Sheet music and lyrics for the chart-topper are included in the book, with references to the tune's ubiquitous chorus threaded throughout the story. The song, of course, is his anthemic hit Wavin' Flag. "I thought it would be really more interesting for me - at this moment anyway - to write a little story contextualizing certain things which could seem so mythical to kids, and putting them in simple words around a song they already love," K'naan said in a recent phone interview.Īfter his new children's book When I Get Older: The Story Behind Wavin' Flag, rapper K'naan says he still hopes to write a memoir.
When I Get Older chronicles the challenges K'naan faced to adjusting to life in New York and later Toronto where he describes feeling like an outsider in his new environment, from his clothes to contending with a crude classmate. It includes vibrant illustrations by Rudy Gutierrez as well as a brief summary on the history of Somalia. The book offers a window into life growing up in his native Somalia, and his mother's decision for the family to flee the African country following the outbreak of civil war in 1991. While the Somali-Canadian poet and MC initially planned - and still hopes - to pen a memoir for adults, When I Get Older: The Story Behind Wavin' Flag (published by Tundra Books) documents a pivotal period of K'naan's life geared towards a younger audience. The launch of his first-ever children's book represents a full-circle moment of sorts for the award-winning rapper, as he fuses literature, art and music to share his childhood story of the immigrant experience. As a newcomer to Canada, K'naan was able to find a source of both solace and expression through music.