It’s been more than two years since I was first introduced to the music of K’naan. It was early 2006, and I saw him open up a show for Jean Grae, Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Now I’ve always said that Kweli and Mos are among the best live performers in hip-hop – yet K’naan somehow managed to give the most memorable performance of that evening.
Following the concert, I ran around to some local record stores only to find out that none were carrying K’naan’s “The Dusty Foot Philosopher” which had dropped sometime in 2005. When I tried the Internet, I learned that the album was actually an import – one that would cost $30 to purchase and take up to one month to receive. I decided to wait until it hit the local stores, but it never did, and I sadly missed out on the album.
So you can probably imagine how amped I was a month ago to receive a promo copy of “The Dusty Foot Philosopher Deluxe Edition” in the mail. The new album is a rerelease of the original with the addition of two new tracks and a DVD containing videos, live footage and other bonus materials. If you’re one of the people who – like me – missed out on this album the first time around, do yourself a favor and pick up the deluxe edition immediately. Although it is almost three years old, “The Dusty Foot Philosopher” is a brilliant album that remains relevant and groundbreaking in 2008.
K’naan’s style is reminiscent of fellow-Canadian K-Os’ in that he utilizes myriad styles and genres in the creation of his music, while his flow is at times reminiscent of a young Eminem. But lyrically, K’naan is about as unique as they come, basing the majority of “The Dusty Foot Philosopher” on his childhood experiences on the deadly streets of Mogadishu, Somalia.
The beginning of the album serves to introduce the listener to the situation in Somalia. This can be seen in Soobax, which speaks directly to the warlords and rival gangs that terrorize the streets, My Old Home, which is a meticulous lyrical description of Mogadishu, and What’s Hardcore, which invites so-called thug American rappers to reevaluate what hardcore really means by looking at the ghettos of Africa. In the opening track of Wash It Down, K’naan drops the following verse which poetically describes this Somalia state of mind.
Born in a pot boiling black and hot
Waiting to be tasted and rapping a lot
But justice would not come and eat my flesh
Instead I had poverty to feed my stress
Until my life became an ode to the gun
Not needed like an overcoat to the sun
So I thought I was just made to exist
Not to live or change and resist
But fear will have you believing fear
Paralyzed have you bleeding tears
The second part of the album is more analytical and, at times, philosophical, with K’naan giving more of an inside looking into his thoughts and reactions. This can be seen in I Was Stabbed by Satan, which tells the story of a young victim of a violent environment, Smile, which urges us to remain optimistic in the face of adversity, and Strugglin’, which views struggle as something that is ongoing and necessary – as he indicates in the following verse.
I’m from the hardest heartless projects dear departed
I’m now known as a recording artist
Spilling what little remains of your memories in the process
Bit or a little for making your names into a colossus
Believe me I’m thankful my brother’s still with me
And ain’t much changed – Bobby’s still troubling Whitney
And Bush is still bombing poor people yo he’s deadly
And me I got a little recording gig but evidently
I’m strugglin’ …
The remainder of the album incorporates more raw emotion in the form of either hardcore vibes or African folk music. Notables include If Rap Gets Jealous, which combines laid back smoothly-rhymed verses with a hardcore heavy metal chorus, Dusty Foot Philosopher, which is on some straight rhyme shit, and Boxing My Shadow, a lyrical masterpiece fused with anger and despair. Add in a set of African ballads, including In The Beginning, Hoobaale, African Way and Voices In My Head, and it becomes hard to find a track on the album that isn’t worth a mention.
Overall, I’m really glad Interdependent Media decided to reissue this CD for the United States. Old or new, K’naan’s “The Dusty Foot Philosopher” is a great timeless hip-hop album that is definitely worth the wait. I highly recommend picking up a copy. PEACE.
Album Track Listing:
1. Wash It Down
2. Soobax
3. What’s Hardcore?
4. My Old Home
5. Moment (Interlude)
6. I Was Stabbed by Satan
7. My God (Interlude)
8. Smile
9. If Rap Gets Jealous
10. Dusty Foot Philosopher
11. Strugglin’
12. In the Beginning
13. Hoobaale
14. African Way feat. Mwafrika
15. Voices in My Head
16. My Shadow
17. For Mohamoud (Soviet) (Interlude)
18. Until the Lion Learns to Speak
19. Blues for the Horn
20. Til We Get There feat. M-1
