K'naan Looks Back At Africa During Career High

Rapper K'naan was very humbled as he took the podium to talk to media only moments after playing his set at Live 8. He was possibly the least-known artist to perform in front of the 35,000 fans who arrived in Barrie, Ontario and one of the only native African artists asked to perform at the Canadian installment of the show. That cultural split doesn't bother him and he actually congratulates North America for doing this again.

"I don't think of it as an African event," he said. "I don't think of it as an African political rally. I think of it as a job for the West and this is a political change that needs to come from the West. The West has its own stars. Africa has stars. I think it's a great thing that we are rallying here."

Of all of the people you saw on stage during the day, K'naan was one of the few who hasn't just visited Africa to see the devastation, but he lived in that world for a number of years. Although he now calls Toronto home, the rapper was born in Somalia, which his family had to escape in fear of their lives. His decision to drop out of high school to learn to speak English is a long way removed from this chance to play on the same stage as Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot.

"My family and I have seen both extremes of Africa," he said. "We've seen what it's like to live in the most beautiful dwellings with the ocean as our backdrop. We've also seen what it's like to live in war completely. It's a big deal. It's something I owe to those moments of despair that I am here today."

K'naan's debut album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher, is now out in stores for those who want a different type of music experience. He says because of his history with violence, he doesn't want to glorify it the way other rappers do.

"Having come from where we come from and I still don't glorify the sort of violence that exists in hip-hop culture. What they get from it is a sense of realness; a sense of measurement between what they are dealing with and the experiences that we've had."

Here are K'naan Canadian tour dates:
July 9 Courtenay, BC @ Exhibition Grounds
July 10 Courtenay, BC @ Exhibition Grounds
July 12 Tofino, BC @ Tofino Legion Hall
July 15 Vancouver, BC @ Vancouver Folk Festival
July 16 Vancouver, BC @ Vancouver Folk Festival
July 17 Vancouver, BC @ Vancouver Folk Festival
July 19 Nelson, BC @ Fluid Lounge
July 20 Edmonton, AB @ Sidetrack Cafe
July 21 Red Deer, AB @ The Vat
July 22 Calgary, AB @ Prince's Island Park
July 23 Calgary, AB @ Prince's Island Park
July 24 Calgary, AB @ Prince's Island Park
August 25 Winnipeg, MB @ Lyric Theatre