K’naan asks where is all of the hip-hop in Canada?
August 14th, 2009
Toronto-based musician K’naan has called out Canadian hip-hop artists to be more consistent with their music.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, the Somali-born K’naan fielded a question about why so few hip-hop albums have been short-listed for the Polaris Music Prize - a total of four out of 40 in the four-year history of the award.
The two-time nominee responded by saying, “We have a lot of artists in Canada who are hip-hop artists and so on, but not a lot of the young people out there who are making music are actually putting out consistent work, you know what I mean?”
His latest album, Troubadour, is one of ten albums vying for the $20,000 prize. His previous album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher, lost out to Final Fantasy’s He Poos Clouds in 2006.
K’naan also pointed to a lack of exposure, which he feels has as much to do with the artists themselves as it does the labels. “We have to be kind of honest … I know that there’s a k-os album out, I know that there’s a Classified album out, you know what I mean, but all the other guys we’re talking about that have got their little studios in Toronto - it’s nice and all, but where’s the music?
“I think we do have to produce more great art out of Canada that we would say might be hip hop. And that’s not nobody else’s responsibility but the artists’.”
At the same time, he recognizes that hip-hop, especially in Canada, doesn’t usually get a fair shake.
“I do think there’s a little bit of an inconsistency with just how the music industry in general works with regards to urban music, especially urban music from Canada,” he said.
K’naan will face stiff competition from Chad VanGaalen, Great Lake Swimmers, F**ked Up and Metric on September 21st, when the Polaris Music Prize gala takes place at the Concert Hall at the legendary Masonic Temple.
Tags: k'naan
Posted on Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 3:28 pm by Cam and is filed under News.
