K’naan – The Dusty Foot Philosopher

See his site at:
K’naan | The Dusty Foot Philosopher. I think the low bandwidth option gets to the content better but not as snazzy. The high one, plays music. On the low bandwidth here is a link to his poetry worth reading. You wish you had the hip hop track in the background.

Here is more on Aazon.ca

I heard him on CBC, cool, I’m buying the CD ASAP. The following link on CBC which will annoyingly open a new window is here says about his music and their other featured artist and they said there is an interview on the CBC Global Village site also but I can’t find it yet.:

In the early days of hip hop, artist and critics both drew parallels to African oral traditions and the social conscience of Dylan-era folk that soon became buried under a mountain of gangsta imagery. On the next Global Village, two artists uncover the connection and recover the music: Toronto-based Somali rapper K’naan and Senegalese hip-hop group Daara J. We’ve got both recorded live.

Amazon also says:

K’naan, former refugee, now based in Toronto makes music that is a mixture of hip hop, African beats and world music intertwined – combining African drums, chants, handclaps, guitars and organic instrumentation sets this album outside the hip hop herd. K’naan creates music with a message. Leaving Somalia at the age of thirteen on what turned out to be the last commercial flight ever to do so, amidst a crumbling society and the end to this day of any form of central government K’naan carried with him a very strong sense of purpose as well as his amazing lyrical gift, which has made him a beacon for other artists a well as those dedicated to global change. Canada only release! With his unique voice and truly authentic style, K’naan brings an enormous dose of realness and urgency to the hip-hop world in a time when people are desperate for it. From a personal and cultural history rooted in poetry (being the grandson of one of Somalia’s most famous poets), K’naan widens the traditional hip-hop perspective. Discovered and produced by Track & Field, same producers that discovered and produced Nelly Furtado, Dusty Foot Philosopher is comprised of 18 total tracks including ‘Smile’, ‘My Old Home’, ‘In The Beginning’, ‘Voices In My Head’, ‘Wash It Down’, ‘Hoobaale’, ‘Rap Gets Jealous’ and more. BMG. 2005.