monitorTHIS! - March 2009 - (Page 24) music new tunes in stores this month The Lands of K’naan R a p p e r s r o u t i n e l y ta p into their childhoods for musical inspiration, specifically detailing or generally channeling their troubled pasts in the urban core of major American cities as a way to inform their art. K’naan takes a similar yet wholly unique approach to his work, using his early upbringing in strife-torn Somalia and his teenage exposure to hiphop and American culture in Harlem as the basis for the musical hybrid he presents on sophomore album Troubadour. “It comes from my melodies, and it’s something that’s built in,” says K’naan. “I don’t really try to do anything. I don’t push. I just follow wherever the thing is going. Sometimes it’s going to a strange time signature inspired by Afrobeat sounds, and sometimes it’s going to Kirk Hammett. I just follow the music.” Troubadour is a startling blend of every facet of K’naan’s life experience as he weaves Afro-pop, rock, hip-hop, reggae, funk and soul into his music, and a journalist’s objective eye for the truth in his lyrics. And with a guest list that includes Chubb Rock, Damian Marley, Maroon 5’s Adam Levine, Mos Def, Chali 2NA and Metallica guitarist Hammett, the broad spectrum that K’naan represents is clearly evident. “They got involved because they feel like this is something great to be a part of,” says K’naan. “Musicians were always the first to embrace me. I met all these artists in different ways, and I’m a fan of all of them, and I was in a blessed moment when all these artists wanted to participate. And it was no business thing.” K’naan translates his African/Western experiences into a compelling hip-hop/Afro-pop blend on Troubadour by Brian Baker The bulk of Troubadour was recorded in Kingston, Jamaica at Bob Marley’s home studio and at the iconic Tuff Gong studio after touring friend Damian Marley and his brother Stephen made K’naan an offer he couldn’t refuse. “It was a sincere invitation from good friends,” he says. “It was an amazing gesture. You can feel something important happened there. The house is also partly a museum, so everything of Bob is still there. And his friends and family are there. It’s a pretty strong place to be.” The Canadian success of 2006 debut The Dusty Foot Philosopher loomed large at the start of Troubadour—a Juno Award for Rap Record of the Year, a BBC Radio 3 Award, a Polaris Music Prize nomination—but K’naan was never intimidated by it. “I’m so appreciative for the love and attention that my music is getting, but I wish they knew what I could do,” he notes. “That’s always in the back of my head.” Still in all, K’naan had some very specific goals in mind when he began work on his follow-up to Dusty Foot Philosopher. “I wanted to be more clear, musically and lyrically,” he claims. “I wanted to be more direct and assume the position of the things that I planted the seed for on the older album.” Troubadour is available now from A&M/Octone. [ 24 + monitorthis! + March 2009 ]
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.