K’naan is a Troubadour
By Nick Manteris · 0 Comments · Leave a Comment
K’naan was born in Mogadishu, Somalia and spent almost the entirety of his pre-teen years there, only learning English after he moved to New York and then Toronto. K’naan’s voice and delivery are frequently compared to Eminem, but his subject matter is completely different. It’s surprising that a childhood in one of the most dangerous parts of the world spawns an artist that doesn’t glorify violence like his American peers. He does frequently reference Somalia and the rough times he experienced in the past, but his songs are positive and upbeat…or at least they sound positive and upbeat.
K’naan assembled more than a handful of guest artists for Troubadour…on “ABC’s,” there is a chorus of children singing, “They don’t teach us the ABC’s / we play on the hard concrete / all we got is life on the streets” as well as a verse from Chubb Rock. Damian Marley appears on "I Come Prepared" and Adam Levine from Maroon 5 sings on “Bang Bang.” On the song “America,” Mos Def and Chali 2na both contribute rhymes and it’s a shame that the music on this track isn’t worthy of their talents. In K’naan’s defense, though, he mentions on “If Rap Gets Jealous” (which features Kirk Hammett from Metallica) that he could have gotten Kanye to help provide beats, but that would have taken half of his budget.
- Score
- 49%
This is definitely a fresh take on hip-hop from an artist with a unique outlook and while none of the songs on the album are great, almost two-thirds of them are good. And if enough people check out Troubadour he might have a larger budget for the next album.
