Who is K'naan?

Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, just as the civil unrest that rocked the country was beginning, rapper K'naan spent the early years of his life listening to the hip-hop records sent to him from America by his father, who had left Somalia earlier. When K'naan (whose name means "traveller" in Somali) was 13, he, his mother, and his two siblings left their homeland to join relatives in New York, where they stayed briefly before moving to Canada. As soon as his English started improving, he began rapping. He dropped out of school and travelled around North America for two years, performing occasionally. Through a friendship K'naan was able to perform at the United Nations' 50th anniversary concert in 1999. He used his platform to criticise the United Nations' handling of the Somali crisis in the 1990s. Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, was so impressed by his performance and courage that he invited K'naan to contribute to his 2001 album 'Building Bridges', a project through which K'naan was able to tour the world. In 2005 K'naan's first album 'The Dusty Foot Philosopher' came out in Canada. Two years later he was signed by major label A&M. In 2009 the song 'Wavin' flag' was chosen as the official anthem of Coca-Cola's World Cup programme.

"A therapist was too expensive for an immigrant like me, so I wrote songs", says K'naan

1. If I was on your doorstep right now, where would you take me?
Well, nowadays I am rarely in a town which I know. I am always in a place that I am discovering myself, so we would probably be lost together.

2. Which cd and book would you bring along?
I would bring a Coldplay cd. And right now I am reading a book called ‘The story of forgetting’. It’s about Alzheimer. It has an incredible take on it. This author writes about it in a kind of romantic way. It gives me an insight into the world of Alzheimer more than I ever thought I would have. It’s an amazing book.

3. Who else would you take along?
Someone who has a better sense of direction than I do. I’m terrible. I do have a Blackberry with GPS, but I am technically challenged. I don’t know how to install things that would help me find my way. I should download one of those things, actually. But I like to depend on people more than on machines because then you have someone you can blame. (laughs)

My Blackberry is strangely named ‘the tour’. I only use it for email and Twitter. I use Twitter as a public diary. Rather than telling people: “This is what I’m doing”, I tell them whatever I am thinking or feeling - in the way I would write to myself.  My last tweet was an essay that I had written. I just posted that last night. It is co-edited by Bono and sir Geldof. It looks back at my life and my successes. I think this is actually the closest you could get to knowing me. With my music you get a glimpse, but this essay really is very personal.

4. Who do you call all the time?
My mum. She is in Toronto. Usually she wants to know if I have landed safely and when I am taking off to another place. I talk to her whenever I am leaving somewhere. And I ask her about my brother and my sister and how she is. She can sense from my voice if I am feeling healthy and emotionally fine. So when I am not, I try not to talk to her.

5. Who or what makes you laugh the most?
The guys from my band who are always with me and who I am on tour with. We have developed a sense of humour together. We have six-year-old-insiders-jokes. No one else really understands it. But it’s hilarious. The longer you keep it going, the funnier it gets. Just beyond the cliff of not funny, it becomes hilarious:

6. When was the last time you cried and why?
I remember once I was overwhelmed with sadness. I was driving really fast. This is how I saw it, so this is how I should tell it:

7. What made you decide to do what you do?
Coming out of the conditions I came out of I needed a way to get my message out. A therapist was too expensive for an immigrant like me, so I wrote songs.

8. Being a role model yourself, who is your role model?
I look up to people who have done grand things. People who have affected peoples lives and who have seemed to have done so selflessly. People like Bob Marley and Dylan. Or Ghandi or mum. Those people have all done this in a way.

9. What is your first association with the Netherlands.
With one of my first performances with the Somali band called Shegoband in the city of Rotterdam. And I played three songs. This was in 1997.

10. I am proud to be African…
Because it is not only about the wisdom of the past but the information of the future.

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