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K'Naan

K'naan
كينان
K'naan by David Shankbone.jpg
K'naan in 2010
Background information
Birth name Keinan Abdi Warsame
Born (1978-02-01) 1 February 1978 (age 39)
Mogadishu, Somalia
Origin Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres Alternative hip hop, world, alternative rock
Occupation(s) instrumentalist, rapper, singer, poet
Instruments vocals, piano, guitar, percussion
Years active 2001–present
Labels A&M/Octone
Associated acts Rayzak, Kierscey Rand, Adam Levine, David Guetta, Nelly Furtado, Nas, Will I Am, Chubb Rock
Website knaanmusic.com

Keinan Abdi Warsame better known by his stage name K'naan (/ˈknɑːn/), is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. He rose to prominence with the success of his single "Wavin' Flag", which was chosen as Coca-Cola's promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. Besides hip-hop, K'naan's sound is influenced by elements of Somali music, Ethio-jazz and world music. He is also involved in various philanthropic initiatives.

K'naan was born in 1978 in Mogadishu, situated in the southeastern Banaadir province of Somalia. K'naan's family was from an artistic background. His grandfather was a famous poet, and his aunt Magool was a renowned singer. His name, Keynaan (/ˈknɑːn/), means "traveller" in the Afro-Asiatic Somali language.

K'naan spent his childhood in the national capital, Mogadishu. His father, Abdi, had left earlier when he was still a boy to work as a taxi driver in New York City. K'naan's early years were idyllic and enveloped in poetry and song, with his aunt Magool often singing to him. This changed following the start of the civil war, when at the age of 12, three of his friends were shot by an older adolescent gunman. K'naan also narrowly escaped death one day at his school, when he mistook a grenade that he had found in the dirt for a potato and threw it away just before it detonated. These incidents and the general escalation in violence prompted his mother to seek a visa so that the family could rejoin his father in New York. At the age of 13, K'naan and his mother and two siblings, older brother Liban and younger sister Sagal, subsequently moved to the United States. They stayed in New York for half a year before relocating to Toronto, Canada, where K'naan's dad had settled. His family still resides there.


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