Quick Hitters:: K'Naan & J. Period (The Messengers Remixes)

Last week the Ack posted a rather thoughtful opine on K'NAAN's Polaris-nominated album Troubadour. I think one of his main points was that too many guests can even dull the impact of you album if you have a compelling story to tell, as K'NAAN does. I doubt this is what j.Period & K'NAAN were thinking when they devised The Messengers mixtape series, but it seems they've taken the Ack's advice without knowing it.

The Messengers is a remix project done by DJ/Producer J.Period and T.O./Somali MC K'NAAN, and it matches K with three of music's most celebrated "Messengers": Fela Kuti, Bob Marley, and Bob Dylan. And it's free, which is always a welcome message - the Fela and Marley mixes are available now on J.Period's website. They mix both original verses and some of the tracks from K'NAAN's latest album with classic tracks from the iconic musicians, and they're pretty enjoyable. I think K's flow is more of natural fit with Marley's melodies vs. Fela's raw funk, but that said, it's pretty easy to be drawn to a Marley song, and after listening to the Fela mix a couple times yesterday, I think it's equally strong.

Both Fela and Bob, whilst really quite different, are kind of obvious matches for K'NAAN, but I have no idea how the Bob Dylan version will turn out - I'm kind of interested to find out though. For now though, go ahead and grab these mixes, and check some samples below.

MP3:: J.Period & K'NAAN - Let's Start (Messengers Remix)

MP3:: J.Period & K'NAAN - Ololufe Mi (Messengers Remix)

MP3:: J.Period & K'NAAN - Belly Full (Messengers Remix) f. Kardinal, Steele & Bajah

MP3:: J.Period & K'NAAN - Fatima / Stir It Up (Messengers Remix)
MYSPACE:: www.myspace.com/jperiod
MYSPACE:: www.myspace.com/knaanmusic

Labels: Canadian Hip Hip, Hip Hop, K'naan, Remix