect.

"It was an intense place. I now realize it's healthy for a society to have some middles," K'naan says, "but Somalis live only in the extremes. There's extreme violence and extreme poetry, extreme hate and extreme beauty and heartache. There are no in-betweens. It's good for art but not good for life."

K'naan Warsame -- refugee, high-school dropout, petty criminal, and now rock star -- is picking over an egg-white omelette at Manhattan's trendy Mercer Hotel, fresh from a show last night before 400 radio raffle winners. He's barely had a day of rest since his triumphant performance of "Wavin' Flag," the global hit at the heart of the Coke campaign, at the kickoff event of the 2010 World Cup of soccer. When he isn't performing, he's either in transit, in a hotel room, or in front of a microphone, doing nonstop promotion for the song, his album, and himself. "I understand that a kid from Somalia doesn't get this kind of pop fame," he says, "and I don't want to waste that."

In the decades before K'naan was born in 1978, back when the country was not constantly at war, "Somalia was called Paradise on Earth, like the Seychelles," he says. "The walls of the houses were whitewashed like sand, the roofs painted blue like the water. All the streets are narrow. Mogadishu resembled a beautiful town in Greece, not Africa." His aunt Magool was the country's most famous singer, and so prominent a critic of the military government that ruled Somalia in the 1970s that she went into exile. His grandfather, Haji Mohamed, was credited with bringing a clan war to an end by reciting a poem. "I once heard Bruce Springsteen say that every song he ever wrote was about identity," he says. "My grandfather taught me about mine. He would say, 'Who are you?' and I'd respond, 'K'naan,' and he'd say, 'No, you are more than that.' He's the one who schooled me in my heritage." The family lived in a lovely house with an open courtyard. Actors and singers were regular visitors, and sometimes K'naan would sing with them or play his accordion.

"War comes in stages," he says. "First, you hear the rumors of war, then you hear the sounds of war from far away in the distance, and then comes a time when you actually see and feel the war." At the age of 9, he learned to handle an AK-47. At 10, he blew up his school with that grenade. The older he got, the starker the contrast between "the beauty and poetry of my family" and the collapse of Somalia. "It was a war zone," he explains, "but kids just want their life the way it used to be." He and his friends would build trampolines out of discarded tires, stacking them up on piles of sand built against the remaining walls of destroyed buildings. They'd run up and down, performing backflips and somersaults.

One afternoon in 1990, K'naan and three friends (nicknamed Hussein, Nune, and Soviet) were playing in the yard behind a destroyed courthouse. As the boys chatted and teased one another, armored vehicles sped past at regular intervals. Nune told the other three he was tired of this, that he just couldn't stand to see these military guys anymore. "He starts screaming obscenities at them," K'naan says. "The first guy to pass, he just ignores us. Nune goes closer up to the road, yelling at the next one and the next, 'We don't want you in our neighborhood, you cowards. Find some other place to go.' The vehicles are like pickup trucks, with a machine gun on top. One slows down. The guy behind the machine gun just looks at us. Then he slowly turns. He turns his machine gun at us, and then he starts firing." Nune died first. Hussein was next. Soviet was shot and went to the hospital. K'naan escaped unscathed.

A few weeks later, K'naan, his brother, Liban, and their mother clambered into a white pickup truck. They were headed for the Mogadishu airport, for a scheduled flight to New York. His father, who had been living in New York since 1984, had secured exit visas, and his mother had sold the house and almost all their belongings to pay for the tickets.

"My mum said, 'We're going to stop by to see this family friend, a well-traveled man who knows about these trips, and about the West.' So we went to see him, a few streets away, and he told me about things like snow," says K'naan. "In Somalia, we have no word for snow, only a word that means 'ice,' so I think he's telling me that ice, like ice cubes from a fridge, are going to fall from the sky. And I'm thinking, Man, these people in America are bad dudes!"

They departed on one of the last commercial flights to leave Somalia. As the plane soared skyward, the overhead speakers played the lambada. When they got off at their Frankfurt stopover, Liban walked ahead on the tarmac, smoke coming from his mouth. "Liban!" his mother yelled. "Is that a cigarette? Stop that right now!" The boy turned around and exhaled into the cold air. "Look, Mum," he said, "it's just my breath. You can do it too."

After a year in Harlem, the family moved to Toronto, home to a large Somali community. Free but exiled, K'naan's life fell apart. "It was the norm," he says, "for Somalis to wind up in jail. We did not like the police, and they didn't like us." He describes a battleground of competing ethnicities and gangs. "The Jamaican kids were like, 'We're the toughest around,' and we Somalis were like, 'Nah, we don't think so.' " Five friends were murdered, he says, while another four committed suicide. "One got out of jail and the next day jumped from the balcony of a skyscraper. Two died in a car crash being chased by the police. A friend called me from prison, and then a few days later, he was killed there." K'naan's parents were divorcing, he was unhappy in school, and he was wanted on charges ranging from assaulting an officer to missing court dates. "I was anxious, and absentminded," he says. "I'd be hanging with my friends, and say, 'Oh, shit, I missed my date.' And sometimes I'd turn myself in."

K'naan was drawn to the music of Nas, 2Pac, and Biggie Smalls, rappers with complex lyrics and a social conscience. He started dropping rhymes of his own, just messing around, but he did manage to throw together a demo disc. One day, a well-known R&B singer took a break from a Toronto music convention and went into a nearby park looking for a guy named K'naan, who could tell him where he could buy something to smoke. Recognizing the singer, K'naan went up to him, saying, "Dude, you do not belong here." They started talking and the singer told K'naan they were having a demo competition at a convention. K'naan begged to get in. The singer couldn't make it happen, but he introduced K'naan to an organizer named Sol Guy, who listened to his demo, liked it, and allowed him to enter the competition. "He finished in third place," says Guy, "and thought for the first time, 'Oh, maybe I can do this.' This was the first time he'd really ever thought that there was a business side of music."

Bored, distressed, frustrated, and fearful, K'naan confronted his parents after 10th grade. "I said, you know those dreams you have about your smart son who's going to go to college and become a dentist and all that? Well, it's not going to happen. I'll die if I have to try." His parents cut him loose. "Mum was very cool. She said, 'Well, if you're going to do this, go and be safe. We're going to call you Free Man now. You're a free man, doing your own thing.' "

On something of a self-imposed exile because of the charges against him, K'naan hoboed between New York, Ohio, Minnesota, and Toronto, performing small gigs and slowly building a reputation as a poetic rapper. At an appearance before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 1999, he met Youssou N'Dour, the Senegalese superstar of world music. K'naan toured the world with N'Dour and recorded his first album, the trippy and eclectic Dusty Foot Philosopher. Only then did he move back to Toronto, which he still calls home. "I'd done what I wanted, released my album, so I turned myself in. Letters came to the judge from everywhere, from the UN, from the presidents of a couple of music labels, from the office of Madeleine Albright. And the judge said, 'I can't in good faith hold you for doing these things when you were a teenager living in that particular neighborhood. Especially when you've done all this.' "

With Guy now his full-time manager, K'naan truly entered the strange world of the music business. Produced by a small Canadian outfit called Track & Field, Dusty Foot was released by BMG in 2005. It did very little business, but two years later, a scout brought it to Ben Berkman at a record label called A&M/Octone, which Berkman had established in 2000 with David Boxenbaum and James Diener. A&M/Octone has unusual financial heft for a small label -- the trio raised $550 million from Wall Street to launch and made a lot of money off the first band they took on, Maroon 5, which grew to pop stardom. The label also has an unusual commitment to building a few bands slowly, rather than signing on many acts. Launched at the start of a miserable decade for labels, it has a decent record, if not as good as some of the hype it has received: Flyleaf and Hollywood Undead have benefitted from its approach, while other performers, such as Michael Tolcher, whom the label had pushed quite hard, have been dropped after disappointing sales.

Diener and crew flew to Toronto to check out K'naan, who played a showcase for them, and to meet Guy. They came away impressed. "Dusty Foot is poetry set to music, sketches of good ideas," says Diener. "But K'naan had a musical vision, and a good show and story. Plus, the synergy with Sol was a winner." A&M/Octone signed K'naan to a 360 deal, giving the label a cut of everything -- merchandise, CD, and digital sales; touring; and publishing rights, which are shared by Sony ATV. K'naan calls A&M/Octone the perfect partner. "They aren't into instant gratification," he says. "They're small, and the three guys have equity. At other labels, the A&R guy and the president love you, but when they're fired, your music just sits on the shelf. You can't get them to do anything. These guys aren't like that."

The first priority was to record a new album. Troubadour, which features "Wavin' Flag," was released in February 2009. According to Nielsen SoundScan, sales in Canada and the U.S. barely topped 90,000 for the year. And while international sales figures are notably unreliable, general manager Boxenbaum says it was slow going there as well: "I had this idealistic idea that the album would develop internationally first, so I was trying hard to get the territories to activate early." A&M/Octone distributes its records through Universal Music Group, whose local managers around the world have great leeway over which albums to push. "They said he was too hard to sell without a good North American story," he continues. "So let's just say that the territories that were into K'naan were the exception."

There was another guy trying to "activate" international distributors in 2008 and 2009: Emmanuel Seugé, the buoyant global director of worldwide sports and entertainment marketing at Coca-Cola. Seugé, a 35-year-old Frenchman whose childhood dream was to play for Les Bleus, his country's national soccer team, was working on the dream assignment of his adult life -- turn the World Cup into the biggest branding event ever for Coca-Cola. The company has a contract with FIFA, the game's organizing committee, to be one of the event's six chief sponsors through 2022. "My life has been driven by football, and I love marketing, so this is the best of both worlds," he says.

When Coca-Cola launches an international branding campaign from its Atlanta headquarters, its highly autonomous international marketers assess how well that plan will work in their bottlers' territories, and decide whether backing it is the best use of their marketing dollars. Sponsoring something as massive as the World Cup, CEO Muhtar Kent hopes that most sign on so that the company will get the biggest global bang for its sponsorship buck. Seugé was responsible for wooing the distributors and customizing the campaign for them; unlike Boxenbaum, he was having a grand old time. Just about everything was lining up perfectly.

