K'naan

hip hop artist (born 1978 in Mogadischu) from Somalia. When the civil war in Somalia reached the capital, Mogadischu, his parents emigrated with their 13-year-old son to Harlem, New York, before moving to Rexdale, Ontario, joining a small Somali Canadian community. This is where he started his musical career. His aunt, Magool, is revered as being one of Somalia's most famous singers of all time, and his grandfather, Haji Mohamed, was a renown poet. K'naan is a Muslim and his name means "traveller" in the Somali language.

Currently residing in Toronto, Ontario, K'naan has shared the stage with the likes of Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Pharoahe Monch and Jean Grae, while 2006 saw him on tour through the United States and Europe with Damian Marley.