K'NAAN Interview - Ctrl.Alt.Shift

This definitely stands head and shoulders above 99% of the 'celeb' interviews I have done - most probably, for the somewhat bias reason that I respect K’NAAN the music, as well as K’NAAN the artist. The same cannot be said for some of the more ‘blah’ generic Q&A’s I have grinded through with self-loving, whatless stars... – call them entertaining, though hardly enlightening.

K’NAAN was not a disappointment. Blessed by the Bob Marley fam, haven risen from the Somali war (as a none the wiser teen), he now sings and talks with great passion, knowledge, tone of ‘peace be the journey’, set to rep the official South Africa FIFA World Cup 2010 with his show-me-your-lighters ‘Wavin Flag’ anthem – you need to look out for this boy (if only because his upcoming work with Nas and Damian Marley is going to be BIG!). Who is K’NAAN? Here’s my interview with the rapper for Ctrl.Alt.Shift:

Ctrl Meets K’NAAN
Walking into Islington’s Centrestage Studios with my tonsils aching and nose running from some nasty lingering flu (that just refused to die), I wasn’t too sure I was ready for this one...

Meeting someone as passionate and on point as Somali-Canadian rapper K’NAAN, I wanted to be on form – after all, I was about to go head to head with this world touring artist, set to release this summer’s official FIFA World Cup 2010 anthem (‘Wavin’ Flag’), set to launch his stunning album ‘Troubadour’ upon the UK, the I-do-not-take-no-bulls**t from the UN, blessed by the Bob Marley fam musician; all this from humble beginnings in Mogadishu, Somalia.



After a lengthy wait, Keinan Asbdi Warsame aka K’NAAN appeared from his dressing room to take a seat opposite my dictaphone. Blowing his own stuffy nose with a tissue, I found neutral ground, and the Q&A could begin… Here’s the rapper’s take on how he’s bringing his new sound to the world, the underlying truth behind Somali piracy, and how he plans on creating a whole new perspective for his people:

How you doing K’NAAN?
I’m good man, just a little tired, but I’m feeling great.

What you been up to this week?
Just doing some rehearsals, filming a new video, and I’ve been touring – from Italy, to Mexico, to the UK.

Fair to say you’re a bit jetlagged then…I think being jetlagged is my normal state now.

Tell me about your music? How would you describe your sound to those who might know nothing of K’NAAN?
Unique, a mixture of jazz and rap, with Somali influences – it’s just a different sound man.

Who are your musical influences?
Somali poets, Bob Dylan and Bob Marley.

I listen to your lyrics and follow your work. From spitting lines like “We fight their battles, then they deceive us, try to control us, they couldn't hold us, ‘cause we just move forward like Buffalo Soldiers…”, to the time you once criticised the UN for failed aid missions to Somalia, do you think it’s fair for observers to label you as a political and socially minded artist?
I actually don’t like labels. I write and say things that I think need to be said, and if others call it being ‘political’ and ‘socially minded’, so be it.

Do you think more artists should be using their positions to challenge the status quo of societies, battle corruption and better lives for their people?
I think artists should be honest… If the world is a perfect place and all they see is beauty, they should go ahead and just sing beautiful happy songs. I write about my experiences and what I see…

A lot of your songs have references to Somalia. I understand you and your mother fled from the country when you were just 14 because of the civil war… How much of that part of your life do you remember? Do you have any fond memories?
It was a hard time, for me and my family – and I still have a lot of relatives living there now. But I definitely have amazing memories, of Somalia always being a beautiful place with warm people, learning Somali spoken word poetry and being inspired by the story-telling.



You were born and bred in Somalia, and then spent much of the remainder of your life in Toronto, Canada. Do you consider yourself to be a music ambassador for Somalia, and even Canada?
I don’t ever ask or plan to be an ambassador, I guess those types of things just happen. But I’d say when I’m good, yeah I’m an ambassador of Somalia and Canada, whilst if I do something s**t, I’ll be an ambassador for myself (laughs).

I read somewhere you went back to Somalia last December… on your own! Were you not scared, especially being such a high profile Somali artist?I was scared, but it was something I felt I had to do – I haven’t been back since I was 14, and I needed to re-visit my roots. But all the people were so welcoming; yes I was recognised, and they treated like royalty, so it felt like I was under the protection of love. One thing I was gutted about was not being able to head into my birthplace Mogadishu, which is still trapped by the war, but I do plan on going back again in the future.

I spent five months living in Vancouver, and fell in love with the Canadian city… I’m planning to immigrate before I get too old. Where would you prefer to live, the UK, Canada, or Somalia?
My name in Somali means ‘traveller’ and that is what I am now. I enjoy moving around different places, and I think touring is what I’ll be doing for a while.

What are the biggest differences you see in the culture and way of life in Somalia and the Western world?
There are the obvious differences, but I think the two can learn a lot from each other. The West has learnt how to progress through materialism, whilst Somalis and others in Africa find strength through spiritualism… if we could find a balance, positive progress could happen across both worlds.

How do you feel Somali’s are viewed here? And how would you like to add or change to that perception?
I think there’s the view that we’re the neighbours that others don’t really understand yet; with the piracy issue on T.V. we can come across as quite ‘unreasonable’. From the way we dress to the way Somali’s sometimes like to keep to themselves, some host countries seem to think we don’t like to integrate into their culture. What I’d like to change about that is give people a water perspective on us, something more well-rounded; we have an intricate history and an even more complex recent history, and when people know about that, they’ll understand Somalis a lot more...



For the full Q&A, please click here