Mos Def
K'Naan
<p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #808080; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 512px;">Watch the full episode. See more Austin City Limits.</p>
K'NAAN / Mos Def
K'NaanFrom the ACL taping program on October 1, 2009:
“A talented artist that isn’t afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve” (PopMatters), Somali-Canadian K’NAAN’s inventive take on hip hop is earning him international acclaim.
Born in Somalia, Keinan Abdi Warsame and his family lived in that country during the Somali Civil War. His family was one of the last to be able to leave the country in 1991 before the U.S. Embassy closed. They lived in New York for a brief time before moving to Canada. K’NAAN learned English through hip hop albums and quickly became a vital part of Canada’s music scene.
In 2005 K’NAAN released The Dusty Foot Philosopher which focuses on his experiences as a child in Somalia and contrasts the poverty and violence in Africa with that of Western countries. The CD is “full of unusual rhymes and images, bursting with the fresh insights of a wide-eyed writer for whom English is his second language” (The Observer). The CD won the 2006 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year and earned K’NAAN the BBC Radio Award for World Music newcomer of the year. The Dusty Foot Philosopher has since been rereleased internationally.
K’NAAN’s second release, Troubadour, picks up where his debut left off and is bringing the artist even more international attention. Troubadour “is a smart fusion of influences” (Boston Globe) that contains “richly detailed rhymes” (Entertainment Weekly). Billboard wrote “K’Naan’s singular take on the parallels between Africa and America is the strongest thread running through this diverse, socially alert and frequently brilliant sophomore disc.”
Link to K’NAAN's Artist Page.Gallery:
Setlist:Recorded October 1, 2009:
- ABC's
- Bang Bang
- Take a Minute
- Somalia
- T I A
- Waving Flag
Band Credits:K’NAANwith
Doni Washington – drums, keyboards
Rayzak Hassan – percussion, programming, vocals
Andrew Cortes – guitar
Aaron Thomas - bassK’NAAN "Waving Flag"
K’NAAN Interview
Mos DefFrom the ACL taping program on October 1, 2009:
While he’s gained popularity as an actor in such films as Monster’s Ball, Be Kind Rewind and Cadillac Records, Mos Def’s limber flow and gymnastic wordplay (Paste Magazine) has earned him a spot among hip hop’s most respected lyrical masters.
Mos Def’s early work with Black Star produced singles including “Respiration” and “Definition” that are often cited as being among the best of the genre’s best. His first solo album, 1999’s Black on Both Sides is a critical classic. On his flawless debut, Mos Def “does it all — addressing serious socio-political issues while remaining positive and affirmative from start to finish” (Pitchfork).
His sophomore release, 2004’s The New Danger mixed soul, blues and rock to create the “hip-hop equivalent of an all-stops pulled, Oscar-ready performance” (Blender). Village Voice wrote, “the defining flow is sonic — a shadowy, guitar-drenched tone poem of the streets. The “impressively diverse” (Rolling Stone) album received a Grammy nomination for the song “Ghetto Rock.” His third release 2006’s True Magic, contains “gems both musical (live sax and jazz flute) and lyrical” (Now Magazine).
Mos Def’s most recent solo album, The Ecstatic, has been called his “strongest, most deeply felt work in ages” (Entertainment Weekly). The “experimental and progressive” (PopMatters) has Middle Eastern and rock influences creating a multi-textured musical base that creates a “thrillingly accessible demonstration of hip-hop’s limitless creative possibilities” (Observer Music Monthly). Mojo wrote “This is an album that demands careful attention before its meanings and musing reveal themselves, blending apocalyptic visions with occluded celebration
Link to Mos Def's artist page.Gallery:
Setlist:Recorded October 1, 2009
- Life of Marvelous Times
- Casa Bey
- Close Edge
- Michael
- Quiet Dog
- Umi Says
Band Credits:Mos DefwithGoldMedal Man – DJ
Preservation - DJMos Def "Umi Says"
Mos Def Interview