Seugé's research on the ground in South Africa had convinced him that the 2010 edition would be the most exuberant World Cup yet, which was perfect for Coke. Every brand at Coca-Cola is associated with a central idea or theme. Coke Zero, for example, is all about "making the impossible possible," which is why Seugé had that brand sponsor Avatar, James Cameron's revolutionary 3-D film. Coke, on the other hand, is associated with happiness. "Happiness and optimism," says Seugé, "like all that singing on a hill in the middle of the crises of the 1970s. For the World Cup, we decided to tell a story of happiness through an African lens -- if that helped change the perception of the continent, that would be even better."

Seugé had found a great story to celebrate, the tale of Roger Milla, captain of Cameroon's Indomitable Lions during the 1990 World Cup, when the team came within seven minutes of knocking off mighty England in the quarterfinals. Milla scored four goals during the tournament. After each, he ran to a corner post and shimmied joyously, a goal celebration so memorable that it was copied by players all over the world. And at least one of those shimmies was directly in front of, yes, a Coca-Cola ad. So when a distributor in Vienna reminded Seugé about Milla, Seugé quickly tracked down Milla's cell number and called, reaching him at his home in Yaoundé. Milla answered, and Seugé got right to the point: Coca-Cola wanted to pay Milla to be an ambassador for the World Cup and to build an online campaign around videos of his memorable dance. Would Milla be interested? "The phone was silent for 45 seconds," remembers Seugé, "and when he speaks he's crying, saying, 'I'm 57 years old and I've never had a sponsorship, and now the Coca-Cola Co. is calling me. Is this a joke?' " No, it wasn't. Coke drinkers around the world were invited to log on to coke.com to send in videos of their own joyous goal dances -- and millions eventually did.

To make his job even easier, Seugé also had the ultimate symbol of soccer excellence: the World Cup trophy itself. As part of its deal with FIFA, Coke has the right to take the trophy on tour before the tournament. The closest analogy in North America would be a company having the right to tour Canada with the Stanley Cup.

All Seugé was missing was a song, an anthem that would get the world singing along with Coke again. He had sent out a proposal explaining this to a wide swath of the music industry -- agents, performers, publicists, scouts, and bookers -- but by February 2009, with the World Cup just 16 months away, he still hadn't heard the right tune. And then one morning, he opened up an email sent at 4 a.m. by the wild Turk he'd put in charge of music sponsorships, Umut Ozaydinli. "I think I've found our guy and our song," wrote Umut (no one calls him Ozaydinli). "His name is K'naan, and the song is 'Wavin' Flag.' "

Sol Guy had seen Seugé's original proposal and shown it to K'naan. The pair were intrigued, but the brief called for a song in the vein of "Twist and Shout" -- a far cry from "Wavin' Flag." So when Umut came backstage after K'naan's performance at South by Southwest, in Austin, and told him Coke was really interested in making him the centerpiece of its campaign, "I was like, 'That's a nice thought,' " recalls K'naan. "You know, if all the ifs about this check out, that would be great, you know? But I was wondering: Have they checked out my videos? I'm not a pretty white girl. Have they heard the things I say? I say pretty much everything I feel, which can be a problem."

The first hurdle was the lyrics of "Wavin' Flag." Umut and Seugé loved the upbeat chorus: "When I get older, I will be stronger/ They'll call me freedom/ Just like a wavin' flag." But the rest of the lyrics reflected K'naan's anguished, deeply personal reflection on Somalia. "I might be the best marketer of the whole group involved," K'naan says. "I knew Coke wasn't going to put its money behind 'So many wars, settling scores/ Bringing us promises/ leaving us poor.' And writing a whole new thing would have been a jingle. Emmanuel was too sensitive to ask me to rewrite 'Wavin' Flag.' So I offered to do it."

That meant ditching the reflective side of the song for new language that tapped into the optimism of the chorus. K'naan would write a version and send it to Umut, who sent back notes. "The Coke lyrics are the pop music side of me," K'naan says, "creating a song you can hum at work. I love writing stuff like that." Out went the poor, and in came an obligatory reference to soccer: "Staying forever young singing/ Songs underneath the sun/ Let's rejoice in the beautiful game/ Then together celebrate the day." The music for what would become the song's "Celebration Mix" changed as well, with more upbeat instrumentation and even a five-tone cadence heard in every Coca-Cola commercial.

"All this stuff rubs me the wrong way," says Bob Lefsetz, speaking of corporate tie-ins. A passionate curmudgeon whose online Lefsetz Letter is read by everyone in the music business, he explains: "The conventional wisdom is that since it is very hard to get noticed, and since the labels don't have the dollars they once did to try to get attention, tying in with a corporation is the way to go. But these deals hurt your credibility."

Most corporate deals with musicians are one-offs. An artist licenses her song to an advertiser, or her name to a clothing line or perfume. But with K'naan's full support, Umut, Guy, and Boxenbaum were setting out to craft something broader. "It might sound arrogant or stupid," says K'naan, "but I feel so outrageously authentic at what I do that the question of selling out or not selling out doesn't even enter my head. I think people who worry about this must already be worried about their true credibility. I'm just interested in, How do we get my message out?"

Coke's World Cup tour became the heart of the deal, with K'naan traveling extensively with the trophy, making many more appearances than an established star would have agreed to. Coke paid A&M/Octone and K'naan a $150,000 sponsorship fee, along with a fee of between $7,500 and $25,000 for each performance. To reduce Coca-Cola's costs, K'naan agreed to trim the size of his band. Coke got 50% of the royalties on the Celebration Mix. To boost the song's international appeal, K'naan customized 18 Celebration Mixes for specific countries, with local musicians singing up to half the lyrics in their language. In soccer-rabid Spain, he paired with crossover superstar David Bisbal; in China, he recorded with Jacky Cheung and Jane Zhang, the country's equivalent of Mariah Carey; in Congo, his partners were Barbara Kanam and Patience Dabany, who happens to be the ex-wife of Gabon's former president and the mother of its current leader. Across the world, there are now 20 versions of "Wavin' Flag" for sale on albums and on iTunes.

Boxenbaum and Seugé also agreed to marry their international networks in a way that worked for both companies. For each territory, a memo detailed who was responsible for what. Coke, for example, would secure the audience for K'naan's concert; Universal would secure radio and TV coverage. Now that K'naan had Coca-Cola's marketing dollars behind him, Universal distributors were finally ready to support his album. And now that an African singer was deeply involved in the campaign, Coca-Cola's marketers and bottlers were more excited about it.

K'naan kicked off the tour on November 13, 2009, in Nairobi. Through 20 countries, across 50,000 air miles, and over seven months, K'naan and Coke went on tour with the World Cup trophy. Some nights there was no bottled water backstage; other nights, the DJ would prep the crowd with recorded versions of "Wavin' Flag" -- "So not cool," says K'naan. One evening, the local partners decided to take the song to its literal extreme. As K'naan went into the chorus, 15 feathered models mounted the stage, parading around K'naan as they waved enormous flags. "But it all came out all right in the end," smiles K'naan. "It was all good."

"The World Cup is shaping everything I do going forward," says Seugé. "It is changing how we imagine a campaign, who we work with, what kind of ownership stake we want, everything." Inside Coca-Cola, the campaign is seen as a massive success, in ways both tangible and ineffable. A total of 160 countries signed on, 65 more than had joined the company's 2006 World Cup campaign. Sales of Coke rose 5% in the second quarter of 2010, a gain CEO Kent attributed directly to the campaign. Nearly a million people attended the company's World Cup trophy events, and the various "Wavin' Flag" remix videos have garnered 80 million page views. When Interbrand released its recent report that named Coke the world's leading brand, the agency described the effort as "a campaign that marketing managers will be looking to as a case study for years to come."

For A&M/Octone, says Diener, "the deal cut a year and a half out of the typical development cycle of an artist." "Wavin' Flag" became an international phenomenon; when the Spanish team returned to Madrid to celebrate its victory, the team led a 1.5 million -- person sing-along. A&M/Octone estimates that some 2.1 million paid copies of the song have been downloaded. While sales of Troubadour in the U.S. and Canada are still slow -- 59,100 as of September 19, according to Nielsen SoundScan -- the numbers may pick up this fall during K'naan's American tour. K'naan has garnered some real global fame, and Universal hopes that will drive international sales higher; the company has just made K'naan a global priority, along with more-established artists such as Miley Cyrus, Drake, Scissor Sisters, Brandon Flowers, Ne-Yo, Taio Cruz, and Robert Plant. Hoping that momentum is on his side, Diener has just delivered another single to the U.S. market, a raucous tune called "Bang Bang" that features a collaboration with Adam Levine of Maroon 5 and a racy video with K'naan lustily eyeing a gaggle of women clad in little more than thongs. And soon the push will be on to deliver the next, even more mainstream album, which Diener wants out by next fall.

As for K'naan, it's hard to say that he is exactly basking in the sunshine of success as he slides into a hotel restaurant booth in Dublin for yet another dinner with yet another reporter. It's September 4, and he's just back from a desultory performance in the Irish drizzle at Electric Picnic, an outdoor festival that featured him as a third-tier act, far behind headliners like Modest Mouse, the Frames, Leftfield, and Massive Attack. He's exhausted and depressed. "It's the first time," he says, "that I ever performed most of a concert with my back to the audience. I just couldn't feel it. Not at all." His next stop: the Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen, a 450-person club in London's trendy Shore-ditch neighborhood, which is advertising a night with "K'haan." In October, he launches his first headlining tour of America, playing venues that accommodate an average of 1,000 people.

All this might seem a far cry from June 10, when K'naan was in front of 2 billion television viewers as he performed "Wavin' Flag" at the World Cup kickoff event, and far less than you might expect for an artist propelled by something as big as this Coke deal. But it's a disappointment only if you cling to the old dream of music-industry success. Over the past two decades, only a handful of groups -- including the Dave Matthews Band, Green Day, and Nickelback -- have emerged that can consistently sell out arenas. If Lady Gaga can come close to the career of her spiritual mother, Madonna, she might be next. For everyone else, creating a lasting career in today's music business is a slog -- which is exactly what K'naan still faces.

Diener says he wants to build artists for that long haul, but he also wants to create stars. "We don't want to have an important artist who remains unknown," he says. "I worked with Dylan and Springsteen. Those guys understood having commercial music that captivated people. Bob Marley is another example."

"I'm comfortable with the balance between my internal voice and those who want me to be as big as possible," K'naan says. "That balance is significant. I like pop."

