(Note: This review was originally posted on Vibe.com before the company was liquidated and sold to new owners. It is no longer available on the website, so I decided to re-post it here.)
K’naan, Troubadour
A&M/Octone
“I hope you’ve got your passports and vaccine shots,†announces K’naan on “T.I.A. (This Is Africa),†the opening track on his second album Troubadour. Speeding up a sample of the Wailers’ “Simmer Down†to chipmunk levels, the Toronto, Canadian immigrant describes his native Somalia’s streets, from the alleyways to the “Somali niggas quick to grab the Uzi.†This is Africa – hoo-ray!
However, K’naan doesn’t spend all of Troubadour certifying his hood credentials. He trades verses with Chubb Rock, of all people, on “ABCsâ€; rocks hard with Metallica’s Kirk Hammett on “If Rap Gets Jealousâ€; and rhymes cool in a cipher with Mos Def and Chali 2na (formerly of Jurassic 5) on “America.†With his penchant for harmonizing, singing and slaying MCs, K’naan resembles classic Mighty Mos in many ways. But only an artist with K’naan’s unique heritage could mount a convincing defense of “Somalia,†a country often accused by Western countries of fomenting piracy on the international waters, by detailing the harsh conditions its people live in.
At times, Troubadour gets a little too slick and polished — folksy ballads such as the lovelorn “Fatima†sound like outtakes from a Wyclef Jean album. But those sentimental numbers only complete a picture of an artist who celebrates all aspects of life, from the good times to the bad. It’s that generous spirit that makes Troubadour shine.
