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I saw this cat open up for Kweli once, and he ripped it. Soobax, (pronounced “sohbah”) the first single from K’naan’s upcoming album “The Dusty Foot Philosopher Deluxe Edition,” is percussion-fuelled protest music at its finest. Set in K’naan’s native Somalia, the song is a fervent look at life in a war-torn country ruled by competeing warlords and their gangs.  

Says K’naan, “The term ‘soobax’ actually means to ‘come out’ so when I recorded it, I imagined myself being in front of gunmen and I’m communicating directly to them.” He adds, “Sixty-year-old women in Canada jam to that song because it says things they couldn’t say. When my brother heard the song he said that it’s the first song he’d heard of mine that could get me killed.”

Emphasizing the message behind his music, K’naan sees “Soobax” as an anthem to lift the spirits and minds of his fellow people out of surrounding violence. On the chorus, K’naan speaks directly to the warlords and provokes them to leave the country. Sung in Somali, K’naan says, “You have exasperated the people so come out with it/ The troubles have increased so come out with it/ You’ve spilled the blood so that it drains on the roads so come out with it/ You’ve burnt the root of the earth so come out with it.”

The Background:
K’naan, an award-winning singer and musician, was born in Somalia, a country that has not had a functioning government since 1991. K’naan’s family moved to Harlem after catching the last domestic flight out of Somalia and eventually settled in Ontario, Canada. Using his ability to blend Western and African influences, K’naan’s music is a fusion of world music and hip-hop that borrows from the protest songs of Bob Marley, the hip-hop lyricism of Mos Def, and the storytelling traditions of Somalia.

Despite the violence K’naan has experienced, his lyrics address the possibilities for positive change and peace. His album, “The Dusty Foot Philosopher Deluxe Edition,” will be released for the first time in the U.S. by the Bay Area-based record label, Interdependent Media on June 24, 2008.

From Audible Treats