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The 18th Annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival is thrilled to announce K’NAAN
Mar 11, 2010 Music Leave a comment
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The 18th Annual Salmon Arm Roots and Blues Festival is thrilled to announce K’NAAN as part of its 2010 line-up! The Somali-born rapper is one of Canada’s hottest talents with not one, not two, but three 2010 Juno Award nominations for his 2009 release, “Troubadour”: Artist of the Year, Songwriter of the Year and Rap Recording of the Year.
As a child in Somolia, K’NAAN was witness to unbridled destruction and ruthless terror at the hands of merciless warlords. It was a place where nobody, not children, the elderly, or even religious figures were safe from the atrocities of war, a place where eight year olds handled AK-47’s like toys. As recently as 2007, when Forbes Magazine unveiled their “Most Dangerous Destinations” of the year, Somalia topped the list. But Somalia is also “The Nation of Poets” where a poem can both inspire peace and end wars, a place where every weekend regardless of the hostile climate, one can find a play or concert at local theatres. Growing up, it was both of these Somalias that informed K’NAAN as a musician, MC and poet.
Creating his own musical path through reggae, funk, pop, soul and hip-hop, K’NAAN successfully blends samples and live instrumentation for a sound that’s rooted in both traditional African melodies and classic hip-hop. He earned his first Juno (Rap Recording of the Year) and a BBC Radio 3 Award for his 2006 debut album, “The Dusty Foot Philosopher”, and the album was also nominated for the 2006 Polaris Music Prize.
Recently, K’NAAN has been garnering a flurry of critical praise and accolades for his hit single “Wavin’ Flag”, and has undertaken some very noteworthy projects based on its success. It debuted at #82 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart peaking at #2, and was chosen by Coca-Cola as the official theme song of the 2010 FIFA Soccer World Cup, which takes place in South Africa this summer. After he performed the song at the “Canada for Haiti” telethon this past January, the song climbed to #1 on the iTunes chart in Canada.
“Wavin’ Flag” was elevated to a whole new level as the medium for Haitian earthquake relief when a mind-staggering who’s-who of Canada’s music elite came together to record the song in Vancouver during the 2010 Olympics. This new version is set to become an international anthem for humanity, appealing for continued support to alleviate the devastation that has befallen Haiti. The newly revamped “Wavin’ Flag” is scheduled for release sometime in March. To view the Coca-Cola World Cup version of “Wavin’ Flag”, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HNh7LjvUi5g , then envision yourself singing loud and proud amongst the crowd when K’NAAN delivers his main stage Roots and Blues performance. It’s certain to be one of the best of the Festival! For more information on the line-up and to purchase tickets, log onto www.rootsandblues.ca or call 250-833-4096.