Editor’s Note: The following is written by Jackson at ShowSanctuary. ShowSanctuary is two brothers’ take on the live music scene, providing the lowdown on the concerts to catch and undiscovered artists to follow. The brothers are devoted contributors to the TicketStumbler Blog.

I’m not the world’s biggest hip-hop fan, but when someone can combine catchy beats with thoughtful, intelligent lyrics, my ears are open. I’m a little late on his bandwagon, but K’Naan can straight-up spit it. Somalian born, Canadian bred and reggae influenced, K’Naan’s sound is profound. In his own words, he makes “urgent music with a message”, often urging peace and cease-fire in his homeland Somalia. His poetic lyrics are captivating and his anti-ganster message is refreshing in a rap culture where it is “cool” to let everyone know how gangster you are. He dropped his latest album, “Troubadour“, on February 24, 2009, and it features an array of extremely thoughtful, well-mixed jams. Definitely check him out.

Watch his video for “Dreamer”:
Dreamer – K’NAAN

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