video: k'naan + nas 'nothing to lose'

during my wee hibernation this weekend, k'naan dropped his new video with nas for nothing to lose. love the whole look and feel of it.

and here's a behind-the-scenes look at the story behind their collaboration (via okayplayer).

video: k'naan + nas 'nothing to lose'

soul food: k'naan's 'is anybody out there'

k'naan's EP more beautiful than silence is finally here. check out the second single, 'is anybody out there', collaboration with nelly furtado.

and just for old time's sake, their last collaboration, which still goes hard: 'are you going away?'

soul food: k'naan's 'is anybody out there'

soul food: k'naan's 'nothing to lose'

while we await this:

k'naan has released this: 

i love the simplicity of this...the percussive flow...the collaboration with his idol, nas. the EP is meant to tide us over until his full-length album is released. you are indeed correct if you think i'm doing some sort of happy dance right about now.

k'naan: more beautiful than silence

1. "is anybody out there" (ft. nelly furtado)

2. "nothing to lose" (ft. nas)

3. "more beautiful than silence"

4. "better"

5. "coming to america"


via complex

soul food: k'naan's 'nothing to lose'

music for a cause: leo37's fire dance

another slice of awesome from leo37 has just been released. and this time, it benefits a cause that is near to my heart. check it:

After a fantastic international response for LEO37’s first single, Fanfare, Toronto-based artist collective, PPFHouse, is proud to present the EP’s second single/video titled: Fire Dance.  Based on the first living organism to ever be patented (the Oncomouse a.k.a. Harvard Mouse), Fire Dance discusses the widely unknown history of the 1988 mouse that could have ultimately set Cancer research ahead 10-15 years but due to Harvard’s patent, ended up doing the opposite and slowed what could have been an astonishing series of breakthroughs.  Now, at a time when the disease is more rampant then ever and after what has been a difficult year for several close friends, PPF House will be offering the single at LEO37.bandcamp.com for a pay-what-you-want price from January 16^th -31^st and will be donating all proceeds to Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong Foundation as a tribute to those we’ve lost as well as lend support to those currently in the fight.

The video itself was shot and recorded at the legendary Canterbury Music Company in Toronto and edited by Joyce Wong (Toronto Reel Asian International Film Festival) and Lillian Chan (NFB, Red Rover, Guru Studios, Nelvana).  The song itself once again showcases the synergy between producer, John Poon’s aggressive sense of tone and time with LEO37’s equally aggressive cadences and subject matter that conjure up sensibilities of 1989 (Public Enemy, N.W.A., Paris, etc) while still being unquestionably 21^st century.

Having previously been referred to as ‘one of the most original sounds in Canada.’  by Exclaim! Magazine, Fanfare serves as a reintroduction for LEO37 to the Canadian and International music scene.  Having spent the better part of the last 5 years touring (including – all self-booked -- 3 Canadian tours, Amsterdam, Ireland, 20 cities across the U.S. as well as 7 countries in Asia), and sharing stages with the likes of: Aloe Blacc, The Bad Plus, Del the Funky Homosapien, Tittsworth, Swollen Members and Tanika Charles, just to name a few, LEO37 returns boasting a few more stripes and million more reasons to stay tuned. 

music for a cause: leo37's fire dance

k'naan in somalia

...on preservation of dignity...

k'naan in somalia

somalia: tears for rain

tears for rain

a true story

by the UAE Red Crescent.

somalia: tears for rain

soul food: gabriel teodros' 'blossoms of fire'

seattle-based ethiopian/american afropolitan, gabriel teodros, is an artist, activist, and blogger. and a seriously dope emcee. and my future partner-in-something-that-i-am-not-certain-of-yet-but-may-lead-to-taking-over-the-world-in-some-way. 

he describes his forthcoming second album colored people's time machine as 'an examination of the history, dreams, and future of native people everywhere'. the album will be released on january 19th and is available for pre-order the album, here. in the meantime, he's released his first single, 'blossoms of fire'. check it!

video directed by:  Barni Qaasim and Shadi Rahimi. 
video inspired by: Blossoms of Fire

soul food: gabriel teodros' 'blossoms of fire'

soul food: new music [soon come] from k'naan

um...you guys...?

*dance of glee*

soul food: new music [soon come] from k'naan

soul food: john forté's 'drift on'

music to breathe to. 

i hope you can see the shore from where you are/you may be miles away, but close at heart

i hope you can see the dawn from where you stand/it might be dark...but you will land.

drift on...you will land.

soul food: john forté's 'drift on'

soul food: zaki ibrahim's 'something in the water'

canadian/south african afropolitan zaki ibrahim has released a new single from her forthcoming album every opposite. something in the water is a soulful house track and is the first release from her first full-length album, which was conceived and recorded entirely in south africa. i don't know about y'all, but this is the perfect track to lose myself in after a loooooong week.

 ZAKI IBRAHIM - SOMETHING IN THE WATER by motifrecords 

soul food: zaki ibrahim's 'something in the water'

soul food: illume sessions ~ shad k

so we had this idea one day. and it grew into 'illume sessions', a mini-documentary series featuring artists and change-makers. after many misadventures in the editing lab, illume creative studio's first 'illume sessions' episode is up, and it features the brilliant shad k. it was filmed while shad was back in rwanda performing at the kigali up! festival. check it:

i learned so much working on this. and i'm so excited to be working with by brilliant partners in crime. and also: shad is awesome.

more soon come!

soul food: illume sessions ~ shad k