K'NAAN ON VIMBY

VIMBY - K'NAAN

K'Naan isn't really my cup of tea, but he is doing his own thing. There's nothing wrong with music with a message.
Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in the district of Wardhiigleey ("The Lake of Blood") during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most famous singers. K'naan's father, Abdi, left the country, along with many other intellectuals to settle in New York City and work as a cab driver. He mailed money home to his family—and for K'naan, hip hop albums by artists like Nas and Rakim.[3] Despite speaking no English, the young K'naan taught himself hip hop and rap diction, copying the lyrics and style phonetically.
Critics have said K'naan has "a sound that fuses Bob Marley, conscious American hip hop, and brilliant protest poetry." K'naan makes "urgent music with a message", talking about the situation in his homeland of Somalia and calling for an end to violence and bloodshed.