But achieving that balance will be terribly hard. Both Guy and Diener argue that K'naan is a deep and complicated artist whose intelligent audience will want to dive deep and buy albums. But consider that K'naan's album sales are dwarfed by the digital downloads of "Wavin' Flag." When consumers want singles so much more than albums, how can an album-oriented musician develop a strong core audience? That's a problem that will only be exacerbated as the industry moves to a subscription model, where people own little music but pay a monthly access fee to tap into a global music database. At that point, albums become almost meaningless.

Then there's the question of the artist himself and how he'll handle the long haul that's required, even after this World Cup campaign. Like any artist, K'naan has his differences with the label. As a Muslim, he wishes A&M/Octone would have waited until after Ramadan to release "Bang Bang." And he worries about his audience, how to keep them interested as he moves on in his career. "Someone, it must have been a kid, wrote on my website, 'K'naan, how could you put out a video with all those girls, just like everyone else? You are not the second Bob Marley.' It was cute. But for some of my fans, it's like, take off your shoes before you enter the house of K'naan."

Touring can wear him down. After the World Cup, K'naan would have liked to take some time off. He has music he wants to write, songs to develop. When lyrics or melodies pop into his head, he has time only to sing them into his BlackBerry, which now stores a couple hundred voice notes, like a lovely tune labeled "Central Park Melody." He'd like to spend some time with his two sons, who live in Toronto in his old apartment with their mother, whom he divorced just before hitting the road for Coke. (He stays in hotels when he goes home to Toronto. He's so well-known there that kids from the neighborhood swarm his mom's backyard when he visits.) "But success breeds more success," he says, "and demands more attention of you. After the World Cup, the label was like, 'Of course there are more shows. Now everyone wants to see you. Now everyone in the press wants to talk to you.' The guys at the label are very passionate and they want me to succeed, so I can't fault them for that, but at the same time, I'm a sensitive dude. I respond only to my internal questions, and when they come up, they come up hard."

If K'naan can recharge for his American tour; if the tour sells lots of tickets; if he can manage the balance between pop success and artistic integrity; if Universal delivers the international sales of Troubadour; if his next album delivers more hits than Troubadour; if the label continues to feel the love when some future project turns sour; if he doesn't get slotted into the NPR niche of world music but manages to find a market for his hard-to-define blend of pop, rap, and sing-song rhyming; and if he has the patience of Job, K'naan just might make it. His manager is a friend, his band is close-knit, and he's a charismatic artist with a deep sense of mission and an ear for compelling hooks. He's such a charmer that Hollywood could come calling. And he's seen enough tragedy to have a great perspective on all the hype.

But the odds are just as good that he'll disappear in a few years. The business is that tough. Like everything else that has been tagged as a "savior" of the music business -- merchandise, videos, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, PayPal, the Montreal scene, cheap arena tickets, VIP ticketing, artist collaborations, advertising tie-ins, Apple, marketing targeted to your core audience, marketing that reaches everyone, great stage shows, video games, Rock Band, the Brooklyn scene, Guitar Hero -- corporate partnerships are no silver bullet. Nothing can resurrect the old dream.

The deal between Coke, A&M/Octone, and K'naan worked for two reasons: First, because Coca-Cola is an unusually huge and unusually good marketer. Second, because everyone compromised to pull off something cool. The artist took less money than he would have a few years ago, and worked hard. The corporation respected his integrity and quirks, and developed a plan that was as good for him as it was for them. The label forsook a short-term payout for a broader partnership. This is the only way the Coke-K'naan deal could be a model for the industry: Accept less, work hard, don't go for the quick buck, compromise, work with people you like, and create music that's meaningful to your fans.

Shortly after the shooting in that Mogadishu courtyard, K'naan the Skinny was visited by his friend Soviet. Soviet explained that he'd be going out of town that day, accompanying his father, a bus driver, on his trip to a nearby town. The boy said good-bye and went to find his dad.

Later that afternoon, K'naan was playing with Soviet's younger brother, hanging out outside his house. Looking down the street, he saw a woman wailing, running toward him, carrying something covered with a white sheet.

By instinct, he told Soviet's brother to look away. He cradled the boy's head in his lap, repeating the admonition, "Don't look, don't look," as the woman ran past. But soon enough, the boy raised his head, in time to see the woman at the front door of his own house, knocking on his door, delivering the lifeless body of his brother to his mother. The bus had been shot up by the approaching rebels, killing Soviet, his father, and every passenger. The little brother ran inside K'naan's house and drank an entire bottle of cough medicine before breaking down completely. "That was one of the most painful moments of consolation for me," K'naan says.

A few weeks after he and his family reached America, they received a letter from Somalia. A number of people in the neighborhood had been killed, said the letter writer. Oh, and K'naan's friend, the girl, the one named Fatima, she was shot as well. Fatima lives on now, in one of the best songs on Troubadour.

"I have no idea why I didn't get hit," says K'naan. "There were a few occasions when it seems like I should have been dead, but I wasn't. I don't know why that was."

» www.fastcompany.com

Boston Herald Reviews Wave Your Flag Tour | News

amoctone — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 14:18:00 GMT

K’naan Keeps Crowd ‘Wavin’ at Hub Stop

October 15, 2010

By Lauren Carter

Midset on Wednesday night, singer/rapper K’naan thanked the crowd for its gusto, but lamented that Boston’s House of Blues was the only non-sellout thus far on his U.S. tour.

“You guys are not doing your jobs,” he said. “Tell your friends what’s up!”

If Boston fans need to step up their word-of-mouth game, so be it, but both the mediocre turnout and the wild devotion of those who did attend made sense.

As a Somalia-born artist who relocated to Toronto in his teens, K’naan combines the rebel consciousness of Bob Marley with the gritty intellectualism of underground hip-hop. His songs are further electrified by images of his war-torn home country that make some rappers’ stories of inner-city struggle seem like fairy tales.

K’naan burst onto the international stage when Coca-Cola chose his freedom cry “Wavin’ Flag” as the promotional anthem for the FIFA 2010 World Cup. But as the half-capacity crowd on Wednesday indicated, his reach in the non-soccer-loving United States is still growing, and his music may not be for everyone.

K’naan’s 85-minute set included diatribes about freedom, chilling spoken-word poetry interludes where he fused ghetto strife with the horror of life in his homeland, and a blend of rap, reggae, rock and world music that ranged from brilliant to boring. A dragged-out encore of five songs - mostly mellow grooves off his 2005 album “The Dusty Foot Philosopher” - was saved only by the gripping ballad “Somalia.”

K’naan’s four-piece band helped fortify the militant rock of “If Rap Gets Jealous” and “Bang Bang,” and smoothed out the island-inspired “Fire in Freetown,” with steel drums re-created on synths. “Fatima,” a song that juxtaposes young love with the harsh reality of war, was particularly powerful.

One of the 32-year-old’s greatest strengths is that he becomes a different artist on every song, in both musical style and subject matter. One moment he tackles global politics, the next he recounts the stress of waiting for a money transfer on “15 Minutes Away,” which found some of the audience letting loose like they were at a ritual dance. If Boston is slow to warm up to avant-garde reggae-rap, it just gives those in the know more room to move.

The show opened with the rebellious - though less worldly - rock/rap mix of North Carolina collective Paper Tongues.

» www.bostonherald.com

Fast Company Features K'NAAN | News

amoctone — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:51:00 GMT

K’Naan and Nas: Two Ways to “Manage” a Music Career

From One Hip-Hop Artist, A Leaked Email Exposing The Ugly, Angry Side Of The Struggle Between Artist and Label. From The Other, A Frank Chat At The End Of Long Tour About Owning One's Art And Brand. Two Very Different Leadership Lessons.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

By Rick Tetzeli

The leak late last week of an angry email from rapper Nas to the folks running the label that may or may not be putting out his new record this winter, Def Jam (subject: "Put my shit out!" -- text below), is shocking mostly because it was leaked at all. You hear plenty of rumblings in the press these days about artists battling their labels, but you rarely get to see the explosion up close. Then again, it's a volatile time. Labels aren’t making as much money, the musicians aren’t making as much money, and they scream at one another as they flame out. Or until the artist breaks free, a la OK Go or Nine Inch Nails—and still, with rare exceptions, doesn’t make the money they would have made under the old system.

There’s a third way to go, the compromise route, which is what Somali rapper K’naan is trying with his label, Octone A&M. K’naan has become friends with Nas over the years, but instead of dissing his label, he’s doing everything he can to work with it and, he says, guide it. “I’m probably the best marketer in our group,” he told me over dinner recently in Dublin, Ireland. He was at the tail end of a European tour, with little break between that run and his new American tour, which kicked off Saturday night at Webster Hall in New York.

K’naan’s best-known song is Wavin’ Flag, which formed the basis of Coca-Cola’s $300 million World Cup of soccer marketing campaign. The partnership between Coke, A&M/Octone, and K’naan put the singer in the middle of a bigger campaign than he could ever have imagined. After all, his first album, called The Dusty Foot Philosopher, has sold something like 20,000 copies in the U.S., while his second, Troubadour, has only recently edged over 100,000. So when Coke came calling, saying that they wanted him to create a song for the World Cup and tour the world supporting their campaign, he faced a real challenge: How to make this a K’naan moment as well as a Coke moment.

The first hurdle was his song, "Wavin’ Flag." While Coke execs loved its upbeat chorus, they couldn’t reconcile the song’s lyrics about poverty and repression in Somalia with their message of happiness and an exuberant soccer moment. So they proposed that he write another anthem. He told them no, that he’d rewrite "Wavin’ Flag." He made it much more poppy, much more celebratory, a song that truly fits its name—"The Celebration Mix of Wavin’ Flag"—and its video, which shows K’naan and many kids bopping around beaches and playing the beautiful game. “Writing a whole new song for Coke would have been a jingle,” he says. “By reusing 'Wavin Flag' I did a creative remix. It was the pop music version of my song.”

