You might think you know hip-hop. You might listen to the mainstream songs that play on your local top 40 radio station. Maybe you’re even into the good stuff – underground acts that haven’t been tainted by the bottom line or a juicy contract. Regardless, I can pretty much guarantee that you haven’t heard anything like The Dusty Foot Philosopher, the 2005 album by the Somali-Canadian artist K’naan.
This stuff is hip-hop as it was meant to be. There’s no focus on materialism or wealth, just a man trying to tell it how it is. K’naan sounds a bit like Pigeon John, but with something to actually say. If you’re looking for a mainstream example, his sound seems like Talib Kweli mixed with Bedouin Soundclash.
K’naan has one of the most fascinating backgrounds of any artist out there. Born in Somalia during the Somali Civil War, his family fled to North America and eventually settled in Canada. Most of his music has something of a social message, typically in protest of the conditions in Somalia (or Africa in general) and the rest of the world’s apparent apathy.
He got his “break,” if you will, after doing a spoken-word performance at the United Nations in 1999. K’naan was invited to collaborate with singer Youssou N’Dour, eventually touring with him. From there, he ended up performing at various other U.N. events and music festivals, eventually signing with BMG Music and releasing The Dusty Foot Philosopher. Most recently, K’naan joined Damian Marley on a world tour entitled “Welcome to Jamrock.”
The Dusty Foot Philosopher grabs you as soon as you press play. It starts with “Wash It Down,” a percussive piece that uses splashing sounds to create the beat above which K’naan performs. He constantly spouts witty lyrics, such as “People need music like they need excuses / People need water like Kanye needs Jesus / So wash it down.”
In the chorus of the song “Soobax,” K’naan raps in his native language. I didn’t understand a bit of it, but I enjoyed the natural rhythm and sound it created.
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