K'naan (Keynaan, meaning "traveler" in Somali, born 1978)^[1] is a Canadian] poet and hip-hop artist from the Hawiye clan in Somalia clan. A Mogadishu boy straddles the remains of a US Black Hawk helicopter during the 1992-1995 UN peacekeeping operation Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho) is a city in eastern Africa, on the Indian Ocean. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... “Folk song” redirects here. ... Acoustic music can refer to music that solely or primarily uses acoustic instruments, such as the acoustic guitar, banjo, mandolin, piano, cello, and voice. ... Rhythm and blues (or R & B) is a musical marketing term introduced in the United States in the late 1940s by Billboard magazine. ... A musician is a person who plays or composes music Musicians can be classified by their role in creating or performing music: A singer (or vocalist) uses his or her voice as an instrument. ... See also: 2001 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2001 Record labels established in 2001 2000s in music. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... BMG (Bertelsmann Music Group) is one of the six divisions of Bertelsmann. ... Mos Def (born Dante Terrell Smith on December 11, 1973), is an American rapper and actor. ... Talib Kweli (born Talib Kweli in Brooklyn, New York City on October 3, 1975) is an American MC from Brooklyn, New York. ... Damian Marley (born July 21, 1978 in Kingston, Jamaica), is a Grammy-winning reggae artist and is the youngest male child of reggae legend Bob Marley, and the only child born to Marley and Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976. ... . The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... Hip hop music is a style of music which came into existence in the United States during the mid-1970s, and became a large part of modern pop culture during the 1980s. ... The Hawiye are the dominant clan in the Somalia capital Mogadishu. ...

Biography

Born in Mogadishu, he spent the early years of his life struggling to survive and listening to hip-hop records by artists like Nas and Rakim^[1], sent to him by his father, who had left Somalia to work as a taxi driver in New York City. When K'naan was 13, he, his mother, and his two siblings were able to leave their homeland and join relatives in Harlem, where they stayed briefly before moving to Rexdale, Ontario, where there was a large Somali Canadian community.^[2] As soon as K'naan's English started improving he began rapping, and in tenth grade he dropped out of school and traveled around North America for two years, performing occasionally. Mogadishu (Somali: Muqdisho, popularly Xamar; Arabic: ; Italian: ), is the largest city in Somalia, and its capital. ... Hip hop (also spelled hip-hop or hiphop) is both a music genre and a cultural movement developed in urban communities starting in the 1970s, predominantly by African Americans. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Taxicab, short forms taxi or cab, is a type of public transport for a single passenger, or small group of passengers, typically for a non-shared ride. ... Nickname: Location in the state of New York Coordinates: Country United States State New York Boroughs The Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island Settled 1625 Government  - Mayor Michael Bloomberg (R) Area  - City  468. ... For other uses, see Harlem (disambiguation). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Through his friendship with Sol Guy, part of promotion team Direct Current Media, K'naan performed in Geneva at the 50th anniversary of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2001, where he used his platform to publicly criticize the United Nations' handling of the Somali crisis in the 1990s.^[2] Geneva (pronunciation //; French: Genève //, German:   //, Italian: Ginevra //, Romansh: Genevra) is the second most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich), and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French-speaking part of Switzerland). ... Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) (established December 14, 1950) protects and supports refugees at the request of a government or the United Nations and assists in their return or resettlement. ...

Awards and nominations

The Dusty Foot Philosopher received a 2006 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year, and was nominated for the inaugural Polaris Music Prize. In 2007, he received the BBC Radio 3 Award for World Music in the newcomer category. The Juno Awards are awards of achievement presented to Canadian musical artists and bands. ... The Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year has been awarded since 1991, and is awarded for the best rap album in Canada. ... The Polaris Music Prize is a music award annually given to the best full-length Canadian album based on artistic merit, regardless of genre, sales, or record label. ...

Discography

The Dusty Foot Philosopher (2005) The Dusty Foot Philosopher is an album by Somalian-Canadian rapper Knaan, released in 2005 on BMG Music. ...

External links

• K'naan's official website
• MTV biography
• Official Myspace page
• CBC Arts Article
• K'naan Tour with Marleys

References

• [3]
• [4]