The World Cup campaign was one compromise after another, with a crazy 20-country touring schedule, 15 versions of the "Celebration Mix" created for specific countries, like the Mexican mix with David Bisbol, or the Chinese mix with Jenny Zhang. Throughout, K’naan did his best to manage between Coke and the label. “I think they followed my lead, I was the silent leader without showing that. Everyone kind of knew what I felt. There’s a difference between self-marketing and marketing an idea. I think they knew my belief in my music, and followed that.” He used Twitter to keep his fans updated throughout the whole tour, and is far more engaged in that than most other artists. (After he canceled a recent date in Vancouver, he went back-and-forth with upset fans so intensely that at one point he tweeted, “I may be a PR disaster.” He added, “but I prefer being that than being an inaccessible shell who doesn't speak his mind.”) The touring schedule during the World Cup and after was crazy, and by the time he hit Dublin he was so exhausted that he was talking about canceling dates and promotion. But ultimately, he says, because they fit his long-term goal: “I’m not into instantaneous gratification, instantaneous success. I wanted my audience to grow with me, so I’m on a label that is truly into artist development. It’s the only label I know like that.”

It’s not sexy to write about an artist who says stuff like that. But what’s forgotten in all the coverage of the music industry’s decline is that this is what most artists are doing: trying to create and perform great music while also trying to manage their relationship with the label—a corporate organization whose time may have come and gone, but who for now is still pretty much the only hope for any band looking to break big.

» www.fastcompany.com

K'NAAN Announces Fall US Tour with Paper Tongues! | News

amoctone — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:28:00 GMT

K'NAAN Announces his Fall US Tour with Special Guests Paper Tongues:

10/8 Philadelphia, PA / Theatre of the Living Arts

10/9 New York, NY / Webster Hall

10/10 Washington, DC / 9:30 Club

10/12 Towson, MD / Recher Theatre

10/13 Boston, MA / House of Blues

10/15 Chicago, IL / Park West *

10/16 Minneapolis, MN / 1st Avenue

10/19 Boulder, CO / Fox Theatre

10/20 Aspen, CO / Belly Up Aspen

10/24 Solana Beach, CA / Belly Up Tavern

10/26 Anaheim, CA / House of Blues

10/28 San Francisco, CA / The Fillmore

10/29 Portland, OR / Wonder Ballroom

10/30 Seattle, WA / Showbox Sodo

*Paper Tongues will not be performing on this date

Head to Knaanmusic.com for more information

K'NAAN performs on Tonight Show with Jay Leno Tonight! | News

amoctone — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 10:25:00 GMT

K'NAAN will be performing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on NBC!

Check out your local listings for details.

Associated Press Writes about K'NAAN & African Artists | News

amoctone — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 11:12:00 GMT

New Class of African Singers, Rappers Emerges

August 2, 2010

By Melanie Sims

CHICAGO (AP) -- When rapper K'Naan was recording songs peppered with tales about warfare, poverty and despair in his native Somalia, there were people who told him he should consider abandoning his socially conscious frame of mind for material that wasn't so somber.

Most of those people were Somalis, K'Naan recalls.

"They didn't want someone's shining talent to be wasted on such a disaster," K'Naan said recently. "They wanted to see themselves out there, and they knew there was rarely a chance that you could do it while carrying the baggage of Somalia. So they would say, 'Put it down and just go and be a star like these other people are.'"

But K'Naan, along with a new generation of African-born singers like Nneka and Cornielle, are getting acclaim these days by using their experiences to express political messages, varied life experiences and sounds influenced by their years on the continent.

K'Naan, who now lives in Canada, had a global audience recently when he performed a remixed version of his song "Wavin' Flag" at the kickoff concert for the World Cup. Though the original lyrics, a bittersweet homage to his native Somalia, had been changed to talk about a general celebration of nationality, he held the Somali flag up high on stage, something he never thought possible.

"It had been buried under a rubble of bad stories for 20 years now. Nobody expects to see the Somali flag in a beautiful moment," he said.

While promoting her critically acclaimed album "Concrete Jungle" recently in Chicago, Nneka paused on stage at a dim bar to educate the crowd to problems stemming from the oil industry in Nigeria - "just for your American information," Nneka said jokingly.

Nneka then channeled fellow Nigerian and Afrobeat icon Fela, instructing the predominantly white crowd of 20-somethings to join her in singing the late singer's "V.I.P. (Vagabonds in Power)."

"I think it's important ... especially coming out of an area like the Niger Delta," she said of her music's African themes. "I think it is my responsibility to speak about the issues that the normal person is confronted with on a daily basis and with issues (such as) corruption, and pollution and exploitation."

Tackling tough topics has mixed effects on an artist's success in crossing over to the mainstream.

"I think it's a double-edged sword. On one hand young people are more politicized than they've ever been. And Africa is certainly coming to focus in a way it hasn't before, especially with young people," said Jason King, an associate professor at New York University's Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music.

"On the other hand, we're living in a time when there's this great residue of xenophobia - sort of distrust of foreigners and aliens that you see in Arizona and Nebraska and other places," King continues. "There's that continual resistance that Americans have to finding out what's going on in the rest of the world. And that's limiting the chance for success for some of these artists."

K'Naan's 2009 album, "Troubadour," sold 90,000 copies, and "Wavin' Flag" has sold 304,000 digital songs, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The tracking system lists Corneille's "The Birth of Cornelius" at almost 7,000 copies.

Nneka's "Concrete Jungle" sold 11,200 units this year, while her mixtape with DJ and producer J. Period prompted 127,955 downloads, according to her label, Decon/Epic.

K'Naan acknowledges that it's difficult to get heard amid the music of Lady Gaga and other pop music.

"Let's be honest, that doesn't get played on radio," he said.

But conquering the American mainstream is not an impossible feat. Senegalese-born entertainer Akon, who's had a hand in the careers of Lady Gaga and T-Pain, is proof of that, though his music rarely touches on political or African themes.

King points out a list of successful acts of past generations, including Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, Nigerian-born Tony Allen and even rock star Freddie Mercury, who was born on the island of Zanzibar. There's also Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Miriam Makeba, among others.

"K'Naan's visibility in the States is pretty small. But that could change," King said. "I definitely think he has the potential to be one of the biggest emcees in the business because he does represent the next age of hip-hop which in my opinion is globally conscious hip-hop."

Singer Corneille's parents were killed during the Rwandan genocide in 1994, and the youngster fled to Germany. He eventually moved to Canada, and after stints with a few bands, decided to go solo.

"I decided there was a story I wanted to tell that was mine, that was too personal to share with anybody else," Corneille said of the process, which he found therapeutic.

He released his first English-language album, "The Birth of Cornelius," last year in the United States, and was often defined in the media as a survivor of yet another African tragedy.

"As an African artist, when you become successful in the West, it's sort of imposed on you," he said.

Only in the last year and a half or so has he found the balance and boundaries he's comfortable with when it comes to discussing his views.

It's a task he's taken on, knowing that he has more to offer with his voice than just music - he can be the voice of a people as well.

"There is no other Rwandan artist with the notoriety in the West that I have," he said.

» hosted.ap.org

Troubadour [Edited] | Albums

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Tracks
1. T.I.A.
2. ABC's
3. Dreamer
5. I Come Prepared
5. Bang Bang
6. If Rap Gets Jealous
7. Wavin' Flag
8. Somalia
9. America
10. Fatima
11. Fire in Freetown
12. Take a Minute
13. 15 Minutes Away
14. People Like Me
15. Wavin' Flag
16. Wavin' Flag [Coca-Cola® Celebration Mix]
17. Wavin' Flag [Coca-Cola® Spanish Celebration Mix]

Buy
Amazon MP3
iTunes

The Independent (UK) give K'NAAN 5 out of 5 stars! | News

amoctone — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 12:13:00 GMT

In the recent review of K'NAAN's Troubadour Champion Edition The Independent (UK) calls K'NAAN "the African equivalent of Bob Marley" giving the re-release of the album 5 out of 5 stars!

Ten Things You Didn't Know about K'NAAN by Time Out London | News

amoctone — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:03:00 GMT

Ten Things you Didn’t Know About K’NAAN

June 2010

By Chris Parkin

Somali-Canadian rapper K’NAAN, 32, is inescapable at the moment. He’s the man responsible for ‘Wavin Flag’, the omnipresent unofficial World Cup song for a certain sugar-based can of pop.

African icon Youssou N’Dour discovered K’NAAN in 1998 where he performed for the UN.

He saw and invited me to record in Senegal. He was one of my heroes, still is. He’s given me so much confidence. One day, I wrote some words while we were sitting around. He had his guitar going and I just sang what I’d written. He looked at me, saying, “‘You mean to tell me you’ve just wrote that?’”

Of his collaborators, Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley has got better jokes than Metallica’s Kirk Hammett.

“He’s a joker, very English and self-effacing. The weird think about Kirk, he’s one of the warmest people I’ve ever met. He’s consumed by humility. His whole presence is humble and he’s always thanking you for something. He just likes to serve.

One recent colleague stands head and shoulders above them all, though.

Damon Albarn. It’s strange when you work with him. He’s in his own world, a bit mad, like an honest genius who doesn’t quite know what to do with all of it. You watch him going: Wow, that’s amazing. Some people are just gifted.

K’NAAN just wants to tell it like it is.

It’s frustration mixed with a small generosity to explain to those I live among that it’s not like [they think it is] in Africa. I’ve been on both sides, so I feel I owe it to the people I live among to say, “No that’s not true.” It’s like that’s my whole thing, explaining things between the two sides.

He thinks African pop music is about much more than thumb pianos and costumes.

There’s progression in Africa that goes unnoticed by the West. We were joking about this the other day. It’s like saying Africa and then imagining just big robes. Yes, people do wear them buy for weddings. It’s like saying Greece and thinking everyone walks around in white sheets.

While living in Somalia, K’NAAN’s dad sent him his education in the post.

Rakim’s “Paid in Full.” I was lucky. I didn’t play it to anyone in the neighbourhood. It was like being a magician-I didn’t want anyone else to know the tricks. No one even knew what English sounded like and I wanted them to think this whole thing was coming from nowhere. I memorized it, every cadence, every rhythm, and then went outside, and rapped for the other kids.

Somali lyricists could teach Richard Ashcroft a thing or two.

In Somali, whenever you compose a song, it always begins with poetry. And poetry in Somalia is so incredibly eloquent that anything translated form English into Somali, people will laugh at because it’s so ordinary. It’s like, what is that, a child’s language? It’s very cerebral, very image based. You have to produce magic.

In spite of his calm exterior, K’NAAN’s ‘A Revolutionary Avocado’ is a diss about Canuck rapper K-os.

