# K'naan (Keynaan Cabdi Warsame)

> K'naan, born 1978 in Mogadishu: Somali-Canadian rapper behind 'Wavin' Flag', Juno winner and 2024 Grammy winner.

Source page: https://calankii.com/en/people/knaan/
Last checked: 2026-11-12
Publisher: Calankii (https://calankii.com)

## Who is he?

K'naan is a Somali-Canadian rapper, singer-songwriter and film director. His music mixes hip hop with Somali music and other world sounds ([Wikipedia, K'naan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%27naan)). He is best known for "Wavin' Flag", the song of the 2010 World Cup ([Britannica, K'naan](https://www.britannica.com/biography/KNaan)).

## Childhood in Mogadishu

He was born Keinan Abdi Warsame on 1 February 1978 in Mogadishu. His name, Keynaan, means "traveller" ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%27naan)). He grew up in a family of artists. His grandfather was a well-known poet, and the singer Magool was his aunt and often sang to him (same source).

The civil war ended that childhood. When he was 13, he, his mother, brother and sister left for New York, where his father worked. Six months later they settled in Toronto ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%27naan)).

## Learning English through hip hop

In Toronto's Rexdale area he learned English partly by listening to rap records, copying the words by sound before he knew their meaning ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%27naan)). In 1999 he performed a spoken word piece about Somalia before the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. The Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour heard him and invited him onto his album (same source).

## Records and awards

- **The Dusty Foot Philosopher** (2005): his first album. It won the Juno Award for Rap Recording of the Year in 2006 ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%27naan)).
- **Troubadour** (2009): his second album, which included "Wavin' Flag" (same source).
- **"Wavin' Flag"**: a new version became Coca-Cola's anthem for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa. He toured 86 countries with the World Cup trophy ([Wikipedia, Wavin' Flag](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wavin%27_Flag)).
- **Grammy, 2024**: his song "Refugee" won Best Song for Social Change ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%27naan)).

He has also directed films and won a FIPRESCI critics' prize (same source).

## A public case

In September 2024 the Associated Press reported that he had been charged in Quebec over an alleged sexual assault in 2010 ([Britannica, K'naan](https://www.britannica.com/biography/KNaan)). Calankii records court cases only as they are decided.

## In short

A rapper and singer whose songs drew on his childhood in Mogadishu and on his aunt Magool. See [Somali music](/en/society/somali-music/) and [Somalis in Toronto](/en/diaspora/toronto/).

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