CELEBRITY CENTRAL: K’naan

SOMALIAN VOICE Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, K’naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu and lived there during the Somali Civil War, which began in 1991. His aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia’s most famous singers. K’naan’s grandfather, Haji Mohamed, was a poet. His name, K’naan, means “traveller” in the Somali language. K’naan’s father, Abdi, left the country, along with many other intellectuals to settle in New York City and work as a cab driver. He mailed money home to his family (as mentioned in “If Rap Gets Jealous”). As the civil war continued and the situation in Somalia continued to deteriorate, K’naan’s mother, Marian Mohamed, petitioned the United States embassy for an exit visa. In 1991, on the last day the US embassy remained open, as the government of Mohamed Siad Barre collapsed, their visa was approved, and they boarded the last commercial flight out of the country A remixed version of K’naan’s single “Wavin’ Flag” was chosen as the offical song for the Africa leg of the 2010 FIFA World Cup trophy tour. Bridge She shot me, she shot me, bang, bang, she shot meShe shot me, she shot me, bang, bang, she shot meShe shot me, she shot me, bang, bang, she shot meShe shot me, she shot me, bang, bang(Get out the way, yo) There she goes again, the girl is EthiopianIn other words, she came through explodin’In the podium, dynamiteNapoleon like sodium mixed with petroleumSlowly but surely, she was walking toward me Cut the convo short ‘cause she had to wake up earlyBut continuing the storyDon’t worry she gave me digits for her Blackberry“You’re very handsome” is what she saidAnd the way she looked in my eyes said, “Put me to bed” Oh my, oh my, I should have knownWhen she said to me on the phoneYou do not know me very well but I would never hurt a flyThen she aimed at my chest with love in her eyeI said, she aimed for my chest with love in her eye Chorus She was walkin’ around with a loaded shotgunReady to fire me a hot one, it went bang, bang, bangStraight through my heartAlthough I could have walked awayI stood my ground and let her spray Scorpion, she’s so hot, she’s a scorchin’Killing me softly, Lauryn or KevorkianCouldn’t tell if she’s coo-coo or corky, whenI asked her her name and she said, “Call me Ten” Testing, testing, things just got more interestingShe’s dressed in a vest pin, double-breasted holsterA very western toaster, she ain’t nothing KosherShe lets me closer, hotter than a pepper crusted samosaWhile I try to keep my composure Am I wrong? But what is love without the pain to go along?And what is pain, if not the reason for me to sing this song? And this song is for the weak and for the strong‘Cause I was strong and still Ends