Times Of Swaziland: Waving the African flag so high!

Waving the African flag so high!
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Ntombi Mhlongo on 10/07/2010 00:00:00


Somali composer K’Naan’s World Cup song ‘Wavin’ Flag’ has arguably
become the most downloaded international song in India and the rapper hopes his
creation captures the feeling of ‘unity and celebration’ that the
footballing extravaganza has come to epitomise.
"My anthem is the official World Cup song for Coca Cola. It’s great to have a
hit song in all four corners of the world. ‘Wavin’ Flag’ is a beautiful,
uplifting song and I hope it captures the feeling of unity and celebration the
FIFA World Cup brings to people all across the planet," K’Naan told IANS in an
e-mail interview.
The song was released by Universal Music and the label says ‘Wavin’ Flag’
has set a record of sorts with over 150,000 downloads in India. Football
enthusiasts are setting it as their caller tunes and it is repeatedly played
several times over on TV and radio, as also in clubs and other places.
"I am really glad that Coca Cola and Universal Music made this happen," said the
rapper, who now lives in Canada.
The track is a remix of ‘Wavin Flag’, which originally appeared on
K’Naan’s 2009 album ‘Troubadour’.
reworked
The singer reworked the song for the Coca-Cola campaign which invited football
fans to express their optimism and passion for the game through dance
celebrations in the run-up to the World Cup in South Africa.
"The single has been released in more than 150 markets around the world and is
used as the anthem for all elements of the global Coca-Cola campaign in support
of its FIFA World Cup sponsorship in more than 160 countries," said K’Naan.
Even Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan tweeted about the song, saying: "My kids love
Wavin’ Flag."
Mohit Chauhan said: "K’Naan’s ‘Wavin’ Flag’ has got the right spirit
and drives home the exact message that be it life or soccer - It’s a beautiful
game! Apart from the tune being immensely catchy, the beats of the track really
caught my attention. Long live Soccer!"
Deepika Padukone too praised it saying: "The best thing about this song is that
it makes me want to sing along every time I listen to it and that is the mark of
a great track. Wavin’ Flag sure is making waves all over."
While Indians are going gaga over ‘Wavin’ Flag’, the rapper has returned
the compliment, saying he loves Indian music maestro A.R. Rahman’s
compositions.
"I have heard and liked Indian music, but cannot recall many names. One person I
remember is A.R. Rahman. I like his music a lot and he is very good," he said.
When asked whether he would like to collaborate with Rahman, the 32-year-old
said: "I am always open to explore new things."
Being originally from a strife torn area, K’Naan was asked if his songs
reflect the pain he went through. He replied: "Storytelling has been a part of
the culture I have been brought up in. I love songs that take you back into a
place you are not in. I was born in Somalia and spent my first 14 years there."
"At the age of 11 the civil war broke out. It was a very difficult and emotional
time, time for survival. All my songs are personal and have been influenced by
my life."
More About K’naan
Gangsta rappers have been known to boast about how mean their hometown streets
are, but none of them comes from a more violent ‘hood than K’naan. Born
Keinan Abdi Warsame in 1978, K’naan grew up in Mogadishu, Somalia, amid one
the most brutal civil wars in history.
When he was 13, K’naan and his family fled Somalia and took refuge in New York
and finally Toronto, where they still live. Coming from a family of performers
and poets, K’naan naturally gravitated toward the arts to make sense of his
new home and to process the trauma that nearly overwhelmed him in Africa (three
of his friends were killed in the conflict). A poet, spoken-word artist and
rapper, he has spoken out about his home country’s plight at the United
Nations and recorded two albums, the latest of which is "Troubadour" (A&M),
released last year. The album blurs the boundaries between spoken word and
hip-hop, and incorporates everything from heavy metal to reggae.
Q: What were your memories of growing up in Mogadishu? What about the music
there? Did it have an impact on you as a child?
A: I grew up in the Mogadishu of dreams. During an idyllic and optimistic time,
and music [was] almost its Siamese soundtrack.  I remember realizing very early
how music could so seamlessly go from being fun in one moment, to deadly serious
in the other.  A song would play in the record player at home, and you could
sing along loudly and then another would come, and mom would turn it down
swiftly, as the song might be considered what they called ‘anti’ — usually
music with subliminal poetic messages against the government.
Q: You left Mogadishu in 1991 – what do you remember about that time? Did you
feel you and your family’s lives were in danger?
A: There was a war, the danger was so generously spread out, I remember avoiding
thoughts of a future.  Too many people were dying for me to have some lofty
dreams about a future.
Q: How difficult was it to adapt to New York and then Toronto?
A: It wasn’t easy.  But even in the confusion and the algebra of our new life
in North America, it was colored with gratitude.  I think sincere gratitude for
life made the weather and language barriers tolerable.
Q: Is it true that you learned English by rapping along to hip-hop records?
A: Yes, don’t be alarmed. Rap was my first English teacher. But my second and
best teacher was literature.
Q: When did you make the transition into recording music?
A: I was travelling around Europe with a Somali band called Sheego. And they had
an American drummer from DC, who happened to be an incredible producer named Art
Powell. So we created stuff on the road together.
Q: You have been loosely defined as a hip-hop artist, but there is more to your
music than that. Were you concerned about how you might fit in as a musical
artist?
A: Yes, I was concerned.  I wasn’t sure that my music would be understood, let
alone appreciated.  And it’s not in me to follow popular trends, so the only
choice was create what I create, and just hope it’s OK with everyone else too.