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The history of K'naan : A Somali Canadian international rapper whose song ' Wavin flag' was selected for 2010

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Mogadishu 06 Janaury 2010 Waagacusub Media.
Born in Mogadishu , Somalia , Keynaan Abdi Warsame Haji Mohammed spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia 's most famous singers. Keynaan's grandfather, Haji Mohamed, was a poet. Keynaan is a Muslim. His name, Keynaan, means "traveller" in the Somali language.

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Keynaan's father, Abdi, left the country with Mohamed, along with many other intellectuals, to settle in New York City and work as a cab driver. He mailed money home to his family. As the civil war continued and the situation in Somalia continued to deteriorate, Keynaan's mother, Maryan Mohamed, petitioned the United States embassy for an exit visa. In 1991, on the last day the US embassy remained open, as the government of Mohamed Siad Barre collapsed, their visa was approved, and they boarded the last commercial flight out of the country.

They joined relatives in Harlem , New York City, before moving to the Toronto , Ontario neighbourhood of Rexdale, where there was a large Somali Canadian community. His family still lives there. In his new country, Keynaan began learning English, some through hip hop albums by artists like Nas and Rakim. Despite speaking no English, the young Somali international Keynaan taught himself hip hop and rap diction, copying the lyrics and style phonetically.He then also began rapping. He dropped out of school in grade ten to travel for a time, rapping at open mic events, and eventually returned to Toronto .

Keynaan became a friend and associate of Canadian promoter Sol Guy, who helped him secure a speaking engagement before the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 1999, where Keynaan performed a spoken word piece criticizing the UN for its failed aid missions to Somalia . One of the audience members, Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, was so impressed by the young MC's performance and courage that he invited him to contribute to his 2001 album Building Bridges, a project through which Keynaan was able to tour the world. He also went to York University while he stayed in Toronto .

This project led to his work at other UN events, as well as the Montreal Jazz Festival and the Halifax Pop Explosion. It also helped him meet Canadian producer Jarvis Church and his Track & Field team in 2002, who produced his debut album The Dusty Foot Philosopher, which was released in 2005 to critical acclaim. In 2006, it won the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year, and was nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize. It also won the BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music in the newcomer category for 2007.The Dusty Foot Philosopher will be re-released and re-packaged as a "Deluxe Edition" featuring new mixes and a bonus DVD in the United States and various international territories by the emerging media company and record label iM (Interdependent Media, Inc.) in 2008.

Since then, he has been on tour promoting his album and working on his follow-up release, "Troubadour," his debut album for new label A&M/Octone Records. He has also been working with artists like Nelly Furtado, Mos Def, The Roots, Dead Prez, and Pharoahe Monch on tours such as Live and Breedlove Odyssey. He also collaborated with Damian Marley a brother of Bob Marley on the "Welcome to Jamrock" touring session.

In 2005, the Canadian music scene featured a low-key feud between Keynaan and k-os, one of the most prominent Canadian hip-hop artists. Following the release of the music video for the song Soobax, which was shot by Keynaan and a film crew in Kenya , k-os released a track B-Boy Stance attacking Keynaan :

Keynaan would rise to mainstream popularity by participating in the 2008 BET Awards Cypher, This was his first appearance on American television. His second studio album, Troubadour, was released on February 24, 2009 on A&M/Octone Records, and will be distributed through Universal Music Group worldwide. The album's first single, "ABC's", was released to radio in late 2008. Keynaan has featured in several video games

In September 2009, Keynaan teamed up with J. Period, an LA born DJ/producer, and released "The Messengers", a three volume remix project. Each volume pays tribute to one music icon: Fela Kuti, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan. It was released and is hosted online for free at Jperiod.com/knaan.

K'naan also toured with Jason Mraz during the summer of 2009 for Mraz's Gratitude Cafe Tour. He is currently on tour with Lenny Kravitz on the LLR tour. A remixed version of K'naan's single "Wavin' Flag" was chosen as the offical song for the Africa leg of the 2010 FIFA World Cup trophy tour.

Compiled By Nur Hersi Abdi

Tallmog@hotmail.com

Nairobi, Kenya

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