Something it’s necessary. We have so many ways of reacting and adapting to things we’re faced with. I prefer this calm place and making melodic, good music but if one must go to war, he will…

Like Maradona before him, K’NAAN might, just might, have lifted the World Cup. Although he’s not telling for safety reasons.

Only the winner and heads of state are allowed to touch it. But I’ve been in touching distance of it because it’s been on a plane with me for months. But, you know, accidents happen. The Fifa men are probably going to come and get me now.

He’s not sure about our suggestion that the vuvuzela horns are soothing.

I’m complaining about them. They’re completely annoying. When you’re in the stadium watching the game, they’re not so bad. Sometimes you get a nice rhythm going and they start playing actual parts. But not everyone’s talented with it. All I keep saying is, “’Shut up.’”

The Guardian Gives K'NAAN 4 out of 5 Stars! | News

amoctone — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 11:00:00 GMT

Album Review:

K'naan: Troubadour (Champion Edition)

June 24, 2010

By Robin Denselow

**** out of 5

There's only been one guaranteed success in the World Cup so far, and that's Somalia. If holding the competition in South Africa was supposed to raise the profile of the continent as a whole, then it's only right that the world's most popular football anthem of the moment should be sung by an exile from what K'naan accurately describes as "the hardest place on earth right now". Unsurprisingly, his gloriously uplifting Wavin' Flag appears three times on an album that's been repackaged to coincide with the song's success (it's currently near the top of the British singles chart). There's the bestselling Coca Cola Celebration Mix, with lyrics about "the beautiful game", another remix featuring will.i.am and producer/DJ David Guetta, and (best of all) the original version, a more low-key, thoughtful song of struggle, perseverance and escape that appeared on the original Troubadour album last year. Other songs from that set show K'naan's skill in mixing hip-hop and more mainstream pop with finely observed lyrics about the horrors of his homeland, love or the music business. Those who have not heard him should check out Somalia, which matches a cheerful girl chorus against lines such as "she got a gun but she could have been a model or physician"; or Fatima, a pained and personal song of love, loss and death. K'naan is that rarity: a true original.

Troubadour | Albums

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Tracks
1. T.I.A. [Album Version (Explicit)]
2. ABC's [Chubb Rock Version/Album Version (Explicit)]
3. Dreamer [Album Version (Explicit)]
4. I Come Prepared [Album Version (Explicit)]
5. Bang Bang [Album Version (Explicit)]
6. If Rap Gets Jealous [Album Version (Explicit)]
7. Wavin' Flag
8. Somalia [Explicit Version]
9. America [Album Version (Explicit)]
10. Fatima
11. Fire In Freetown
12. Take A Minute [Album Version (Explicit)]
13. 15 Minutes Away
14. People Like Me
15. Wavin' Flag
16. Wavin' Flag [Coca-Cola® Celebration Mix]
17. Wavin' Flag [Coca-Cola® Spanish Celebration Mix]

Buy
iTunes
Amazon
Amazon MP3

K'NAAN to Perform on FIFA World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert! | News

amoctone — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 14:22:00 GMT

The 2010 FIFA World Cup™ from South Africa will kick off when ABC broadcasts the FIFA World Cup™ Kick-Off Celebration Concert from Soweto/Johannesburg on Friday, June 11 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. ESPN2 will broadcast the concert on Thursday, June 10th at 2p.m. ET/PT.

The three-hour concert, considered the biggest entertainment event to date in South Africa, celebrates the arrival of the first-ever FIFA World Cup™ on the African continent and will take place at 30,000-seat Orlando Stadium in Soweto, Johannesburg. Alicia Keys, the Black Eyed Peas, John Legend, Shakira and Juanes will perform alongside, and in collaboration with, popular African artists.

The concert lineup also features popular African performers including Amadou & Mariam, Angélique Kidjo, BLK JKS, K'Naan, Lira, Mzansi Youth Choir, The Parlotones, Tinariwen, Vieux Farka Touré and Vusi Mahlasela.

The FIFA World Cup™ Kick-Off Celebration Concert is executive-produced by Kevin Wall and his company, Control Room, the leading producer of massive global music events.

Starring:

Alicia Keys

John Legand

Black Eyed Peas

Shakira

Juanes

Amadou & Mariam

Angélique Kidjo

BLK JKS

Lira

Mzansi Youth Choir

The Parlotones

Tinariwen

Vieux Farka Touré

Vusi Mahlasela

Wavin' Flag (Feat. David Bisbal) | Singles

Tue, 01 Jun 2010 05:00:00 GMT

Tracks
1. Wavin' Flag

Buy
iTunes
Amazon

Billboard Mag Runs Feature on K'NAAN & the World Cup | News

amoctone — Thu, 27 May 2010 12:16:00 GMT

The Real Thing

May 29, 2010

By David J. Prince

The song that’s destined to be forever associated with the 2010 World Cup came to its creator in a split second in the summer of 2007. Somali-born rapper K’Naan was taking a break from recording his debut album at Sony Studios in New York. The melody came to him suddenly as he walked through the damp streets after a rain shower, making him dash back to the studio and abandon the track he had been working on, in favor of what would become “Wavin’ Flag.” “I was kind of in a frenzy” recalls K’Naan (pronounced KAY-non), back in New York for a round of promotion. “It was one of those songs that overtakes and consumes you.”

Indeed, from that moment on, “Waving’ Flag” has had a life of its own. It first appeared on his February 2008 debut, “Troubadour” (A&M/Octone). Peaking at No.99 on the Billboard Hot 100 in March 2009, “Flag” has now sold 155,000 U.S. copies, while “Troubadour” has moved 79,000, according to Nielsen Soundscan.

The song also made K’Naan a household name in his adopted country of Canada, where it peaked at No.2 on Billboard’s Canadian Hot 100 in February, propelling his artist and songwriter of the year wins at April’s Juno Awards. K’Naan, along with Drake, Justin Bieber and Nikki Yanofsky, closed that show with a rousing performance of the song, which was rerecorded with an all-star cast under the name Young Artist for Haiti. The charity version debuted at No.1 on the Canadian Hot 100 in March.

All of that, however, is about to look like very small potatoes indeed. This summer, “Wavin’ Flag” will be taken to a whole new level, as K’Naan embarks on the final stage of a two-year plan that gives the artist and his music unprecedented global exposure.

Selected by Coca-cola as the centerpiece of its $300 million campaign for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the rerecorded “Coca-Cola Celebration Mix” of “Wavin’ Flag” will soundtrack all of the company’s World Cup-related TV commercials throughout the world and be featured prominently on the months long global FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour.

The new version will be released as a single in 150 countries. It’s available in 12 different duet versions- recorded with local stars and targeted at Spain/Latin American, France, Greece, Brazil, Thailand, South Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia, Nigeria, China and Japan- and have been rolling out globally since the start of the year. In the United States, a “Wavin’ Flag” remix and video featuring David Guetta and Will.i.am was unveiled at the end of April as an MTV 360 premiere. For the billions of soccer fans who will be gripped by the tournament, familiarity with the song and its creator is inevitable.

“We wanted a song that embodied our campaign,” says Emmanuel Seuge, Coca-Cola Group director of worldwide sports and entertainment marketing. “It needed to be upbeat, it needed to be uplifting, it needed to be an invitation for people to celebrate.”

In truth, the original version of “Wavin’ Flag” seems like a curious choice for a celebration. K’Naan (born Keinan Abdi Warsame) spent his formative years in Somalia, and at age 13 he got a seat on the last commercial flight to leave the country before the civil war began.

While the refrain and melody give “Wavin’ Flag” its U2-like, anthemic quality, lyrically it’s a personal song about his early life in Somalia and the flags he saw flying as he left.

Nonetheless, Joe Belliotti, then-VP of entertainment strategy at Brand Asset Group, which specializes in matching music with corporations, pitched the song to Coca-Cola in February 2009 with dramatic results. “We feel in love with K’Naan and his story,” Seuge says.

A hastily arranged trip to see K’Naan perform at South by Southwest in March followed with discussions between the rapper and his team scheduled for the next day.

“With attracted K’Naan to the project was we weren’t looking to [just] license a song from him,” say Belliotti, who joined Coca-Cola in January as director of entertainment marketing. “We were really trying to create something bigger where he could be involved throughout the process- the release, promotion, live events, the Trophy Tour, the whole World Cup experience.”

While Coke and A&M/Octone declined to discuss financial details, K’Naan likely garnered $1 million-plus in combined cash and promotional dollars commiteted. In addition to paying an overall project license fee to use the master recording-probably deeply discounted from the standard per-usage fees- and a similarly negotiated deal with co-publishers A&M/Octone and Sony/ATV, the project included payments to K’Naan for nearly nine months of personal appearances. As K’Naan is in a 360 deal with Universal, the label is beneficiary of each revenue stream.

“I don’t think the Coke relationship will terminate following the World Cup,” A&M/Octone Records president/CEO James Diener says. “They are invested in K’Naan for the duration of his career.”

K’Naan was the main attraction at many dates on the Trophy Tour-performing in Vietnam, Peru, Mexic, Italy, the United Kingdom, France, Japan, Canada and at the may 2 finale at the University of Houston- while his music featured heavily everywhere on the 84-country itinerary.

For its part, Coca-Cola loved the song but noted that lyrical references to “a violent prone, poor people zone” and struggling, fighting to eat” didn’t fit the campaigns themes.

“The crucial moment in the discussion came when K’Naan said, ‘I can take that song, refashion some of the lyrics and give you an exclusive version,’ ” Diener says. “That’s an attempt on K’Naan’s part to revitalize the song in the spirit of the World Cup.”

“I saw it as an opportunity to reach more people,” K’Naan says.

“I don’t work for Coke or anything; what I do is my music. This was a really great opportunity for them to use my song, without compromising my integrity as a musician. This is what I write, these are the songs I make. I’m happy about.”

And reaching more people seems guaranteed thanks to the international versions that will ensure the song makes a global impact beyond even Coca-Cola’s marketing efforts.

In Spain and Latin American, the track features Latin superstar David Bisbal, who has sold 4.5 million a,bums worldwide, according to Universal. Universal Music Spain released the new version of “Wavin’ Flag” April 15, but isn’t actively promoting the song until the campaign for Bisbal’s lastest single, “Sin Mirar Atras” (Vale/Universal), is over.

