Nneka (singer)
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Nneka Lucia Egbuna (born 24 December 1980) is a
Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...
singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
,
songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...
and actress. She sings in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
,
Igbo Igbo may refer to: * Igbo people, an ethnic group of Nigeria * Igbo language, their language * anything related to Igboland, a cultural region in Nigeria See also * Ibo (disambiguation) * Igbo mythology * Igbo music * Igbo art * * Igbo-Ukwu, a ...
and Nigerian Pidgin.


Early life

Nneka Lucia Egbuna was born and raised in
Warri The city of Warri is an oil hub within South-South Nigeria and houses an annex of the Delta State Government House. Warri City is one of the major hubs of the petroleum industry in Nigeria. Warri and her twin city, Uvwie are the commercial c ...
, in the Delta State, Nigeria, to a
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
mother and Nigerian father. She is the youngest of four siblings. Their German mother left the family when Nneka was two years old. Her father remarried, and his new wife stopped at nothing to make life unbearable for the children of the former wife, torturing and terrorizing the children, especially the two youngest — Nneka and her brother, Anatol.Artists After the Escape: How Nneka Egbuna found a home in music
DW, 18 December 2017.
In 1999, she relocated to
Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...
, her mother's home city. At first, she lived in a residence for
asylum seeker An asylum seeker is a person who leaves their country of residence, enters another country and applies for asylum (i.e., international protection) in that other country. An asylum seeker is an immigrant who has been forcibly displaced and mi ...
s close to the airport. Later, she moved into communal housing for youths. She learned German very quickly, and after a year and a half, she completed her high school diploma at a secondary school that had a graduation track for non-native speakers of German. After graduating from high school, she studied
anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...
and
African studies African studies is the study of Africa, especially the continent's cultures and societies (as opposed to its geology, geography, zoology, etc.). The field includes the study of Africa's history (pre-colonial, colonial, post-colonial), demography ...
at
Hamburg University The University of Hamburg (german: link=no, Universität Hamburg, also referred to as UHH) is a public research university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by combining the previous General Lecture System ('' Allgemeines Vor ...
, while making music on the side. Subsequently she began performing in the underground dancehall scene in order to finance her degree.


Career


2003–2007: Early career and ''Victim of Truth''

Nneka first gained public attention in 2004 while performing as an opening act for dancehall reggae star
Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists. Paul's singles "Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...
at
Hamburg Stadtpark Hamburg Stadtpark (Hamburger Stadtpark) is a large urban park in the district of Winterhude, in the Hamburg borough of Hamburg-Nord. Spanning an area of , it is the second-largest park in the city after Altona Volkspark. The Stadtpark is regarde ...
, and following much acclaim, she announced her intentions to record her first album. After releasing her debut EP, ''The Uncomfortable Truth'', she performed on her first tour in April 2005, playing shows in Germany,
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and
Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. In 2005, Nneka's debut album, ''Victim of Truth,'' was released across
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, Nigeria and
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
. Garnering rave reviews from the media, the UK's Sunday Times later declared ''Victim of Truth'' "the year’s most criminally overlooked album". Despite universal acclaim, the record did not manage to chart. Nevertheless, Nneka enjoyed a sustained and successful period of touring, performing with label-mate
Patrice Bart-Williams Patrice Babatunde Bart-Williams (born 9 July 1979), better known as Patrice, is a Sierra Leonean-German singer-songwriter, music producer and film-maker. Raised by a Sierra Leonean father and a German mother, Patrice Bart-Williams grew up listenin ...
. During her tour, she played at Chiemsee Reggae Summer,
Haarlem Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...
(Bevrijdingsfestival),
The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital of ...
(Park Pop) and
Saint-Brieuc Saint-Brieuc (, Breton: ''Sant-Brieg'' , Gallo: ''Saent-Berioec'') is a city in the Côtes-d'Armor department in Brittany in northwestern France. History Saint-Brieuc is named after a Welsh monk Brioc, who Christianised the region in the 6th c ...
(Art Rock Festival), and in respected venues, such as La Maroquinerie and
New Morning New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
in Paris, Tivoli in
Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
, Paradiso in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
, and Cargo and
ULU An ulu ( iu, ᐅᓗ, plural: ''uluit'', 'woman's knife') is an all-purpose knife traditionally used by Inuit, Iñupiat, Yupik peoples, Yupik, and Aleut women. It is utilized in applications as diverse as skinning and cleaning animals, cutting a c ...
in London. She has also supported artists such as
Femi Kuti Olufela Olufemi Anikulapo Kuti (born 16 June 1962), popularly known as Femi Kuti, is a Nigerian musician born in London and raised in Lagos. He is the eldest son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti and a grandchild of political campaigner, women's r ...
,
Bilal __NOTOC__ Bilal may refer to: People * Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name) * Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad * Bilal (American singer) * Bilal (Lebanese singer) Places *Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...
,
Seeed Seeed is a German hip hop, reggae and dancehall band based in Berlin. Founded in 1998, they have become well known in Germany and its neighboring countries. Musical style and lyrics Seeed consists of eleven band members, including three ...
, and
Gnarls Barkley Gnarls Barkley are an American soul duo, composed of singer-songwriter CeeLo Green and producer Danger Mouse. They released their debut studio album, '' St. Elsewhere'', in 2006. It contained their hit single "Crazy", which peaked at number two ...
. In 2006, Nneka also performed on the German television network WDR, where she performed her single "Gypsy", while a dance group performed a dance routine they had worked on specifically for the song. The dance group was supported by the organization Schlauberger.


