If rap is a form of modern-day poetry and rappers are the servants of the craft then K’naan is crowned King. Pounding irreplaceable beats on the drum beneath his lanky hands – and anyone lucky enough to see his shows can attest to K’naan’s crazy abilities to rock that drum - Somali-born Canadian exhibits the true meaning of Hip Hop by simply, being himself. For K’naan, that includes blending poetry and Hip Hop with acoustic beats and a story of war, struggle and hope. Champion in exhibiting realities of warfare in his home of Somalia through African-inspired blends and dope story-telling, it’s no surprise that K’naan has been invited to tour with Damian Marley (and stay in the house and studio of legendary Bob Marley), perform with Mos Def and join the line-up of world’s most famous musicians for the Live 8 benefit concert of 2005. As he gets ready to release The Dusty Foot Philosopher Deluxe Edition on June 24th, HipHopDX sits down with K’naan to discuss his live band approach to shows, his ties with the Marley’s and his views on his people’s struggle.

HipHopDX: I waited a minute for this interview, you’re harder to track down than Obama.
K’naan: You’re just saying that to me.

DX: I’m serious. Are you still in Jamaica?
K: No, I’m in L.A. now.

DX: You were working with Damian Marley in Jamaica. Can you tell us about that?
K: Damian and I grew to become sort of like family, so we were just doing songs and music ideas and working on tracks and things like that. As an extension from the tours that we’ve been on together, we just started to work. And then we went to Jamaica and they gave me their father’s old house and studio and I spent three months recording there.

DX: Bob Marley’s studio huh? What were you recording exactly?
K: An album.

DX: Your future release?
K: Yes.

DX: How did you and Damian meet?
K: We met on the Welcome to Jamrock Tour when his album was released. I did a world tour with him for that. I think people who worked with him knew who I was and wanted to establish a relationship between my band touring at the time and him, Damian, who has become this big star because of that one Welcome to Jamrock album. And when I met him, Damian told me that a lot of people he respected, and elders that he knew even from his country were saying to him that he and I should meet. And so finally we did and that’s it.

DX: The Dusty Foot Philosopher Deluxe Edition is set for a release on June 24th. In what way is this version different from its previous release, 2005?
K: There’s been re-recorded songs; I’ve kind of re-vocalized some songs, remixed some songs, to kind of make it feel...When you go on tour for a long time you start to see things you would like to fix in your songs. And I got a chance to do that because it was going to be re-released. And so I did that with a few things and a few mixes over, and there’s also a new song in there with M-1 from dead prez.

DX: Now in terms of labels, are you with Interdependent Media as well as A&M/Octone, Records [Maroon 5’s label]?
K: Nah. I’m signed to A&M/Octone Records but The Dusty Foot Philosopher – is being released by Interdependent Media.

DX: “If Rap Gets Jealous” passionately attacks the lack of standards in Hip Hop presently. "So how could rap quench my thirst? I don’t even hear verses no more/ I hear jerking off punks with lip glosses and purses/ I don’t see nobody operating shit anymore, I see nurses." Elaborate...
K: That just means it’s not up to par right now. It’s kind of like words of disappointment as well as encouragement. Because when you love something and it lets you down by not being itself, you get angry at the thing. But you get angry in a sense that you would at a child, you know? And so you say, “You need to do better,” and that’s what that song is about. It’s saying that I’ll just leave the genre if you don’t up your game. So that part of the song is just about how everyone is doing the mundane, same old thing, whereas in what Hip Hop used to be is a fresh expression of the self rather than a uniformed one of ideas of the capitalist society. So it’s kind of yelling at them, saying, “Please do something else otherwise I’m out - 'cause I just can’t afford to be a part of it.”

DX: Lip glosses and purses – are you portraying mainstream rappers as lacking masculinity?
K: I guess that’s what it kind of does but it’s not like…it’s saying…the idea there is more about the shiny kind of gloss. The idea that you have this kind of gangster version of yourself, this idea, but I really think you’re – just by saying that you are [a gangster] it makes you kind of a sissy. And that’s kind of what I’m talking about. Continued on page 2 »