K'Naan

Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, just as the civil unrest that rocked the country was beginning, rapper K'NAAN spent the early years of his life trying to avoid death and listening to the hip-hop records sent to him from America by his father, who had left Somalia earlier. When K'NAAN (whose name means "traveler" in Somali) was 13, he, his mother, and his two siblings were able to leave their homeland and join relatives in Harlem, where they stayed briefly before moving to Rexdale, Ontario, where there was a large Somali community. As soon as his English started improving, he began rapping, and in tenth grade he dropped out of school and traveled around North America for two years, performing occasionally. In 2002, he met Jarvis Church, part of the Track and Field Productions team that helped propel Nelly Furtado to fame, a connection that eventually led to a record. The Dusty Foot Philosopher came out in Canada in 2005, and was followed with tour spots with Mos Def and Talib Kweli, as well as a performance at Live 8. In 2007 the live album On the Road appeared and then, two years later, the album Troubadour became K'NAAN's first for the major label A&M.

K'Naan - Troubador [2009]

1. T.I.A.
2. ABC's
3. Dreamer
4. I Come Prepared
5. Bang Bang
6. If Rap Gets Jealous
7. Wavin' Flag
8. Somalia
9. America
10. Fatima
11. Fire In A Freetown
12. Take A Minute
13. 15 Minutes Away
14. People Like Me

K'Naan - The Dusty Foot Philosopher [2008]

1. Wash it Down
2. Soobax
3. What's Hardcore
4. My Old Home
5. Moment [Interlude]
6. I Was Stabbed By Satan
7. My God [Interlude]
8. Smile
9. If Rap Gets Jealous
10. Dusty Foot Philosopher
11. Strugglin'
12. In The Beginning
13. Hoobaale
14. African Way
15. Voices In My Head
16. Boxing My Shadow
17. For Mohamoud [Soviet] [Interlude]
18. Until The Lion Learns To Speak
19. Blues For The horn
20. Till We Get There

K'Naan - The Dusty Foot On The Road [2007]

1. Wash it Down
2. The African Way
3. What's Hardcore
4. In The Beginning
5. Smile
6. Strugglin'
7. Be Free
8. Until The Lion Learns To speak
9. Voice In My Head
10. Is It A Myth
11. My God [feat. Mos Def]
12. By The End Of The Day
13. Soobax