K'naan - The Dusty Foot Philosopher

K'naan
The Dusty Foot Philosopher
2005

1. Wash It Down
2. Soobax
3. What's Hardcore
4. My Old Home
5. Moment
6. I Was Stabbed By Satan
7. My God
8. Smile
9. If Rap Gets Jealous
10. The Dusty Foot Philosopher
11. Strugglin'
12. In the Beginning
13. Hoobaale
14. The African Way
15. Voices in My Head
16. Boxing My Shadow
17. For Mohamoud (Soviet)
18. Until the Lion Learns to Speak

Mixing hip-hop, folk, and poetry, K'naan has a long career ahead of him. Growing up in a war-torn country, he spent his time listening to hip-hop albums sent to him from America by his father. At thirteen, he left with the rest of his family to join him in Canada. There, K'naan began to use albums by Nas and Rakim to teach himself English, and he taught himself hip-hop and rap diction by copying the lyrics and style.

The Dusty Foot Philosopher recalls much of K'naan's past in his home country. Songs like 'Wash It Down', 'Until the Lions Learn to Speak' and 'In the Beginning' are two tracks that might feel out of place to the first time listeners, but the latter comes out as one of the strongest of the eighteen. The title track is K'naan at the top of his game, showing off everything that his lyrical skills offer in four minutes of beatdown.

All of this is odd, considering my extreme dislike for popular hip-hop and rap artists. This album just feels different and speaks a geninuine truth, where in most I laugh about the idocracy going on.