K’naan looks ahead to tour, new album
As he first revealed to Consequence of Sound back in August, K’naan will use the coming month to release his long-awaited sophomore studio effort. After spending the summer bringing his award winning styles to music festivals across the country, the Somali born hip-hop artist will look to to officially cap off one year and kick off another with the release of Troubadour in early January.
The 12-track follow up to 2005’s The Dusty Foot Philosopher, described as “armed with classic beats, live instrumentation and innovative rhymes,” is said to combine another round of K’naan’s thought provoking, culturally rich narratives with a bit of folk in the forms of protest songs. In other words, one of the genre’s most innovative musicians will be mixing it up even more, and not in a Kanye West autotune kind of way. Sound intriguing? Head over to K’naan’s newly redesigned official website for a taste of what’s to come in the form of a stream of Troubadour’s first single, “ABCs”.
If you’re looking for something more on the visual level, then there’s always the forthcoming effort’s official EPK to check out…
Ahead of the release, the Canadian will spend a number of dates on the road in support of Matisyahu. Once done, K’naan will have played more than 350 shows across five continents over the course of the last two years.
Check Out:
“ABCs”
Troubadour Tracklist:
01. ABCs (feat. Chubb Rock)
02. Dreamer
03. I Come Prepared
04. Take A Minute (feat. Mos Def)
05. If Rap Gets Jealous
06. Dusty Streets
07. Does It Really Matter
08. Fifteen Minutes Away
09. Bang Bang
10. Fire In Freetown
11. People Like Me
12. Somalia
K’naan 2008 Tour Dates:
11/26 - Park City, UT @ Harry O’s *
11/29 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre *
11/30 - Boulder, CO @ Fox Theatre *
12/06 - Louisville, KY @ Headliners Music Hall *
12/07 - Nashville, TN @ Cannery Ballroom *
12/09 - Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note *
12/11 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart’s *
12/14 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues *
12/16 - Toronto, ON @ The Phoenix Concert Theatre *
12/17 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
12/18 - South Burlington, VT @ Higher Ground
* = w/ Matisyahu
This guy is so amazing.