In 2001 K'naan performed in Geneva at the 50th anniversary of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
In 2005, he performed with DobaCaracol during the Live 8 concert in Barrie, Ontario. His full-length debut album, The Dusty Foot Philosopher, was released in 2005.
His song "Soobax" (pronounced "So-Bah") is now featured in the best selling video game FIFA Football 2006, made by Electronic Arts and he has toured the world with the cup.
K'naan participated in the Breedlove Odyssey Tour with Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and Jean Grae. He also participated in the "Welcome To Jamrock" tour along with Damian Marley.
The Dusty Foot Philosopher received a 2006 Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year, and was nominated for the inaugural Polaris Music Prize. He also featured in a song by M1, titled "Till We Get There".
The song "In the Beginning" from the album The Dusty Foot Philosopher was featured in the 2008 Comedy "Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay"
He also toured with Stephen Marley on Stephen's "Mind Control" tour.
His latest album "Troubadour" was released in 2009 featuring guests artists such as Damian Marley, Adam Levine, Kirk Hammett, Mos Def, and Chali 2NA.
A remixed version of K'naan's single "Wavin' Flag" was chosen as the Coca-Cola anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa.
K'naan won the 2010 Juno Awards for Canada's Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.
Àfrica
K'naan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Les jours se ressemblent mais ne sont pas les mêmes
Les doigts de la main ne sont pas tous égaux
Dans ce monde, on est complémentaire
Come on and show me everything that you know
I wanna travel every inch of your curves
Il y a le soleil, il y a la chaleur humaine
Il y a le soleil, il y a la joie de vivre
Il y a le soleil, on est tous ensemble
I'm goin' up and down
And baby round and round
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Solidarité
Africa! Africa! Africa!
C'est la joie de vivre
Tell 'em again
Here we go
Il y a des pays où c'est la neige
Il y a des pays où, c'est la canicule
Il y a des pays où, c'est les tempêtes
Il y a des pays où, c'est des îles
Dans ce monde, on est complémentaire
It's just a jealousy
Everything for you and me
You ready? Here we go
I got my feet, I'm jumping high off the wall
I got my heart, I ain't afraid of the fall
I got my duffel bag that daddy packed for me
I got my ear so I hear when you call
I don't need eyes just to see you look good
You always did, but they misunderstood
I'm goin' up and down
And baby round and round
I wanna touch you down the river below
And then I'll kiss you from your head to your toe
You take me so high up, and then you let me down
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Solidarité
Africa! Africa! Africa!
C'est la joie de vivre
En Afrique, il n'y a pas que la guerre
En Afrique, il n'y a pas que la famine
En Afrique, il y a la solidarité
Il y a les parents, il y a aussi les frères
Il y a les soeurs, il y a aussi les cousins
Il y a les amis, il y a aussi la famille
La communauté, on est tous ensemble
En Afrique, il y a la joie de vivre
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Solidarité
Africa! Africa! Africa!
C'est la joie de vivre
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Solidarité
Africa! Africa! Africa!
C'est la joie de vivre
The lyrics to K'naan's song Africa are a celebration of the continent and the unity that exists among its people. The song acknowledges that people do not choose their destiny, and that though each day may seem similar, they are not the same, just like the fingers on a hand are not all equal. The lyrics further assert that in this world, everyone is complementary to one another. The song goes on to highlight the different climates, cultures, and experiences that exist in different countries, and how they are all complementary to one another. The chorus, which repeats the word "Africa" multiple times, highlights the solidarity and joy that exists among Africans.
The lyrics are a call for people to appreciate the beauty of Africa and to recognize the diversity and solidarity that exists among its people. K'naan's use of both French and English languages reflects the cultural diversity of the continent. The song further showcases K'naan's ability to blend different genres of music and incorporate different cultural influences into his music.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh! Mes amis on ne choisit pas son destin
Oh! My friends, we don't choose our destiny
Les jours se ressemblent mais ne sont pas les mêmes
Days may look similar but they are different
Les doigts de la main ne sont pas tous égaux
Fingers in a hand are not all equal
Dans ce monde, on est complémentaire
In this world, we are complementary
Come on and show me everything that you know
Come and show me your knowledge
I wanna travel every inch of your curves
I want to explore every part of you
En Afrique, il y a la canicule
In Africa, there is heatwave
Il y a le soleil, il y a la chaleur humaine
There is sun and warmth of the people
Il y a le soleil, il y a la joie de vivre
There is sun and a joy of life
Il y a le soleil, on est tous ensemble
There is sun and we are all together
I'm goin' up and down
I am going up and down
And baby round and round
And spinning around
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Solidarité
Solidarity
C'est la joie de vivre
It's the joy of life
Tell 'em again
Tell them again
Here we go
Here we go
Il y a des pays où c'est la neige
There are countries where there is snow
Il y a des pays où, c'est la canicule
There are countries where there is heatwave
Il y a des pays où, c'est les tempêtes
There are countries where there are storms
Il y a des pays où, c'est des îles
There are countries made up of islands
It's just a jealousy
It's just jealousy
Everything for you and me
Everything is for you and me
You ready? Here we go
Are you ready? Here we go
I got my feet, I'm jumping high off the wall
I am jumping high off the wall with my feet
I got my heart, I ain't afraid of the fall
I have my heart and I am not afraid to fall
I got my duffel bag that daddy packed for me
I have my duffel bag packed by my dad
I got my ear so I hear when you call
I have my ear so I can hear you when you call
I don't need eyes just to see you look good
I don't need my eyes to see that you look good
You always did, but they misunderstood
You always looked good, but they didn't understand
I wanna touch you down the river below
I want to touch you down by the river
And then I'll kiss you from your head to your toe
And then I will kiss you from your head to your toe
You take me so high up, and then you let me down
You take me high and then bring me down
En Afrique, il n'y a pas que la guerre
In Africa, there is more than just war
En Afrique, il n'y a pas que la famine
In Africa, there is more than just famine
En Afrique, il y a la solidarité
In Africa, there is solidarity
Il y a les parents, il y a aussi les frères
There are parents and also siblings
Il y a les soeurs, il y a aussi les cousins
There are sisters and also cousins
Il y a les amis, il y a aussi la famille
There are friends and also family
La communauté, on est tous ensemble
The community, we are all together
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Solidarité
Solidarity
C'est la joie de vivre
It's the joy of life
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Solidarité
Solidarity
C'est la joie de vivre
It's the joy of life
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Africa! Africa! Africa!
Solidarité
Solidarity
C'est la joie de vivre
It's the joy of life
Lyrics © REVA SONS, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, SONY ATV MUSIC PUBLISHING FRANCE
Written by: AMADOU BAGAYOKO, KEINAN WARSAME
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@the204cool
Ten years later and this song is still banging
@KontinuallyAlteredTechniques
this comment here
@legitsports4808
12
@ell3655
13
@emilypatriciagarciacanals4588
This is one of the song from my childhood, my father introduced it to me along with Michele Jackson, it has been stuck in my head and just today he put it once again. I finally got the name of it again. I’m so happy
@og9459
Childhood memories for sure 😂♥️
@ricardozk
"I hope you got your passports and vaccine shots." hits different now.
@eastleighwonder1175
True
@drdread9896
Man
@7_nazzy
My goodness