http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.8858168&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rssUm, 50 Cent thinks he had it hard? Toronto's K'naan has news for American rappers: Africans have it harder. K'naan Warsame was born in Somalia in 1978, and as a kid he watched his country collapse into civil war around him. (Somalia is currently the only country in the world without a government.) Warsame's father had moved to New York City a few years before the war began; Warsame and his mother got some of the last visas the U.S. embassy issued and took the last commercial flight out of the country. The family relocated to Toronto, where there was a strong Somali community, and K'naan began to learn English and adopt rap -- as so many have -- as a third language. In 1999, K'naan was invited to perform before the U.N.'s High Commissioner for Refugees, where he recited a piece that criticized the U.N. for its failures in Somalia. He became an instant celebrity: Youssou N'Dour invited him to Senegal to tour and record, and Nelly Furtado's production team Track and Field helped produce his debut album. Flexing a high-pitched voice, a strong melodic sense and whiplash wit, K'naan's 2005 debut, <I>The Dusty Foot Philosopher</I>, won him a Juno Award in 2006. - Sarah BardeenInternational Hip-Hopen720Thu, 24 Dec 2009 17:41:40 -0800 http://static.realone.com/rotw/images/logo_rhapsody_113x22.gif http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=art.8858168&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss Um, 50 Cent thinks he had it hard? Toronto's K'naan has news for American rappers: Africans have it harder. K'naan Warsame was born in Somalia in 1978, and as a kid he watched his country collapse into civil war around him. (Somalia is currently the only country in the world without a government.) Warsame's father had moved to New York City a few years before the war began; Warsame and his mother got some of the last visas the U.S. embassy issued and took the last commercial flight out of the country. The family relocated to Toronto, where there was a strong Somali community, and K'naan began to learn English and adopt rap -- as so many have -- as a third language. In 1999, K'naan was invited to perform before the U.N.'s High Commissioner for Refugees, where he recited a piece that criticized the U.N. for its failures in Somalia. He became an instant celebrity: Youssou N'Dour invited him to Senegal to tour and record, and Nelly Furtado's production team Track and Field helped produce his debut album. Flexing a high-pitched voice, a strong melodic sense and whiplash wit, K'naan's 2005 debut, <I>The Dusty Foot Philosopher</I>, won him a Juno Award in 2006. - Sarah Bardeen http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.29740412&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss International Hip-Hop Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700 K'naan Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.29740412 alb.29740412 K'naan art.8858168 9.99 The Dusty Foot On The Road alb.29740412 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/6/4/5/0/1780546_170x170.jpg 2009-08-25 00:00:00.0 null true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.29740412&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.29740412&variant=data&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26609222&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss International Hip-Hop Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700 K'naan Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.26609222 alb.26609222 K'naan art.8858168 0.99 Dusty Streets alb.26609222 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/9/5/4/1/1851459_170x170.jpg 2009-03-17 00:00:00.0 2009-03-17 00:00:00.0 true false single http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26609222&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26609222&variant=data&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26359674&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss International Hip-Hop Sun, 1 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0800 K'naan Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.26359674 alb.26359674 K'naan art.8858168 0.0 K'naan: The Rhapsody Interview alb.26359674 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/2/9/0/9/1579092_170x170.jpg 2009-03-01 00:00:00.0 2009-03-01 00:00:00.0 true false other http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26359674&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26359674&variant=data&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26079049&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss International Hip-Hop Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800 K'naan Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.26079049 alb.26079049 K'naan art.8858168 7.99 Troubadour alb.26079049 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/1/3/7/7/1567731_170x170.jpg 2009-02-24 00:00:00.0 2009-02-24 00:00:00.0 true false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26079049&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26079049&variant=data&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26079052&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss International Hip-Hop Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800 K'naan Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.26079052 alb.26079052 K'naan art.8858168 7.99 Troubadour alb.26079052 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/3/3/7/7/1567733_170x170.jpg 2009-02-24 00:00:00.0 2009-02-24 00:00:00.0 true true main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26079052&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.26079052&variant=data&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.25823370&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss International Hip-Hop Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800 K'naan Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.25823370 alb.25823370 K'naan art.8858168 0.0 Troubadour alb.25823370 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/5/5/8/8/1558855_170x170.jpg 2009-02-24 00:00:00.0 2009-02-24 00:00:00.0 false false other http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.25823370&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.25823370&variant=data&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.20760138&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss International Hip-Hop Tue, 20 May 2008 00:00:00 -0700 K'naan Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.20760138 alb.20760138 K'naan art.8858168 9.99 The Dusty Foot Philosopher alb.20760138 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/2/1/5/8/1618512_170x170.jpg 2008-05-20 00:00:00.0 2008-05-20 00:00:00.0 true true main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.20760138&variant=play&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.20760138&variant=data&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.8859013&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss International Hip-Hop Tue, 12 Jul 2005 00:00:00 -0700 K'naan Discography on Rhapsody Online alb.8859013 alb.8859013 K'naan art.8858168 0.0 The Dusty Foot Philosopher alb.8859013 http://image.listen.com/img/170x170/1/5/3/6/756351_170x170.jpg 2005-07-12 00:00:00.0 2005-07-12 00:00:00.0 false false main-release http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.8859013&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss http://www.rhapsody.com/goto?rcid=alb.8859013&variant=data&rws=%2Fknaan%2Fdiscography.rss