K’NAAN – Musician
Keinan Abdi Warsame popularly known by his stage name K’naan is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. He spent his childhood in Mogadishu. His father, Abdi, had left earlier when he was still a boy to work as a taxi driver in New York City.
K’naan’s early years were enveloped in poetry and song, with his aunt Magool often singing to him This changed following the start of the civil war when at the age of 12, three of his friends were shot by an older adolescent gunman. He rose to prominence with the success of his single “Wavin’ Flag“, which was chosen as Coca-Cola‘s promotional anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup.