Gary's K'Naan Review

There's been a lot of talk about a certain Toronto rapper right now. He's wowed American audiences with his style, earned fans in Lil' Wayne, Kanye and the like and is climbing the charts as the "next" great hip hop artist. Everybody's talking about former Degrassi star Drake these days - and it's too bad, because they should be talking about K'Naan.

The sheer fact he doesn't hide his skills behind the played-out auto-tune effect (and then call it innovation) is reason enough to love K'naan - luckily there's more to the Somali born rapper. That's not to say he doesn't fall prey to other gimmicks (more on that later), but to paraphrase Jay-Z, at least he ain't T-Pain'in to much.

But let's talk about what he does right - which is pretty much everything. You want party anthems to get you moving, you can't do much better than lead track TIA (This Is Africa), which sets the tone for the rest of the album - that you're in for a slightly different hip hop experience.

K'Naan can also deftly straddle the divide between socially conscious rapping with a message and guilty-pleasure/bling and champagne style hip hop in a way that always seems slightly out of reach for someone like Kanye. That's not even a slight on Kanyeze, but a testament to how effortlessly K'Naan can take a weighty track like Somalia or America (featuring Mos Def), and still make it feel like a party.

But it's not enough for him to simply start the party and hope you learn something subconsciously. K'Naan also has the ability to write some pretty majectic, message-laden songs that are guaranteed to warm the heart of even the most cynical bastard. While Wavin' Flag and Take a Minute are big, call and answer type songs you'll feel obliged to sing along with. Yes, they sound like they could easily find a home in an episode of One Tree Hill bu they're such good songs you'll hardly care.

One thing I find really exciting about K'Naan is that he seems far more interested in putting out a sunnier disposition than his contemporaries. It's less about image and more about inspiring his listeners - he doesn't feel obliged to remind you how tough he is or how rough his life has been.

Remember earlier when I said he does fall prey to some gimmicks? Well, where the album trips all over itself is the clumsy inclusion of guest appearances - from Moron 5's (not a typo) Adam Levine and Metallica's Kirk Hammett - that devolve an otherwise rich and thought provoking album into a forgettable pop cliche. Both songs sound like they were cooked up by studio execs to sell albums and have virtually no natural feeling or spirit. And while these are the only two songs that don't fit (and stick out like a sore thumb), the rest of the album is so good that you'll feel even more let down.

This of course is just one of the problems K'Naan faces going forward. Because he's so talented and has set the bar so high, there's a fear that he'll fall harder and faster than most. But for now, he's right where he needs to be and extremely deserving of the Polaris Prize nod.