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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:60.0pt;font-family:"Cambria","serif"">K’NAAN
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><u><span style="font-size:18.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">Nominated for an MTV VMA for BEST VIDEO WITH A MESSAGE-
<i>“Is Anybody Out There?”<o:p></o:p></i></span></u></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><u><span style="font-size:16.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif""><o:p><span style="text-decoration:none"> </span></o:p></span></u></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><b><i><span style="font-size:14.0pt;font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">Artists’ New Single “Hurt Me Tomorrow” Climbing up the Top 40 Charts!<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
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</v:shapetype><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_s1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt="KN-NF-IAOT-1" style='position:absolute;margin-left:-3pt;margin-top:1.35pt;width:226.9pt;height:127.5pt;z-index:1;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square;mso-wrap-distance-left:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-top:0;mso-wrap-distance-right:9pt;mso-wrap-distance-bottom:0;mso-position-horizontal:absolute;mso-position-horizontal-relative:text;mso-position-vertical:absolute;mso-position-vertical-relative:text' stroked="t" strokeweight="2.25pt">
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</v:shape><![endif]--><![if !vml]><img width="309" height="176" src="cid:image003.jpg@01CD6FEC.9869D4D0" align="left" hspace="12" alt="KN-NF-IAOT-1" v:shapes="Picture_x0020_2"><![endif]><b><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">K’NAAN,
</span></b><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">the globally celebrated MC, singer songwriter has received an
<b>MTV VMA </b>nomination for his music video for <b>“<i>Is Anybody Out There?” </i>
</b>featuring <b>Nelly Furtado. </b>The video behind the empathetic track shows the struggle of two teenagers as they fight loneliness and society pressures. To
<b>view</b> the video, please click </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nevOsRGqL2c"><b><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">HERE.</span></b></a><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif""> The
<b>MTV VMA Awards </b>will take place <b>LIVE </b>on Thursday, September 6, 2012. To
<b>VOTE </b>for <b>K’NAAN </b>please visit: </span><a href="http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/%202012/best-video-with-a-message/"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">http://www.mtv.com/ontv/vma/ 2012/best-video-with-a-message/</span></a><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black">.
</span><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">Voting opened July 31<sup>st</sup> and runs thru August 24<sup>th</sup>.<b>
<o:p></o:p></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><i><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">“Is Anybody Out There?”
</span></i></b><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">was the first track to be released off of
<b>K’NAAN’s </b>upcoming third studio album <b><u>Country God or The Girl</u></b>. The collection is scheduled for release on October 16, 2012.
<b>K’NAAN’s</b> new single<i>, <b>“Hurt Me Tomorrow,”</b></i> is currently climbing the
<b>Top 40 charts.</b> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif";color:black">With his eloquent and thought-provoking lyrics,<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>in the tradition of great folk singers and protest songs,
<b>K’NAAN </b>carved a new path that widened the traditional hip-hop music perspective. With his sophomore album,
<b>K’NAAN</b> was declared an “Artist to Watch” by<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>Rolling Stone, NPR, The Los Angeles Times</i><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><i>MTV</i>. The album included
his multiplatinum single <b>“Wavin’ Flag,” </b>which saw worldwide success after being selected by
<b>Coca-Cola </b>as their theme song for their<b> FIFA 2010 FIFA World Cup™ </b>campaign. Declared the “People’s Anthem” with its message of hope and solidarity, the single reached
<b>#1</b> in over <b>18 countries</b> and also topped <b>Billboard’s European Hot 100 Singles</b> chart. In addition, K’NAAN has won a variety of awards including four
<b><u>Junos</u></b> including <u>Artist of the Year</u> and <u>Songwriter of the Year</u> and was also nominated for a
<b><u>Polaris Music Prize</u>, as well as a <u>BBC Newcomer of the Year</u> </b>award. The artist has guested on multiple notable projects including Nas and Damian Marley’s
<u>Distant Relatives</u>, Keane and Mos Def.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">For more information on the artist please visit
</span><a href="http://www.knaanmusic.com"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">www.knaanmusic.com</span></a><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="text-align:center"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">PRESS CONTACT:<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">Press Here<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">Carleen Donovan // Katie Leggett
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">212-246-2640<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:katie@pressherepublicity.com"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">carleen@pressherepublicity.com</span></a><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif""><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><a href="mailto:katie@pressherepublicity.com"><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">katie@pressherepublicity.com</span></a><span style="font-family:"Bookman Old Style","serif"">
<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";color:#595959">Katie Leggett<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";color:#FF3399">PRESS HERE<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";color:#595959">138 West 25th Street 9th Fl<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";color:#595959">New York, NY 10001<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";color:#595959">p: 212.246.2640<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";color:#595959">f: 212.582.6513<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Century Gothic","sans-serif";color:#595959">e:
<a href="mailto:carleen@pressherepublicity.com"><span style="color:blue">katie@pressherepublicity.com</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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