Disco de K'naan: “The Dusty Foot Philosopher (Import)”

I normally don't go for hip hop and I hardly ever give 5 stars, but quality trumps genre any day, and this is some great stuff. Musically influenced by hip hop beats and his native Somalia, he manages to keep them successfully distinct. When he does merge them, it is with skill and style and wit. Too often merged styles end up sounding muddy, but not here.

The lyrics are poetic. He deals with some very serious subjects, but manages to inject humour and pragmatism without cheapening the message.

Finally, the album works well as a whole, not just a collection of songs, though you'll probably want to add some singles to your playlists.

Enjoy!

K'naan is from dangerous Mogadishu, Somalia. He is a far cry from the crying, whining and bragging of todays popular "gangsta" rappers. K'naan is a real down to earth, hard working, brilliant poet, without the insecure ego. No one else compares.

My 4 favorite tracks:

1. I was stabbed by Satan

2. Rap gets Jealous

3. In the Beginning

4. The Dusty Foot Philosopher

10 stars out of 10

Somalia's rivers of violence have not drowned the raw poetic voice of K'naan. Embittered by the tragedy of his war-torn homeland, K'naan rises from the rubble of refugee camps, prison, and a civilization crushed under gang warfare with a debut rap album about struggle and freedom.

Entitled The Dusty Foot Philosopher, this album records K'naan's own struggles through isolation, the destruction of a homeland, and the dignity he seeks. Despite it all, he sings out his pain. Deeply influenced by his heritage of poets, K'naan brings this lyrical sensibility into the realm of rap, to recount the myths, realities and hardship of his people. Rap, he claims, is the poor peoples' weapon, the voice of the unheard.

"I know struggle, and struggle knows me." His relationship to struggle is developed in each track of the album. Starting with birth, where he claims Satan stabs a child in order to introduce pain, he goes on to explain a childhood cut short by grenades, an adolescence holding an AK-47, and an adulthood of poverty and isolation. Down to the colour of vomit and blood, his songs describe present-day Somalia's stark reality. K'naan's depiction of his childhood is graphic, and disturbing. This is no World Vision commercial break. This is blatant random rape and ceaseless violence.

His philosophy is deeply informed by pain. Pain of violence, and the burden of anonymity. Asking, "How could rap quench my thirst?" he speaks from the frustrated voice of an unrecorded artist. The depth of one man's pain speaks to my own struggle. Though I have not known war, I have known the betrayal of isolation, the unquenched yearning for a sense of place; I have lived with the burning desire to be heard.

Testing the limits of the genre, K'naan includes a roundtable of voices, trill of female vocals, interludes of guitar; oud and djembe are synchronized with techno tracks reminiscent of Eminem. K'naan's lyrics are seamless. Poetry is the language he speaks. Pushing the breaks in line, his pauses are like well-timed cuts and jabs that knock your feet into sync. Clenched jaw and tight fists, his songs are a call to action and a plea for the freedom from pain; freedom for his people.

My conundrum with rap is the danceability of the beats in contrast to the oppressive language it clings to for expression. "Oppressive", "misogynist", and "violent" are but a few terms that fall from my tongue when I think of rap. My mind turns to my feet and commands them to stop dancing. But K'naan's is blues rap, speaking to the sorrow of a soul. Struggle becomes his muse, suffering his companion. Desperate and vulnerable, this solo act reveals a man who has talent to match his courage.

I had a chance to see K'naan at the Breedlove Tour with Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Pharaoh Monche and Jean Grey and let me tell you he rocked the show. I had the chance to meet him after the show as he was selling his beautiful album at the back of the Fillmore in Denver and what a guy. Humble, kind, very down to earth. His music expresses the hardships of leaving his homeland and the unimaginable pain of living in modern day Somalia. His music expresses the frustration and anger about his homeland but also brings hope about the future, as well as awareness as most people especially in the U.S. have no idea what is going on over there because CNN and other corporate media just cover it as a rogue state. K'naan puts the human element in his music and expresses it beautifully. Great all around CD, original beats, lyrics, and well put together. Keep on fighting K'naan wherever you are.

this is some really good stuff. i found out about this when i went to see mos def and talib kweli in concert and it really blew my mind its really good music. k'naan is some good honest music that shouldn't be missed i highly recomend trying to get a hold of this album.