Introduction
K'Naan is a Somali-Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter and poet. He's known for the way he handles his lyrics and his passion for social issues. He has won several awards, including a Grammy Award in 2012 for Best Music Video and an Adam Sandler Film Award (for "Wavin' Flag").
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| K'naan at Tribeca Film Festival 2010 |
K'naan is a rapper, singer-songwriter and poet.
K'naan is a rapper, singer-songwriter and poet. He was born in Somalia and spent part of his childhood there before being forced to leave as a child. He moved to the US in 1991 where he began writing songs for himself and other artists. In 2003 he released his first album X: The Life And Times Of Malcolm X which earned him nominations for both the Grammy Awards (Best Rap Album) and Juno Awards (R&B Album).
K'naan has also written many books including "The Dusty Foot Philosopher" which details his life experiences as well as some of his poetry works such as "Lyrical Ballads", "Scratch Fever", "Equator Rising" etc...
K'naan's music is broadly social in nature.
K'naan's music is broadly social in nature. His songs are about global issues, such as "Wavin' Flag" and "Waiting on the World to Change," which address political topics like war and famine. He also wrote a song called "We Are Alive" about current events in Africa that was inspired by an article he read about refugees fleeing across borders from civil war.
K'naan has said that he doesn't have any particular message for his songs; instead, he hopes listeners will feel inspired by his words and come away with a new perspective on how they can help improve their communities or world as well
K'naan has performed around the world.
K'naan has performed around the world. He’s toured with U2, played at the World Cup, and performed at the Olympic Games. He’s even won awards like the Grammy Award and Juno Awards.
In addition to his musical career, K'naan is also known for his humanitarian work. He supports refugees through his foundation (the K'naan Foundation) which gives backpacks filled with school supplies to children who need them most in refugee camps around the world—and he’s shown up at events like Nelson Mandela's 95th birthday celebrations wearing a T-shirt that says "I am not a terrorist."
K'naan has been a Grammy nominee.
In addition to being a Grammy winner, K'naan has been nominated for multiple awards. In 2015 and 2016, he was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his song "At The Beginning," which features T-Pain. He also received a nomination for Best Rap Album for his album Troubadour that same year.
K'naan has recorded with some big names in music.
K'naan has recorded with some big names in music. He's worked with Nelly Furtado, Akon and Alicia Keys. He's also collaborated with Mariah Carey and will.i.am. K'naan has recorded songs for movies such as "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions."
In addition to his solo career, K'naan is also a member of Fuse ODG's group Toto XX (which stands for Twenty).
K'naan won a Juno award in 2010 for World Music Album of the Year.
The Juno Award is a Canadian music award. It's given out by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). K'naan won the Juno for his album "Troubadour". The album was produced by SALAAM REMI, who also did production work on Kanye West's "The Life Of Pablo" as well as Drake's "Views".
K'naan's song 'Wavin Flag' was used as the anthem for the 2010 World Cup.
K'naan's song 'Wavin Flag' was used as the anthem for the 2010 World Cup. The song was written in 2008 and inspired by his childhood in Somalia. It was released in 2009, but it took almost three years for it to be used as an anthem for a major international sporting event. In fact, there were many attempts to use 'Wavin Flag' before 2010: one group tried to get permission from FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) to use it at their 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup; another group tried unsuccessfully to have 'Wavin Flag' adopted as the national anthem of Somalia—it took them five years after writing their own version of this song before they could get approval from parliamentarians; finally, K'naan himself had approached several governments about using 'Wavin Flag,' but none responded positively until one day when his manager called him back saying “I think you're going to like this one." And so we are here today with our very own Knaan article!
He's got an interesting background and he made some good connections along the way!
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| K'naan after writing the FIFA 2010 anthem |
K'naan is a South African musician and songwriter who has been featured on albums by artists such as Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams and Ed Sheeran. He’s also the host of the TV show The Artwork Room on MTV Africa.
K'naan’s father was a refugee from Somalia during the apartheid era. The family moved to Canada when K'naan was a child but returned to Africa when his mother remarried after they divorced.
K'naan grew up in Johannesburg where he attended high school before moving to Toronto at age 19 to study music at York University's Faculty Of Music Performance Program (which later became part of the Shuler Foundation School For Arts & Technology). After graduating with distinction from York University in 2000 with an honours degree in jazz studies (he studied piano), he moved back to South Africa where he began performing under his stage name "K'naan" which means “to soar above all else".