K’naan “Troubadour” Review
It’s very easy to write about K’naan, to boil down his existence into a few paragraphs about his background, identity and country of origin (Somalia). It”s easy to dwell on the much-discussed line from his first album “If I rhymed about home and got descriptive/I’d make 50 Cent look like Limp Bizkit.” He’s a rapper you can read about in the Nation or the Progressive, the kind of rapper your parents can hear about on NPR and ask you about later.
But what often gets lost in the shuffle is the fact that K’naan makes some incredibly engaging, fun, innovative music. His new album, Troubadour, is an absolute epic, displaying a range of musical style, subject matter and emotion that we rarely see not only in hip hop, but in music in general.
While K’naan’s last album, 2005′s The Dusty Foot Philosopher, was perhaps a bit more idiosyncratic and unpredictable, Troubadour is polished yet no less powerful. Live instrumentation, lots of melody, clever lyrics, ambitious moments—the album goes far beyond the “hard beats and rhymes” formula that has devoured so much of American hip hop both above and below the mainstream. K’naan himself has grown as an emcee too; where he used to sound something like a bizarre combination of Eminem and will.i.am, he now sounds fully like K’naan, with a confident, hypnotic flow that evolves from track to track.
Troubadour starts off strongly enough, with some solid intro tracks, but takes off into the stratosphere with a retooled, Kirk Hammett-assisted “If Rap Gets Jealous” followed by “Wavin’ Flag,” the latter of which may be one of the most powerful, bittersweet hip hop songs in years. When’s the last time a rap song has brought tears to your eyes? “Wavin’ Flag,” succeeds on the strength of its layering; the lyrics deal with struggle, disappointment and perseverance, but it’s the epic, dynamic arrangement that really makes it special, not to mention K’naan’s sincere delivery.
Other epic moments include the heartbreaking love story “Fatima” and autobiographical “Take a Minute,” both of which reach for the stars and almost overshoot. These are the tracks where Troubadour really separates itself from other good, if not overly solid, hip hop releases. When K’naan collaborates with other artists, the results are generally not as ambitious or interesting: while Damien Marley kills his guest spot on “I Come Prepared,” Chubb Rock, Adam Levine (of Maroon 5), Mos Def and Chali 2na don’t add much to the mix beyond their names.
The production is organic and driven by live instrumentation. But where “organic” has come to mean sleepy, jazz-lite noodling, Troubadour‘s beats have much more of an edge. I unfortunately missed K’naan’s last show in town, but it’s a safe bet that these songs are monstrously big when played live. The album as a whole isn’t really headphone music; it’s meant to be blasted at full volume from a decent system.
While I enjoyed The Dusty Foot Philosopher, I don’t revisit it very much. Troubadour, however, is something worth listening to over and over, a welcome—if unexpected—step up from its predecessor and one of the best hip hop releases so far this year. It’s world-hip hop at its best: musical, wide-ranging and, well, worldly. But I’m hoping that as hip hop becomes even more of a global force, we can start to do away with labels like “alternative hip hop” or “international hip hop.” Troubadour is a stirring example of what hip hop in 2009 is reaching toward—not what it “should” be or “needs to” be, but what it can be.
yo Guante’I think K’naan is the truth great review, I wasn’t too crazy about the Kirk Hammet & Adam Levine tracks, but he’s bitch slappin’ US rappers. hip-hop hooray!
His new album is brilliant. Him and k-os (despite their beef) are kinda putting U.S. rappers to shame lately…
This is such an amazing album. It is so incredibly uplifting and humbling at the same time. Definitely the best hip hop album I have heard during my short existence in the hip hop world.
this is amazing a top album, very briliant
While I agree that his voice is much better than it was on DFP, I still think it was the superior album. Some good songs, but overall way overproduced. Oddly I thought this was most evident in “Waving Flag.” I had been looking forward to a recording of that song for almost two years now, and now that we get it, he whitewashes it and synths it up to the point where its unrecognizable. I agree, it’s potentially his most powerful song, but something about the production makes it sound like it should be in a Disney movie or something.
Frankly, toss the drum machine out and just give me a studio album with him, a djembe and an acoustic guitar.
“America” is pretty ill though.
I’ve really been enjoying this blog lately…
Go see K’naan. I just caught him in Philly and the quiet power of these tunes really surprised me. He did a spoken word version of “Somalia” with a different (he said original) chorus and it was just about heart-breaking. He suffered from a little bit of hubris; he softly chided someone in the crowd for shouting out a request and said his rule was to purposfully not play requests, so as not to become a “juke box.” But, I think it was also the source of a great profesionalism and pride in putting on a good show.
All in all it was a fantastic show. I’ve got a question for anyone else who has seen him on this tour: Was the trunpet player really singing Adam Levine’s part in “Bang Bang”? My wife thinks it was recorded or he at least had a backing track. I think the singing was live and he was great. I really like that song as a departure from some of the heavier tunes on the album.
It was the first time I heard most of the tunes (we bought the CD after the show) and “Wavin’ Flag” was awesome, in fact, every song was tightly performed.
I’m not a rap fan. I’m not a hip hop fan. I’m barely a reggae fan. Whatever you want to label K’naan I’m probably not keen of, but I was intrigued with the chatter surrounding Troubadour. Wrapped up in my world of rock and metal, I saw “If Raps Gets Jealous†features Kirk Hammett (Metallica) on guitar. Perhaps I’ll see what this K’naan character has to offer, I convinced myself.
What I like most about K’naan is that he’s not a hardcore rapper – he’s a musician. He’s not a cliché. Hailing from Somalia, he’s influenced by the traditions and experiences of his homeland. He speaks of the violence and dreadful conditions in Somalia, and today anyone who watches or reads news is likely aware. It’s not a political thing – it’s just an articulation. What I’m on the fence about is the repetitiveness of the music. At times I want to forward through because it’s the same beat or rhyme over and over (“T.I.A.†is the best example). But more often than not I’m grabbed by the melodies and spoken word.
Troubadour is a good mix of styles and sounds and there’s honestly something for everyone to enjoy. Typical rapping and hip hop aside, “I Come Prepared†features Damian Marley, “Bang Bang†features Adam Levine (Maroon 5), “If Rap Gets Jealous†features Kirk Hammett (Metallica), and “Wavin’ Flag†is a great reggae anthem (sounds like an ending credits song for a heartfelt movie) which urges me to dust off some Bob Marley albums… and just in time for summer.
i think knaan he is great hip hop artist.
good job knaan keep doing more albums
Supa tunes, big respect for K´naan!!
Just heard this album and it really is something. Again like a lot of people on this blog I’m not a hip-hop expert, but all the positive reviews and buzz around this album made me give it a spin. It’s interesting stuff, he aint in the class of Lupe Fiasco but is still pretty damn good.
Wow! A truly amaizing guy. Im in South Africa and knew nothing about Knaan until the world cup, although i had the pleasure of meeting him. He is a great guy and an excellent musician. Would love it if i could get his albums in South Africa. Would love to see him live, much love babe, hope to see u again