Universal will release “Troubadour” June 1 in Spain. Vale Music marketing director Domingo Garcia says the Bisbal connection will help get the record heard, predicting “Wavin’ Flag” could be a No.1 song. “This will carry a lot of prestige, as Bisbal has probably been the second-biggest Spanish act in the world after Alejandro Sanz in the past decade,” Garcia says. :The fact it’s as least half in Spanish helps a great deal. Duets reach a wider audience, and as this one is Coca-Cola’s official World Cup song, the audience is virtually guaranteed.”

In japanb, K’Naan hooks up with local pop star AI, with the new version reaching No.33 on Billboard’s Japan Hot 100 chart. “Troubadour” came out in Japan last June, but has attracted minimal interest to date-something execs now expect to change.

“No one knows K’Naan in Japan,” says Kimitaka Kato, managing director of international at Universal Music Japan. “In order to break him here we need the participation of a credible Japanese singer who is good enough to sing with him and popular enough to attract people to the project. AI was perfect for that.”

In the United States, A&M/Octone plans to promote “Wavin’ Flag” at Latin (the Bisbal version) and mainstream radio formats (the Guetta Remix), starting in mid-June. “Troubadour” is being rereleased in a deluxe World Cup edition with new duets, mixes and videos added. K’Naan is currently booking a headlining U.S. tour for the fall, with additional singles from “Troubadour” likely to follow.

But if a wider international audience for the artist seems guaranteed, Seuge is looking for the advertising campaign itself to influence the way brands and artist work together in the future. He says, “I’d like to change the way we work with the music industry, in a true, collaborative way, trying to reinvent the way brands can be a key player.”

And, certainly, this could prove to be a rare instance of a campaign breaking an artist simultaneously around the world. Diener hails the Coca-Cola team as :very shrewd,” adding: “Even though he’s there promoting their brand, they’re really trying to prove that this kind of branding- especially with the right amount of time to set it up- can be very powerful for his career.”

“If this project can be a legacy about how we work with and engage the music industry in our projects in a different way,” Seuge says, “that would be a great success metric.”

And if it seems a long way from a song about Somalian freedom fighters to talk of a major brand’s “success metric,” well, K’Naan-who will perform “Wavin’ Flag” at FIFA’s June 10 World Cup Kick-Off Celebration Concert at Soweto’s Orlando Stadium-believes the power of his music will win out.

K’Naan says, “I find it exciting that [“Wavin’ Flag” is] melodically acceptable in so many cultures, that is agrees with people’s spirits in so many different places.

“That’s what I love about music, that it can be so much more vast than speeches or factual things,” he adds. “A suit may not fit the same people in different places, but this feeling does.”

CNN.com Features K'NAAN on their Homepage! | News

amoctone — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:12:00 GMT

Somali Rapper Bucks Hip-Hop Code of Violence

May 20, 2010

By Eliott C. McLaughlin

(CNN) -- The Somali-born K'naan could be excused if he heeded hip-hop's code of violence.

Rappers often use their upbringings in Compton or Brooklyn as excuses to glorify gunplay, misogyny and drug trafficking. They're just keeping it real, they say.

By the same logic, growing up in Mogadishu -- arguably the most broken and bloody city on Earth -- provides license to make mayhem an overriding theme of your music, right?

Nope, said the 31-year-old rhymesmith, who finds himself frustrated by many messages in hip-hop.

K'naan can't dwell on violence in his songs -- not because it's reprehensible, he said, but because it was too ever-present a force in his upbringing.

"I've always been of the opinion that you cannot glorify that which is normal, that which is too often seen," he explained. "You can't make cool something that is so vast."

When K'naan was young, the "cool kids" in Mogadishu didn't pack heat. They chatted up girls.

"We looked up to those guys because a lot of the kids I grew up with, there wasn't a choice but to be tough, but to carry weapons," he said.

K'naan said he understands the "posture element" to American hip-hop, as well as the reasons rappers burnish their street cred with tales of popping caps and moving kilos.

It's a testament to the safety of American cities, he said.

"You don't have kids who are 8 years old walking around with AK-47s in the street," he said. "Here, you have pockets, of course, that are struggling -- without a doubt -- and that have a lot of violence, but it's still pockets. ... When you do put your mind to it, you can make it. You can get out of the violence. For [Somalis], you cannot get out of the violence. There's just nowhere to go."

Born Keinan Warsame, the rapper said he and his brother, Libann, were "little troublemakers" in their Mogadishu neighborhood. K'naan knew how to fire an assault weapon at age 8. At age 11, he accidentally blew up his school with a hand grenade he mistook for an old, dirty potato.

The violence in his homeland became more palpable after gunmen chased him and three friends through the streets of Mogadishu. K'naan escaped. His friends were slain.

K'naan made another narrow escape in 1991 -- this time, from Somalia's civil war. He, his mother, brother and sister boarded one of the last commercial flights out of Somalia, moving first to Harlem, then to the Muslim enclave of Rexdale in Toronto.

The culture shock was troubling enough on its own, but K'naan, whose name means "traveler" in Somali, spoke only a few rudimentary words of English.

This would never do for a precocious 14-year-old lamenting the state of his homeland and those he left behind. K'naan needed to express himself.

"I think that really was the birth of music for me," he said.

Dissecting metaphors and similes in American hip-hop, K'naan grasped for their true meanings and how he could use the different words and idioms himself.

"I'm talking about really good rappers like Nas and Rakim, like poets, not the guys who can't string two sentences together," he said.

You can hear such lyricists' influence in K'naan's music, which embraces live instrumentation over turntable backbeats. His tracks also combine elements of pop, rock and folk music, as well as West African time signatures, Ethiopian jazz riffs and Somali melodies and drums.

No genre is off limits, as he's teamed up with reggae and R&B stars, and his collaboration résumé includes joints with rappers Nas and Mos Def, Metallica's Kirk Hammett, Maroon 5's Adam Levine and British rock trio Keane.

Coca-Cola so appreciated the universal appeal of K'naan's music that it made "Wavin' Flag" its official anthem of the 2010 World Cup. Sixteen remixes were cut to accommodate French, Brazilian, Arabic and other markets.

A little fame, however, has not dampened K'naan's ambition to "reform" hip-hop, nor has it dissuaded him from being selfish in his music.

He targets no audience in his compositions. He writes songs for himself, he said, to answer his own frustrations. Any acclaim only bolsters his notion that it's OK to be personal in his songwriting, he said.

" 'They would like this' is not a thought that comes to me in the studio," he said. "I always create these things, and then I end up giving them. It's a good relationship I think I have with the world because of that."

K'naan's lyrics are thoughtful, often provocative, such as when he spits, "If I rhyme about home and got descriptive/I'd make 50 Cent look like Limp Bizkit."

And while you won't hear this poet's grandson sing about Glocks or women jiggling their backsides, he doesn't begrudge American rappers who dwell on such topics.

"I have a lot of friends who are from either side, Mos Def and those guys who are in the conscious lane. I know other friends who are in the make-money lane. But for me, I see myself as someone who can speak to both audiences," he said. "That to me is important, to never claim a position too smart for the listener. I think it's important to reach everybody."

K'naan wasn't always so diplomatic. Ironically enough, he credits an awkward moment before the United Nations with kicking off his career.

One of several artists invited to a 50th anniversary celebration for the U.N.'s refugee

agency, K'naan stopped midway through his performance to read a poem blasting the body for its failed missions in Somalia.

The crowd's initial nervousness made him think his days as a musician were finished, but the audience stood and applauded. K'naan said he was relieved and proud to have taken a stand.

Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour jumped on stage and gave him "a powerful hug." They would record together two years later.

"I just didn't feel like entertaining in that moment would have done my experiences justice," K'naan said. "I wanted to justify my existence for all the survivor guilt that I was carrying."

It's been a theme in his life, using music and words to express himself, to explore his thoughts and emotions -- and don't expect that to change, he said.

If he's not making listeners think -- about Africa, about poverty, about love or life or hatred -- well, he should hang up the mic and find another profession, he said.

"If I'm not filling a void, then I shouldn't be making music. This is what I think when I'm creating something."

» www.cnn.com

K'NAAN Nominated for BET Award: Best International Artist! | News

amoctone — Wed, 19 May 2010 08:18:00 GMT

Sports Illustrated Interviews K'NAAN | News

amoctone — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:02:00 GMT

If you're a soccer fan and you haven't heard the music of K'Naan, chances are about 100 percentthat you will soon. A rising star who was born in war-ravaged Somalia beforeemigrating to Toronto as a teenager, K'Naan is the man behind "Wavin'Flag," the enormously catchy songthat will be heard in World Cup stadiums and in TV ads as Coke's official 2010World Cup anthem.

I sat down with him during a stop in Baltimore on his recent tour. We talkedabout a number of topics, including the global power of soccer, Africa'smoment, Fela Kuti, hisparticipation in the World Cup trophy tour and his first trip back to Somaliain 18 years. Here is our conversation (edited for length and clarity):

SI.com: The World Cup isbeing hosted by South Africa, but in many ways it's viewed as a big moment forthe entire continent. What do you want people to learn about Africa as a resultof this World Cup?

K'Naan: In the western worldwe have always only known Africa in one way, and it hasn't been positive. So Ithink it's going to be beneficial for the world to finally get to experienceAfrica as a backdrop to a positive world event. That does the world a goodservice, to finally see something about this continent that we have long known.

SI.com: You grew up inSomalia during an extremely turbulent time. Was it possible for you to have funwatching a World Cup on TV in, say, 1990?

K'Naan: No. At that time alot of our focus was just on survival -- and the worry and tension wouldn'tallow for us to be a part of world events at the time. But obviously soccerhappens like life does. And so in the streets we'd play whenever we could,contradicting the violence whenever we could. That was a form of our own kindof freedom. We'd play whenever we got a little moment of silence from the guns.Somalia at that time in 1990 and '91 got way too unstable to focus on theoutside world at all. It was all internal, all about: How do we live?

SI.com: When you did play agame of soccer, how did you do it? Did you have a ball made out of something?

K'Naan: In our neighborhood,certain people would have soccer balls. Some of us would stuff things in a sockand make a soccer ball out of that. I remember once we found a really shinyball, like a professional soccer ball, and that was a big deal on my corner. Wecame back and played. Me and my brother got in a fight over it. It was a bigevent, finding a soccer ball.

