Was reminded of K’Naan (who, if ya don’t know already, is the new next) while watching World Cup – since his brilliant “Waving Flag” is the official song of the 2010 FIFA tournament. Last year when I first discovered K’Naan’s music I was properly stunned. He writes beautiful, brave, inspiring songs, which bring together elements of hip-hop, reggae, rock and the kitchen sink in novel ways, creating work that is original yet instantly accessible. This live recording is more on the hip-hop / poetry side, and it tells you more about the man’s background than a bio can, really. If a guy who took the last commercial flight out of Somalia with his mom as a young kid as his country descended into chaos asks “What’s Hardcore?” how do you answer?

K’Naan
“Whats Hardcore?” (mp3)
from “The Dusty Foot on the Road”
(Interdependent Media)

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Dramatic headline, yes, but I had to get your attention. For the record, K’Naan is the real deal. The exploding buzz around this young Somalian expatriate is entirely justified by the quality of his output. His music is fearlessly original and widely accessible, with lyrics that are nothing less than profound. You’d never guess that English is K’Naan’s second language, but indeed, he mastered it by studying and emulating the hip-hop and rock artists that he loved as a kid. Check his media rich website, and illuminating wikipedia article for some background. This mp3 is gr8, but it’s only the tip of the iceberg. This is a major, major talent, and he’s going to be a big star. For all the right reasons.

K’Naan
“I Was Stabbed By Satan” (mp3)
from “The Dusty Foot Philosopher”
(Interdependent Media)

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Update, Sep. 23 – Wouldn’t you know it! K’Naan and J. Period have made a tribute to Bob Dylan, Fela Kuti, and Bob Marley. Read about it on Henry Adaso’s about.com blog. Makes sense. Gotta hear that one too.