Troubadour (K'naan album)
Troubadour is the second studio album by Somali-Canadian hip hop artist K'naan, released February 24, 2009. The album features performances by Kirk Hammett, Chubb Rock, Chali 2na, Mos Def, Damian Marley, and Adam Levine. Production was completed by Track and Field, a team composed of R&B artists Gerald Eaton and Brian West.
The album contains songs produced by Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence, and Ari Levine, before they became The Smeezingtons, and also after.
Critical reception
's second album has received generally positive reviews, compiling an average score of 74 on Metacritic. Billboard described it as "socially alert and frequently brilliant". David Jeffries of Allmusic called Troubadour a "rewarding, often eye-opening spectacle", praising the selections for the guest artists and referring to K'naan as "ridiculously talented". The album was shortlisted for the 2009 Polaris Music Prize. About.com named Troubadour one of the best Rap Albums of 2009. Troubadour was also included in PopMatters' list of top 60 albums of 2009, at a respectable 43rd position. The album fetched K'naan three Juno Award nominations and he ultimately won Juno artist of the year. 'The Independent gave it a perfect 10 out of 10 rating.Singles
- "ABCs" was released as the album's first single. It peaked at #75 on the Canadian Singles Chart.
- "Bang Bang" was released as the album's second single featuring Adam Levine of Maroon 5. It peaked at #33 on the UK R&B Chart.
- "Wavin' Flag" was released as the album's third single. The single was later remixed and used for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It is his most successful single to date. It charted within the Top 5 in the UK, Netherlands, Norway, Italy, Ireland, France, Canada, Scotland, Spain, as well as others.
- A remix of "Wavin' Flag " featuring will.i.am & David Guetta was also used to promote the World Cup as well as his album; a music video was also made for the remix. The video also featured will.i.am and David Guetta.
Promo singles
- "Dreamer" was released as the album's first promotional single.
- "Somalia" was released as the album's second promotional single.
- "I Come Prepared" was released as the album's third promotional single.
- "If Rap Gets Jealous" was released as the album's fourth and final promotional single.
Licensed songs
Track listing
Bonus tracks
;Sample credits- "T.I.A." features a sample "Simmer Down" By The Wailers.
- "ABCs" contains a sample from "Kasalefkut Hulu" written by Mulatu Astatke.
- "Dreamer" contains a sample from "Tey Gedyeleshem" written by Alemayehu Eshete.
- "I Come Prepared" contains a sample from "Shellela" Getatchew Mekurya.
- "Somalia" contains a sample from "Yene Mastawesha" written by Tilahun Gessesse.
- "America" contains a sample from "Lantchi" written by Tilahun Gessesse.
- "15 Minutes Away" contains a sample from "Yene Felagote" by Tilahun Gessesse.
Chart positions
Only the 'champion edition' was released in the United Kingdom on July 16, and charted on the UK R&B Chart at a peak of 22.
| Chart | Peak position |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 32 |
| U.S. Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums | 33 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums | 12 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 7 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 57 |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 67 |
| South African Albums Chart | 20 |
| UK R&B Chart | 22 |