SI.com: One thing I loveabout soccer, because it's so global and universal, is that it tends to pop upeven in some places where things are really hard. Yet the sport somehowsurvives.

K'Naan: It has a prettystrong unifying element to it. It's very communal, soccer. And it's also verygritty, whereas in other sports you have to be clean and look the part. Socceris about feet on the ground and mud and touch.

SI.com: Did you have afavorite soccer team growing up?

K'Naan: No, I wasn't veryloyal to anybody. For me it was more about stars, about the one player thateverybody was talking about, like Maradona.I also was attracted to teams that had a percussive element to their moves. Itwas kind of like they were dancers, more stylish, more musical. So the LatinAmerican teams often are very musical with their movements. The English teammight kick really hard, but the Argentines and the Brazilians would just styleit out. That was what I watched for.

SI.com: Wavin' Flag isgoing to get a lot of exposure this year as the [unofficial] anthem of theWorld Cup. What sort of message do you want it to send when millions of peoplearound the world are hearing it?

K'Naan: This song isn't atraditional pop song. Often songs that get that kind of a shot in the world aresongs about nothing. This is a song about something. It's reaching the worldand has something to leave. It's a message of hope and freedom and overcomingobstacles. We all go through these things. It's the moment when you emerge fromdarkness and the light appears. I hope it gives that feeling to people.

SI.com: You performed in 13African cities as part of the World Cup trophy tour through Africa. Did youhave a favorite moment during that process?

K'Naan: In Uganda, when wegot on stage there were 10,000 people there singing Wavin' Flag. I'veseen that happen in Mexico now and in different places where a large crowdknows the song. But in Uganda, all you saw was from the beginning to the endAfrican faces chanting along. That has a particular reward to it.

SI.com: The World Cup trophytour was scheduled to take the trophy to every country in Africa, and I noticedthat included Somalia. I'll be honest: I wondered how that was going to workout.

K'Naan: It didn't. It's theonly country that it didn't get to go to. It was sad. I was the one marchingthat one. I really tried. You could make a documentary on the days leading upto that and how much I did. I was on the phone with the Somali government inMogadishu and with the president on the north side of the country. I wastalking to the FBI security people, Coke, FIFA, and stressing staying up nightafter night trying to make this work. Eventually I got the e-mail: It's notgonna happen. It was so sad that I almost stopped going on the rest of thetour. But I tried to look up. I went to Somalia on my own after that inDecember.

SI.com: I've always beeninterested in Somalia. How hard is it to even get in there if you want to go?

K'Naan: It's not reallydifficult because Somalis are incredibly resourceful and innovative. You haveflights that go from Dubai to Djibouti and Djibouti into Hergeysa. Hergeysaflies into Mogadishu. There are these Somali-run and Somali-owned planes thatmake those trips. It's just not safe to go at all. No one can really safely besecured in Somalia. Everybody is armed.

SI.com: So you were back inDecember?

K'Naan: For three weeks.

SI.com: What was your senseof things back there?

K'Naan: I got to go to thepeaceful side of it.

SI.com: The north?

K'Naan: Yeah. Landing inMogadishu alone is dangerous. Even the guys that are flying the plane, theytold me because I was interested in going to Mogadishu. They said for normalpeople it's crazy; for you it's impossible. They just land, off-load and fly.They can't even stay there. But Hergeysa is pretty amazing in Somaliland. Reallypeaceful. You could go there and enjoy it. I've seen Irish people there hangingout. But the Irish are crazy (laughs).

I know this sounds insane, but it was like a return home. People were linedup by the sides of the streets. I didn't expect it. I went to try and be asprivate as possible, so my trip was secret. Only my family knew. I landed andsomeone snapped a photo at the airport and it got published in the three majornewspapers the next day. And everybody knew I was there. I would be with some securityand walking the street and there would be people lining up to shake my hand andsay thank you for what you do. It was powerful.

SI.com: How many otherglobally famous people are there from Somalia?

K'Naan: Not many. There's Iman, the famous model. That'sbasically it. There's an important writer named Nuruddin Farah. Iman is famous as a model, but my fame in Somaliais different. I got fame by being Somali, by writing from the Somali experienceand being an artist who embraces that and all its complications. That to themis more real than any other kind of thing. I faced it head-on and was them.

SI.com: Had you been back toSomalia since you left the country?

K'Naan: No. That was my firsttime in 18 years. There was family, friends, people I grew up with. Everybodycame. It was amazing.

SI.com: I find it interestingthat an African musical giant like FelaKuti has gotten more mainstream popularity in America this year as theresult of the musical Fela in New York City.

K'Naan: It's awesome. You'vegotta see it.

SI.com: I saw it last month.

K'Naan: I want to see itagain. I was at the opening. It's so great.

SI.com: What do you think ofFela going more mainstream in America?

K'Naan: I think it's good forAmerica anytime people get to discuss something outside of their culture orwhat they're used to, and discover brilliance and genius. It's like mediscovering [Bob] Dylan. You know that's going to begood for me. Discovering Fela for you is like me discovering Dylan.

SI.com: We're here in Baltimore,which is known as one of the toughest cities in America. But from listening tosome of your music, including tracks like TIA (This is Africa), you'dlike to take some of the tough-acting rappers from America to see how they'dfare in Mogadishu. How would you compare and contrast Mogadishu to, say, WestBaltimore?

K'Naan: I lived in D.C. inthe mid- to late-90s when it was tough in Anacostia, in the Southeast. The twoyears that I spent there in low-income housing and all the murders that arehappening and the friends that I had, I got to experience America in that way.The thing is, struggle is struggle, and hard circumstances are hardcircumstances everywhere. But there're just degrees of difficulty, oftoughness, of hurt that cannot possibly exist in America. It's unfathomable toimagine Mogadishu in America. You just cannot. You can have all the WestBaltimores in the world, but it can never amount to what one street inMogadishu is.

It's everybody with a gun. It's five-year-old boys standing in front of yourcar with an AK47 pointed at you. It's a woman carrying a child and over backhangs a machine gun. That's a different kind of life. And we're used to that.We live in that, where we walk out of a home and the house next to us explodesand we move with no reaction to that. When you get to that point ofdesensitized violence, the American culture of violence becomes a little morecomfortable for you.

SI.com: So you're probablyone of the few people who would go and live where you did in D.C. and say ...

K'Naan: ... that you're stillin a safe zone. Me and my brother came from Mogadishu and we first flew intoNew York. Harlem was our first home. This was '91-92. That time was toughthere. One night we're having some food, and my uncle's sitting with us there,and me and my brother are not yet talking about Somalia. We haven't beeninterviewed yet by my uncle and my father. They're waiting to give us someroom. And a gunshot comes from the window very near where we were sitting. Meand my brother were having pasta, and there was no change for us. My uncleducks and says, 'See! I told you! Be careful here!' And my brother says, 'Iheard that. That's a 9 mm. That's called popcorn in Mogadishu. We don'tconsider that to be a real gun.'

SI.com: South Africa isspending more than $6 billion on the World Cup for stadiums, airports, roadsand other projects. It's going to be a great event. There's still a tremendousamount of poverty in South Africa, whether it's in townships like Soweto andKhayelitsha or other places. Are you comfortable with that much South Africanmoney going toward a sporting event?

K'Naan: The interesting thingis, it's not really going to a sporting event. It's going into the country'sconstruction. My philosophy is it is always better to light a candle than tocurse the dark. For me, if it wasn't for this world event South Africa wouldnot spend that money on the country. And they would not spend it on Soweto orthe townships at all. There would be zero money spent on anything. Right nowthere is $6 billion being spent on the country. I love that. It's by no means asolution or a great change for what the people need. But I think it's betterthan yesterday, and we always need to do one step better than yesterday.

There are also things that are happening. There are foreigners who arecoming from all over the world who are interested in seeing what townships are.At first I didn't know how I felt about this, because now they're organizingbus tours to visit these places, and people are inviting foreigners into theirhomes. But now I see that as a positive. It's showing the world what is up withthis place, but it's also showing the world to persevere beyond all of this.It's teaching the world something. It's positive on so many levels: someeconomic empowerment for the people who live there, but also emotionalempowerment for the people who don't.

SI.com: Are you planning tobe at the World Cup?

K'Naan: I will be. I'll beplaying concerts. There's a big opening concert. And I have tickets to thefinal. I have a house I'll be in the whole time there. They're taking care ofme.

» sportsillustrated.cnn.com

CNN.com Announces K'NAAN Part of World Cup Concert | News

amoctone — Tue, 04 May 2010 14:22:00 GMT

South African musicians added to star-studded World Cup gig

May 4, 2010

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Hugh Masekela, Freshlyground and Soweto Gospel Choir among those added to concert

• Local artists had been angry that South Africans would not be properly represented

• Organizers initially named only three South African acts for June 10 line-up

• Concert takes place in Johannesburg the night before the World Cup kicks off

(CNN) -- International music stars Shakira, the Black-Eyed Peas and Alicia Keys will now be joined by several top South African names at the launch concert for the soccer World Cup in June.

Local artists had been upset that the host nation would not well-represented at the June 10 event after only three acts -- BLK JKS, The Parlotones and folk singer Vusi Mahlasela -- were named in the initial line-up.

But legendary jazz musician Hugh Masekela, the award-winning Freshlyground and Soweto Gospel Choir are among those added to the bill following a meeting with organizers last month.

Soweto's Mzansi Youth Choir and Canada-based, Somalia-born hip-hop artist K'naan will also now appear at Johannesburg's Orlando Stadium the night before the month-long tournament kicks off.

We wanted to have an eclectic, international mix of music genres to appeal to as many people as possible

"As South Africans we are proud to be hosting the first ever World Cup on African soil," the 71-year-old Masekela told the South Africa Organizing Committee Web site.

Hugh Masekela: The sound of South Africa

"I am very humbled and flattered to be part of this global event and am looking forward to the concert with great interest and excitement."

Freshlyground, five-time South African Music Award winners, will perform the tournament's official anthem "Waka Waka (This Time For Africa)" with co-collaborator Shakira, the multi-million-selling Colombian singer.

K'naan's Canadian hit "Wavin' Flag" has been remixed into a bilingual English-Spanish song which is Coca-Cola's official World Cup tune.

Other featured artists include blind Mali duo Amadou & Mariam, 2008 Grammy Award winner Angelique Kidjo of Benin and six-time recipient John Legend of the United States.

