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Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, to the Habar Gidir clan he spent the early years of his life trying to avoid death and listening
tothe hip-hop records (such as Nas & Rakim) that his father (working as a Taxi driver in New York City), who had left
Somaliaearlier, sent to him from America. When K'Naan was 13, he, his mother, and his two siblings were able to leave their
homelandand join relatives in Harlem, where they stayed briefly before moving to Rexdale, Ontario, where there was a large
Somalicommunity. As soon as K'Naan's English started improving he began rapping, and in tenth grade he ...read more
Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, to the Habar Gidir clan he spent the early years of his life trying to avoid death and listening
tothe hip-hop records (such as Nas & Rakim) that his father (working as a Taxi driver in New York City), who had left
Somaliaearlier, sent to him from America. When K'Naan was 13, he, his mother, and his two siblings were able to leave their
homelandand join relatives in Harlem, where they stayed briefly before moving to Rexdale, Ontario, where there was a large
Somalicommunity. As soon as K'Naan's English started improving he began rapping, and in tenth grade he dropped out of
school andtraveled around North America for two years, performing occasionally.
Through his friendship with Sol Guy, part of promotion team Direct Current Media, K'naan performed in Geneva at the
50thanniversary of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2001, where he used his platform to publicly criticize
theUnited Nations' handling of the Somali crisis in the 1990s.
One of the audience members, Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, was so impressed by the young MC's performance
andcourage that he invited him to contribute to his 2001 album Building Bridges, a project through which K'Naan was able to
tourthe world.
In 2002 K'Naan met Jarvis Church, part of the Track and Field Productions team that helped to propel Nelly Furtado to fame,a
connection that eventually led to a record.[1]
In 2005, he performed with DobaCaracol during the Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario. His full-length debut album, The
DustyFoot Philosopher, was released in 2005.
His song "Soobax" (pronounced "So-Bah") is now featured in the best selling video game FIFA Football 2006, made
byElectronic Arts.
K'naan participated in the Breedlove Odyssey Tour with Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and Jean Grae. He
alsoparticipated in the "Welcome to Jamrock" tour along with Damian Marley.
The Dusty Foot Philosopher received a 2006 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year, and was nominated for the
inauguralPolaris Music Prize. He also featured in a song by M1, titled "Till We Get There". « hide |
Similar Bands: Mos Def, Nas, Common, Matisyahu, k-os Contributors: discovolante, NevermindAlex, LiverpoolFC04, ScipioAfricanus, Vespiion, Mikesn,
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