Was K’naan playing the diva in South Africa? Well according to a report published on Sunday, July 11, by The Times newspaper in Johannesburg, the rapper was said to have been a handful for organizers and promoters.
In South Africa to promote a couple of event associated with his hit song, “Wavin’ Flag” which was chosen by Coca-Cola to be their anthem during the World Cup tournament, an anonymous source said “there were several times when (K’naan) made it so hard for us to deal with him.” The article continued by stating that K’naan complained and whined about everything. He even complained about going to Alexandra Township because it was dangerous. Some people claimed that the rapper was mean and refused to take pictures with them. But the worst part according to the same source was when the star told some people that he wished he could get out of his contract and go back to Canada.
It didn’t take long for the Toronto-based and Somali-expat K’naan to demand an apology and a retraction from the South African newspaper that labeled him as being “difficult.” On Monday, July 12, he tweeted, “a piece entirely based on the opinion of ‘an insider’ who is never named. It’s unfortunate when one of the biggest (papers) in South Africa can publish a rumor piece without ever qualifying any of their statements.” The rapper also stated that he was never asked to play a show in Alexandra and dismissed the notion that he was apprehensive about visiting townships. “Actually, to be completely honest I prefer playing in the townships because I enjoy the energy and vibe,” he wrote.
It seems that the story is far from over and in K’naan‘s case it appears that the rapper and the newspaper have no intention of backing down from each other’s comments.
After performing in more than 86 countries on the World Cup tour, K’naan returned to Canada for a performance at the Festival d’été de Quebec on Friday, July 16. Follow later by dates at the Montreal’s Osheaga Festival and the Deep River Summerfest in Ontario. Since its release “Wavin’ Flag” has been topping charts in the U.K., Canada, Austria, Germany and Ireland.
Written by Valerie Varasse
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