AWmusic

Through the latter half of high school and the bulk of my undergrad I listened to hip-hop, almost exclusively. I progressively got out of it, I’m not exactly sure why, but probably because the artists I really liked – the mainstays of “conscious (which, I think is a retarded term) hip-hop” Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Blackalicous – just started putting out crap… or I got sick of their stuff… or whatever. Interestingly, the same sort of thing happened when I started to listen to bands like Death Cab, the Decemberists, so, maybe this says more about me than anything else….

Anyways, during my hip-hop period – when I used to watch Rapcity, and order albums of hiphopsite.com – I heard K’Naan do a verse of a VA song for Warchild, and, when his first album The Dusty Foot Philosopher came out I felt like the Juno voters finally did something right when they gave him the Juno for Best Rap Album. The album, to me, felt like a fusion of (what I can only assume is traditional) Somolian music, and some of the more thoughtful hip-hop being put out. The stories, the pain, all seemed very authentic, and, by extension, much more (in the words of Brody Jenner) real.

Troubador, by contrast, while still good, seems… much less “real”. The contrast, I think (although I could just be making this up), is most clear on the two versions of “If Rap Gets Jealous” on TDFP vs. the song on Troubador ft. Kirk Hammett of Metalica. The former is much more conversational, more like K’Naan is telling a story, while the later kind of sounds like it was produced by John Mayer.

So, all this is not to say that I don’t like the album (otherwise it wouldn’t be my pick of the week – although, I’ll admit, this pick is pretty half-hearted), because there are some undeniably great songs on the album: “T.I.A. (This is Africa)”, “Fatima” (which would’ve been completely out of character on TDFP), “Fire in Freetown”, and… you know what I’m going to go ahead and say basically every with a guest ruins the song… this album would be 5 to 15 times better if there were no guests on it, but c’est la vie…

I’d be lying if I said I thought this’ll be on my year end list, after all there are 52 weeks in the year and I try and usually narrow things down to 20-30 albums, but if you kind of like hip-hop Troubador is worth giving a once through… and if you haven’t heard it The Dusty Foot Philosopher is very much worth a listen.

[mp3] K’naan – T.I.A.
[mp3] K’naan – ABCs ft. Chubb Rock

Pick of the Week #1: Ketch Harbour Wolves
Pick of the Week #2: Rah Rah
Pick of the Week #3: Glasvegas/Animal Collective
Pick of the Week #4: Bruce Peninsula
Pick of the Week #5: The Antlers
Pick of the Week #6: The Darcys
Pick of the Week #7: OhbijouPick of the Week #8: Gentlemen Husbands
Pick of the Week #9: Chris Whitley
Pick of the Week #10: Alela Diane

It’s official, the line-up for this year’s Coachella festival has been posted. And no, David Bowie isn’t bringing back Ziggy Stardust, despite all the rumors floating around the internet. Coachella will again be taking place at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, CA and the dates have been confirmed for April 17, 18 and 19.

With the economy finding its way deeper into the shit, Paul Tollett (festival founder) announced another plan to bring in the masses. Tickets can be purchased via layaway plans with two methods of payment. Instead of dropping the full $269US for a three-day pass: pay half upfront and the rest April 1, or pay 10% followed by equal installments on March 1 and April 1 without any interest or additional costs. These plans are only available for online purchases and are not included with the $99 single-day admission. Check out the official Coachella website for more information, as well as a list of all the bands’ myspace pages and selected videos on youtube.

And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the bands:

And, a selected playlist.

The Cure – Boys Don’t Cry

Morrissey – Irish Blood English Heart

K’naan – Strugglin

TV On The Radio – Family Tree

My Bloody Valentine – Soon

Ting Tings – That’s Not My Name

Noah and the Whale – Jocasta

On Philosopher, there is really something for everyone. If you like fast rhythms with instruments you’ve never heard before, than “Soobax” is perfect. It’s a fast-paced song with a crazy beat that is apparently a huge crowd-pleaser at shows. If you like slower, acoustic rap songs, than you’ll love his first single off the album “Strugglin’. On my personal favourite, “The African Way”, K’naan brings you back to Somalia, incorporating authentic African instruments with witty lyrics and even a Somali rapper. I also recommend that you go and buy his two most recent singles of Troubadour, “ABCs” (my absolute new favourite song) and “Dreamer”.

Basically, if you’re into rap or hip-hop with a dose of African flavour, nothing beats K’naan. On every song, his beats, rhythms, instruments, and lyrics come together to create a completely original rap song with some Somali rap in the mix. The Dusty Foot Philosopher’s follow-up album is sure to be a huge success and to bring K’naan more recognition than ever before and rightfully so. Hear more from K’naan on his MySpace and official website.

Soobax by K’naan
The African Way by K’naan
Strugglin’ by K’naan