K'Naan

Rapper K'Naan tells skysports.com the sobering tale of his career before the World Cup.

High-flying rapper K'Naan tells skysports.com the sobering tale of his career and highlights the social impact of the World Cup

It is difficult to ignore K'Naan at present. The Somalian rapper's single, 'Wavin' Flag', has proved to be a global success as Coca-Cola's official anthem for this summer's World Cup finals and he is battling Dizzee Rascal at the top of the charts. It is a high in a remarkable life. The now 32-year-old witnessed the horror of civil war-torn Somalia as a child before moving to New York City's Harlem district when only a young teenager. K'Naan had previously learnt to rap thanks to the hip-hop records sent to him by his father, who had managed to escape Somalia to North America at an earlier date. He built experience of the linguistics prior to developing a grasp of the English language. Unquestionably, K'Naan has therefore climbed to the top the hard way. It is a sobering tale and the man himself recognises that fact. But he also told skysports.com that his career offers a message to his homeland. Describe what Somalia is like to those that are ignorant of the situation over there. There are two different Somalias. One is peaceful and really beautiful and the other was the one that I guess is better known, the tough one. During that period is war and tragedy and survival. It's worse now. It's been without a central government for the last 20 years. Basically it's tougher than ever and very much every man for himself. There are kids out there with guns as young as five, unfortunately. Given the situation over there, were you able to watch/play much football? Obviously the priorities for people are different over there, but football is such an escape for people and when I hear from people back home, they're very excited about the World Cup. They really value the chance to see the World Cup being played in Africa and they will all crowd round wherever they can watch it when the games are on. My involvement with the World Cup is remarkable for them too.

Who were the players you admired? When I was young it was always about Diego Maradona. Now there are other stars I like from Argentina to Brazil - I'm a big fan of Didier Drogba now. Is it true you learnt English from hip-hop albums your father sent you from America? I learnt to phonetically memorise hip-hop albums, but I didn't understand any English at all. It was only when I went to North America that I turned to hip-hop again to help me. Between that, television and regular conversation, I taught myself the language. How big a change was it when you swapped Somalia for New York? It was a culture shock, a weather shock, an architectural shock. I lived in Harlem. It was a pretty incredible contrast. How did you end up recording Coca-Cola's official World Cup anthem? They reached out to me. They'd heard about my music and went to see me in concert. They said they were so moved so they started to setup a little campaign at their head offices in Atalanta and sent people down. I think that's what converted them. The song just seemed to fit, it was already out there, 'Wavin' Flag'. I think that the song was so obvious to them, moving in a way for them, that they wanted to use it. It's amazing because the song is such a personal song that went on to become universal. It seems to reach people and for me, this is the world's greatest event. It's the only time when the world puts its differences aside and reaches out for an ideal that is greater than ourselves. I hope that my song can make the message of unity clear. How was the tour you did of Africa with the World Cup trophy as company? Man it was great, it was the best experience I've had of touring. I'm used to touring the world, but touring the world with the trophy - being such a fan of the game myself - was amazing. Being on a private plane with the cup sat next to me was an experience of a lifetime. To see my continent in such a way was amazing. We went to 22 countries in Africa back-to-back, which for me was the most rewarding of experiences. We went from everywhere to Swaziland to Madagascar. Everywhere people celebrated the presence of the cup and my music as well. How disappointing was it that you couldn't take the trophy back home to Somalia? The severe blow of one of their own travelling around the world with the World Cup trophy and trying to bring it home, but not being able because of there own created instability I think that the message is clear - they must change, they must do something positive for the lives of the Somalian people. That bitter-sweet moment is more important than if I had successfully brought the cup home. What would you say about Western scepticism over the World Cup being played in Africa? I would say those reservations often come from misguided ideas about the continent. People were initially saying about the tragedy of the bus shooting in Angola. But that's kind of like saying because the bus bombing happened in Spain we're worried about the World Cup being held in Germany. It's that kind of logic that is being applied. I've been around the continent and you can see the excitement in the faces of the people - it's a glorious moment. What style of football do you enjoy? I enjoy the South American style of football the most. I love the musicality of it, they're so stylish. Whereas the European version is kind of practical, incredibly efficient and great, but it's all too practical for me. The Brazilians are almost dancing. I love English football, but more than English football I love the passion for football of English people. England might very well have the most obsessive fans in the world. How did you end up working with Keane? They reached out to me because they were fans of my old album, 'The Barefoot Philosopher'. I was a big fan of their music, especially, 'Hopes and Fears', which is one my favourite albums. We got together and decided to make something that was unrestrained. It was not genre specific. I look to mix genres, I've never been a fan of constraining myself in industrial boxes. I like to make music however I like. I've worked with people ranging from Naag to Metallica. I just don't really respect the idea that you're only allowed to do one type of music. The single is massively popular - Are you ready for the fame? No, I'm not ready at all. I'm really someone who is just about their music - I never really factor in all the other stuff about success and all that. I just like to make songs and we'll see what happens. I'm not really based anywhere, I haven't had an apartment for the last year. I've been on tour, we've played about 600 shows and we've even more booked going forward. One day I'll have my own place, but for now I'm an expensive homeless. K'Naan's official World Cup single, 'Wavin' Flag', is out now and available to buy from itunes.