Knaan-Troubadour-2009-FNTx

Release Info



Artist: Knaan

Album: Troubadour

Label: A&M

Playtime: 59:05 min

Genre: Hip-Hop

URL:

Rip date: 2009-02-16

Street date: 2009-00-00

Size: 82.78 MB

Type: Normal

Quality: 187 kbps / 4410kHz / Joint Stereo



Release Notes



The name alone conjures up images of unbridled destruction, merciless

warlords and ruthless terror. A place where nobody--children, the elderly

religious figures--is safe from the atrocities of war, and where the idea of

"childhood," where 8-year olds handle AK-47s like toys, exists in

chronological terms alone. When Forbes magazine recently unveiled their "Most

Dangerous Destinations," Somalia--above Iraq and Afghanistan--topped the

list

But it's also "The Nation of Poets," where a poem can both inspire peace and

end wars. Where every weekend, regardless of the climate, one can find a play

or concert at a local theatre



Growing up, it was both of these Somalias that informed musician/emcee K'naan

Warsame, whose sophomore album, Troubadour, is released this February. The

grandson of Haji Mohamed, one of Somalia's most famous poets, and nephew of

famed Somali singer Magool, the emcee is creating his own musical path

through reggae, funk, pop, soul and, above all, hip-hop



Recorded primarily in Kingston, Jamaica, at the legendary Tuff Gong studios

and Bob Marley's home studio, Troubadour is a hip-hop album like no other

With contributions by Damian Marley, Mos Def, Chubb Rock, Vernon Reid, and

Adam Levine (Maroon 5), K'naan successfully blends samples and live

instrumentation for a sound that's rooted in both traditional African

melodies and the classic hip-hop tradition



It would be easy to brand K'naan with the "political rapper" tag. But that'd

be both easy and disingenuous. K'naan's lyrics lie in stark contrast to

emcees that use their medium as a pulpit to promote their beliefs. "My job is

to write just what I see / So a visual stenographer is who I be," he rhymes

in "I Come Prepared." Doubtless, K'naan is not without his opinions, but

songwriting always comes before sermons



On Troubadour, events like these don't need to be glorified or exaggerated

for the sake of art. "I think there are some people that are struggling in

'hoods [in Canada and America], but it is so much harder and so much more

violent [in Somalia]," says K'naan. "If you want to be like, 'I'm from the

hood. We got it rough. We got gats,' I think you should know the alternative

exists. I'm speaking in the same language of hip-hop which decidedly speaks

about rough neighborhoods. So if there is a place for rough neighborhoods

then here comes the Mother of Rough Neighborhoods."



Troubadour represents the sum of these experiences and more. Having spent the

better part of the last two years on the road, soaking in everything from Bob

Dylan to Fela Kuti to Talib Kweli, K'naan here releases the sonic document of

an artist who has a lot to share now, but clearly a lot more to come. For

anyone who's said that hip-hop has nothing left to say, Troubadour proves

that it all depends on where you look



Track List



01. T.I.A ( 3:38)

02. ABC's (feat. Chubb Rock) ( 3:09)

03. Dreamer ( 4:32)

04. I Come Prepared (feat. Damian Marley) ( 4:08)

05. Bang Bang (feat. Adam Levine) ( 3:06)

06. If Rap Gets Jealous (feat. Kirk Hammett) ( 3:39)

07. Wavin' Flag ( 3:40)

08. Somalia ( 3:33)

09. America (feat. Mos Def and Chali 2NA) ( 4:45)

10. Fatima ( 5:01)

11. Fire in Freetown ( 4:36)

12. Take a Minute ( 4:06)

13. 15 Minutes Away ( 4:56)

14. People Like Me ( 6:16)