Somali-born MC K'naan interviewed about the toughest of all 'hoods
Gangsta rappers have been known to boast about how mean their hometown streets are, but none of them comes from a more violent 'hood than K'naan. Born Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, K'naan grew up in Mogadishu, Somalia, amid one the most brutal civil wars in history.
When he was 13, K'naan fled with his family from Somalia and took refuge in New York and finally Toronto, where they still live. Coming from a family of performers and poets, K'naan naturally gravitated toward the arts to make sense of his new home and to process the trauma that nearly overwhelmed him in Africa (three of his friends were killed in the conflict). A poet, spoken-word artist and rapper, he has spoken out about his home country's plight at the United Nations and recorded two albums, the latest of which is "Troubadour" (A&M), released last year. The album blurs the boundaries between spoken word and hip-hop, and incorporates everything from heavy metal to reggae.
In excerpts from an e-mail interview with the Tribune, K'naan described his personal and musical journey:
Q
What were your memories of growing up in Mogadishu?
A
I grew up in the Mogadishu of dreams. During an idyllic and optimistic time, and music (was) almost its Siamese soundtrack. I remember realizing very early how music could so seamlessly go from being fun in one moment, to deadly serious in the other. A song would play in the record player at home, and you could sing along loudly, and then another would come, and mom would turn it down swiftly, as the song might be considered what they called "anti" — usually music with subliminal poetic messages against the government.
Q
When did you start writing poems, and what were they about?
A
I recited my first poem when I was 7. My grandfather asked me to recite something for him, and the poem I wrote kind of stunned everyone. It was a very adultlike piece detailing the absence of my father and the effect it was beginning to have on me.
Q
You've talked about Bob Marley, Tracy Chapman and Nina Simone as formative artists for you. What was it about their music that spoke to you?
A
Tracy Chapman's "Fast Car" found its way to every home in the globe at some point, I think. I loved her melancholy moods. Bob Marley was a great contributor to the household as well. It was my older (sibling) who first loved him most. Nina Simone I discovered later, and Bob Dylan also. I think all of them have changed me in some way. There's no scientifically viable evidence for this, but I think they've made me more ambitious about humanity.
Q
You left Mogadishu in 1991. What do you remember about that time? Did you feel you and your family's lives were in danger?
A
There was a war; the danger was so generously spread out, I remember avoiding thoughts of a future. Too many people were dying for me to have some lofty dreams about a future.
Q
How difficult was it to adapt to New York and then Toronto?
A
It wasn't easy. But even in the confusion and the algebra of our new life in North America, it was colored with gratitude. I think sincere gratitude for life made the weather and language barriers tolerable.
Q
You have talked about post-traumatic stress after living in Somalia. The sense I get is that music helped you deal with it — how so?
A
I think music is just a very good magic trick for self-betterment. It doesn't solve everything, but it helps over time. It's like seeing a therapist that you don't have to pay. In my case, I just took painful facts and made them melodic and rhythmic, so we could sing about them and dance about them.
Q
What was it about hip-hop and Nas' 1994 album, "Illmatic," that spoke to you? Had you heard much hip-hop in Somalia?
A
I heard Eric B & Rakim's "Paid in Full" while still in Somalia. But it wasn't till Nas' "Illmatic" that I wanted to make records. I just saw what he was doing as the poetry of the underprivileged, and it inspired me. Between that and my sincere dislike for misunderstandings, I wanted to write songs to explain a few things.
Q
Is it true that you learned English by rapping along to hip-hop records?
A
Yes, don't be alarmed. Rap was my first English teacher. But my second and best teacher was literature.
Q
You have been loosely defined as a hip-hop artist, but there is more to your music than that. Were you concerned about how you might fit in as an artist?
A
Yes, I was concerned. I wasn't sure that my music would be understood, let alone appreciated. And it's not in me to follow popular trends, so the only choice was create what I create, and just hope it's OK with everyone else too.
Greg Kot co-hosts "Sound Opinions" at 8 p.m. Fridays and 11 a.m. Saturdays on WBEZ-FM 91.5.
greg@gregkot.com
K'naan
When
: 7:30 p.m. Sunday
Where
: Metro, 3730 N. Clark St.
Price
: $20 (advance) and $22;
etix.com
Source: Chicago Tribune
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