Hugh Masekela's Johannesburg Shakira's platinum-selling compatriot Juanes is also on the bill along with Tuareg group Tinariwen and their fellow Malian Vieux Farka Toure.

"We wanted to have an eclectic, international mix of music genres to appeal to as many people as possible around the world whilst at the same time showcasing the immense home-grown talent of the host country," said Niclas Ericson, director of TV for world soccer's governing body FIFA.

The concert will be broadcast live worldwide, with profits going to FIFA's project to build 20 centers across Africa providing education, healthcare services and football training to disadvantaged communities.

Orlando Stadium, in the suburb of Soweto, is also being used as a training facility for World Cup teams.

Wavin' Flag | Video

IGA — Sat, 01 May 2010 14:24:00 GMT

K'NAAN Wins 2 JUNO Awards! | News

amoctone — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 10:55:00 GMT

K'NAAN wins Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year at the 2010 JUNO Awards!

Spinner.com Covers K'NAAN at the Juno Awards | News

amoctone — Sun, 18 Apr 2010 11:24:00 GMT

Juno Awards Winners Drake, K 'Naan, Metric and Michael Buble Rep Eclectic Canada

April 18, 2010

K'naan, one of Canada's -- and the world's -- most celebrated artists, brought the 2010 Juno Awards to a perfect conclusion with his aptly titled anthem 'Wavin' Flag' on Sunday night. The Somali-born rapper, who came to Canada as a refugee at age 15, was joined by many of the night's performers, many of whom had also recently contributed to a Young Artists for Haiti fundraiser version of the song.

Two-time winner Drake came out to drop his own verse on stage, while his colleague-in-hype (and three-time loser) Justin Bieber cutely crooned the line, "When I get older, I will be stronger."

The performance was representative of a night that was spectacular in its diversity. Unlike past Juno Awards, where the likes of Feist, Nelly Furtado or Nickelback swept the major awards, the 2010 Junos went to an eclectic array of artists who have become popular not only in Canada but around the world.

Group of the Year honours went to electro-pop stars Metric -- who had won Alternative Album of the Year the previous night -- while K'naan added a Songwriter of the Year win to his Artist of the Year trophy from Saturday's festivities. Drake beat out Bieber for New Artist of the Year and predictably took Rap Recording of the Year, but the night's big winner was Michael Bublé, who had won Best Pop Album on Saturday for 'Crazy Love' and took home the Fan Choice award (better luck next time, Bieber) as well as Single and Album of the Year for 'Haven't Met You Yet' and 'Crazy Love, respectively.

"It's lovely to win these awards, and I say this as honestly and humbly as I can, but on a night like this, how can you compare any of these acts together?" Bublé wondered backstage. "It's apples and oranges -- we're all doing totally different things. For me, it's cool to come here and see people like Metric and know that people like Tegan and Sara and Drake and Justin [Bieber] are being recognized deservedly. I think it obviously shows how the variety of our artists -- it's very eclectic and I'm proud to be among them."

That was the sentiment shared by winner after winner throughout the night. Metric thanked the musicians in the audience (and earlier shouted-out Broken Social Scene's Charles Spearin -- winner of Best Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year -- while praising the Canadian indie scene's cooperative nature). Drake gave props to his best new artist rival Justin Bieber for his first win ("Justin Bieber, you work really hard and I wanna share this with you") and recognized his fellow rappers on his second.

"I do this because I believe in all forms of music that come from Canada," he said from the arena stage. "When I'm in the U.S. I just try and let 'em know we have so much talent on the hip-hop scene here. Big up to K'naan, big up to Classified -- I'ma hold it down for y'all."

K'naan said that Drake came up to thank him for his music while both were backstage. "He said, 'I appreciated how you could take hip-hop into the homes of people who wouldn't otherwise be invited in," K'naan said, adding, "I feel Canada has many facets that are really interesting and exciting musically. I'm just one of those people, and Justin Beiber is over there and Drake is here.

In an interview after performing his new single 'Over,' Drake revealed a more unexpected musical appreciation. "I think Michael Bublé, to me, is in his own category," Drake gushed. "He is an incredible musician and he's giving people something they haven't heard for years and I really enjoy his music. The soul that he embodies onstage, to see women like my mom's age swooning is pretty impressive."

Drake believes that the international rise of so many Canadian artists is no mere coincidence -- it's like they all got a lesson from Bieber's swagger coach.

"As for everyone else -- myself, Justin [Bieber], Metric, [K'Naan] and the artists that have been receiving recognition in 2009 -- it's just about coming in with confidence and exuding that iconic [attitude]. We're not just Canadian, we're here because we're talented. We just wanna give the world music."

Chicago Tribune Comments on K'NAAN Performance | News

amoctone — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 12:55:00 GMT

K'naan's gracious rap still reveals Somali horrors

By Bob Gendron

April 13, 2010

Rap doesn't usually lend itself to modesty. Particularly when the genre's narratives involve struggle, hardship or killing. Yet K'naan broached those themes and more Sunday at a sold-out Metro while displaying a humble attitude that matched his tender, boyish singing. The slender Somali-born MC — whose adopted name means "traveler" in his native language — even surrendered his headlining slot to Washington, D.C., rapper Wale. He wasn't bothered in the least.

K'naan's gracious temperament and mature disposition are largely owed to surviving real-life dangers that most of his contemporaries can't comprehend. Growing up amid the start of Somalia's civil war, he witnessed widespread violence before fleeing to New York on the last commercial flight out of his country. The vocalist's biographical accounts informed "Wavin' Flag," an anthem laced with spoken-word verses and reggae accents. Like the majority of the hourlong set, the song inspired and celebrated, its enthusiasm further amplified by K'naan's bounding movements. His deft melodies and fluid deliveries were just as impressive.

K'naan reached back to rap's communal roots and looked ahead to invigorating sonic possibilities. Songs such as "Dreamer" and "ABCs" ignored the lines between hip-hop, funk, pop and rock. A backing quartet gave the music ample punch, with intermittent trumpet blasts and vocal harmonies contributing to the international flavors. Save for the generic "Bang Bang," nothing felt forced, particularly the wordplay.

Positive messages and simple values dominated K'naan's rhymes and choruses, equally remarkable for what they included (contagious hooks, intelligent reflections) as for what they lacked (cliched boasts, excessive curses). The Toronto resident's sincerity erased any doubts regarding his convictions. Hence, the triumph-over-tragedy lessons outlined on "Smile" and "In the Beginning" weren't a manipulative ploy. Neither was K'naan's onstage collaboration with Kate, a local 13-year-old girl he saw playing his work on YouTube. Their performance of "Be Free" contained flaws, but the intent — making music a shared experience — resounded.

"Don't tell me it's got to be the same," K'naan spit on "If Rap Gets Jealous," taking a refreshing stance he supported with seemingly limitless reserves of resolve and ambition.

The Flat Hat Promotes K'Naan and Wale's Tour | News

amoctone — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 09:50:00 GMT

Amping up for Wale and K'naan
April 8, 2010
By: Jason Rogers

A perfect storm of epic musical proportions is speeding towards Williamsburg, combining two of the rising stars in hip-hop, 2,000 screaming fans and the College of William and Mary. The Wale and K’naan concert will take place tonight at the Lake Matoaka Amphitheater. AMP will bring these hip-hop stars to the College as part of this year’s spring concert, and the campus is buzzing with excitement.

Wale and K’naan are two of the brightest up-and-comers in hip-hop. Wale recently released his first studio album, “Attention Deficit,” and was the Master of Ceremonies for MTV’s 2009 Video Music Awards. K’naan’s most recent album, “Troubadour,” was hailed by Billboard as “socially alert and frequently brilliant.” His single “Wavin’ Flag” was selected by Coca-Cola to be the official anthem of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. Booking not just one of these big names, but two, marks a huge success for AMP.

“It reflects a lot of hard work from members of our Music Committee and we’re all extremely excited that we are able to bring such great music artists down to William and Mary,” AMP Director of Public Relations David Cooper ’10 said.

However, Cooper said that this spring concert does present a few unique challenges.

“One of our biggest concerns has been making sure everyone is aware of the concert’s start time, which is earlier than other concerts we’ve done in the past,” he said.

The concert will begin at 6 p.m., so AMP is working on a promotional item to be handed out to the first 500 attendees to encourage timely attendance.

Response from the campus community has been full of excitement and eager anticipation.

“It really shows to me that this isn’t some small ‘hole in the wall’ kind of school,” Caitlyn Darnell ’13 said. “We are big enough and important enough to attract such big names, and that we have an amazing AMP team who can pull it together. It’s really awesome that something this cool is being brought to Williamsburg.”

Lamar Shambley ’10, who co-founded the Student Hip-Hop Organization in 2007, said he is glad to see these artists coming to campus.

“It’s great to see hip-hop being headlined at the spring show,” he said. “I think that AMP has been doing an amazing job with bringing in diverse and quality artists to the College.”

Having such enthusiastic support from the campus community is what makes it all worthwhile for AMP’s members.

“The overwhelming positive response we’ve received has been great. Its made us feel wonderful,” Cooper said in an e-mail.

This is not the first time that the Matoaka Amphitheater has hosted a hip-hop concert. In April 2008, AMP brought the Ying Yang Twins to the lake, and in October 2008 The Cool Kids took the stage. While it may not be the first hip-hop concert here, it may promise to be the best. Shambley, who has been responsible for bringing many developing hip-hop acts to the College through SHHO, knows what makes a good college concert.

“I like to see artists who acknowledge the audience and know the crowd they’re performing for,” Shambley said. “Maybe if they knew a bit about our school. If anything, it’ll make the crowd more receptive.”

That is entirely possible for Wale, who grew up in Washington, D.C. and currently lives in Largo, Md. For him, Virginia is familiar territory.

“This is a homecoming for me,” he said at a recent concert in Richmond, Va. last April.

K’naan, who grew up in Mogadishu, Somalia, brings something completely different to the table. While many rappers brag about their rough upbringings, K’naan’s youth was spent ducking Somali pirates and rebel militias. His songs reflect these experiences, combining energy and intensity with impressive lyrical depth.

Though these two artists have come to us from continents apart, they’ll come together Friday night at Matoka for the highly anticipated concert at the College.

» flathatnews.com