Hear Dan Mangan, Hey Rosetta!, K’naan and an acceptance speech by Leonard Cohen recorded live at the Canadian Blast festivities for the Grammy’s in LA.

Though his appearance at the NPR Music office qualifies as the first-ever hip-hop Tiny Desk Concert, Somali-born rapper K’naan isn’t one to adhere to a single genre. Given that he released a song called “If Rap Gets Jealous” earlier this year (hear him perform it at SXSW here), it’s no surprise that this show found him infusing his music with the sounds of soul, pop and reggae. With the help of a crack backing band, his three-song set — all drawing from this spring’s marvelous Troubadour — exuded shimmery grace.

K’naan grew up in war-torn Mogadishu — he moved to Toronto at 13 and learned English with the help of Eric B & Rakim records — which helps lend grittiness to his storytelling. But in “Fatima,” performed here, he tells the story of a lost childhood friend with gentle humor and a sober understanding of what our loved ones leave behind. That song is sandwiched between two magnificent inspirational anthems: “Wavin’ Flag” and “Take a Minute,” both of which are as uplifting as they are shot through with real-world perspective. Together, the three songs add up to a miniature concert that’s sweet and stirring while backing up what we’ve been saying for months: K’naan has the makings of a global superstar who’s as inspiring as his songs are infectious.

Sourced from NPR Music

Today the short list of the nominees for this year’s Polaris prize were announced. There has been a lot of discussion today surrounding the displeasure of the repeat nominees, and to those I say – can’t we all just get along and celebrate that we have a chance to showcase some FANTASTIC Canadian music!!!!! Get over it there is no shortage of talent on this list. Are they the best of the year? That is a different answer for everybody, but this is the list supported by the votes of a very large number of our Canadian music media.

	Elliott Brood Mountain Meadows Toronto, ON Website | Myspace		Fucked Up The Chemistry of Common Life Toronto, ON Website | Myspace
	Great Lake Swimmers Lost Channels Toronto, ON Website | Myspace		Hey Rosetta! Into Your Lungs St Johns, NL Website | Myspace
	K-NAAN Troubadour Toronto, ON Website | Myspace		Malajube Labyrinthes Montreal, QC Website | Myspace
	Metric Fantasies Toronto, ON Website | Myspace		Joel Plaskett Three Halifax, NS Website | Myspace
	Chad VanGaalen Soft Airplane Calgary, AB Website | Myspace		Patrick Watson Wooden Arms Montreal, QC Website | Myspace