K'naan is a Somali Canadian poet, rapper, singer, songwriter and all around cool guy. And his life bio goes a long way to explaining the messages in his music.

Born in Somalia, K'naan spent his childhood in Mogadishu, living there during the Somali Civil War. His Aunt, Magool, was one of Somalia's most famous singers, while his Grandfather, Haji Mohammad, was a poet. When he was 13, K'naan moved to Toronto, Canada with his Mother and 3 siblings. There, K'naan started learning English, partly by listening to hip-hop albums by Nas and Rakim. Using these albums, he taught himself hip-hop and rap diction, copying the lyrics and style phonetically. And there the artist he is today was born.

His new song 'Is Anybody Out There' features Nelly Furtado, and it's an upbeat number, despite lyrics that hit on an important theme of K'naan's – shining the light on the helpless.

His conscious hip-hop roots show through the song, and it's as much him holding a mirror up to our image-centric society as much as it is just a straight up good pop song that is easy to move to. It's an impressive balancing act, and he is pulling it off with aplomb.

INTRODUCING, K'NAAN, SOMALIA, NELLY FURTADO, IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE,

Similar, But Different:

Introducing Of Monsters And Men

LISTEN: Basement Jaxx remixes The Drums 'Money' to bizarrely good effect

Music Video: Drake does what Drake does with Lil Wayne and Tyga in 'The Motto'