Get To Know H.E.R.

Hits: ABC’s (ft Chubb Rock), I Come Prepared, Bang Bang (ft Adam Levine), If Rap Gets Jealous, Wavin Flag, America (ft Mos Def, Chali 2na), Fire In Freetown, Take A Minute, People Like Me

Strikes:

Balls: T.I.A., Dreamer, Somalia, Fatima, 15 Minutes Away

There’s a lot moments in K’naan’s Troubadour that makes one forget that one is listening to a hip hop album. In fact, a lot of what makes this album work owes itself to the fact that it was able to blend the sound of multiple genres throughout. But, make no mistake, at it’s heart this is a hip hop album through and through.

With a distinct voice, the tendency to switch between singing and rapping (at times in the same song), and his emotional lyricism sprinkled with a bit of political charge makes K’naan inevitably sound a bit like a Canadian Mos Def. So it’s maybe not coincidence that track 9 features the Mighty Mos himself alongside Chali 2na (on a side note. Where the fuck is Chali 2na’s solo album at? Despite rumors that the album is coming along and that Rakim(!) is on it, I’m beginning to fear it’ll just become another one of those albums that will be released in the year 20never. End side note.). But the two emcees are distinct from each other and while Mos can shred K’naan to pieces lyrically, I tend to enjoy it more when K’naan sings anyways. He’s really not the most complex of rappers/lyricists in terms of technique, but he does have a way of bringing out emotion in every word he spits/sings.

Bottom line is if you feel the need to experience something a bit different, and maybe support our neighbors north of the border, give K’naan a chance. Like I said, there’s not gonna be too many moments where you’ll be rewinding your CD/mp3, trying to catch a sick line here and there, but I guarantee you’ll enjoy the listen. Sometimes I like my hip hop presented in a simple form without the need to dissect every line and K’naan is just the thing to satisfy that craving.

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