2008- 2011: ''No Longer at Ease'' and ''Concrete Jungle''

In February 2008, she released her second album, ''No Longer at Ease.'' The title of the album is taken from a novel of the same name by
Chinua Achebe Chinua Achebe (; 16 November 1930 – 21 March 2013) was a Nigerian novelist, poet, and critic who is regarded as the dominant figure of modern African literature. His first novel and ''magnum opus'', ''Things Fall Apart'' (1958), occupies ...
and reflects the lyrical content of the record. Many of the songs are political, talking about the plight of the
Niger Delta The Niger Delta is the delta of the Niger River sitting directly on the Gulf of Guinea on the Atlantic Ocean in Nigeria. It is located within nine coastal southern Nigerian states, which include: all six states from the South South geopolitical ...
and the corruption in Nneka's homeland. ''No Longer at Ease'' combines the political and the personal in "a winning mix of soul, hip-hop and reggae". The lead single from the record, "Heartbeat", became Nneka's first song to break into the German Top 50. In September 2009, the song entered the
UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...
at no. 20. "Heartbeat" has since been remixed several times, most notably by
Chase & Status Chase & Status are an English electronic music duo composed of Saul Milton (Chase) and Will Kennard (Status). In addition, Andy Gangadeen is the drummer when the band performs live. MC Rage formerly performed as MC with the group, but left in Ju ...
, was sampled by
Rita Ora Rita Sahatçiu Ora (born Rita Sahatçiu; 26 November 1990) is a British singer and songwriter. She rose to prominence in February 2012 when she featured on DJ Fresh's single, "Hot Right Now", which reached number one in the UK. Her debut studi ...
for her chart-topping single, " R.I.P.". In the following months, Nneka toured in
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
, while she also supported
Lenny Kravitz Leonard Albert Kravitz (born May 26, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. His style incorporates elements of rock, blues, soul, R&B, funk, jazz, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, pop and folk. Kravitz won the Grammy Award for Best Male Roc ...
on his French tour in April 2009. Nneka was nominated in three categories for the 2009
Channel O Music Video Awards Channel O Africa Music Video Awards, once known as Spirit of Africa Music Video Awards, are Pan-African music awards organised by South Africa -based Channel O television channel. The awards were first held in 2003 under the name Reel Music Video A ...
, and won an award for Best African Act at the 2009
MOBO Awards The MOBO Awards (Music of Black Origin, also known as the MOBOs) are an annual British music award presentation honouring achievements in " music of black origin", including hip hop, grime, UK Drill, R&B, soul, reggae, jazz, gospel, and Af ...
. In late 2009, she was chosen as of one ''
Beyond Race ''Beyond Race Magazine (BRM)'' is a quarterly magazine based in New York City primarily centered on independent and emerging artists, covering music, film, and other arts, such as literature, graffiti, tattooing, and visual arts. The publicatio ...
Magazines "50 Emerging Artists", resulting in a spot in the publication's No. 11 issue (with Bodega Girls and J. Cole on the cover), as well as an exclusive Q&A for the magazine's site. In November 2009, Nneka began her first concert tour of the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, where she performed shows in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
(Washington DC),
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
,
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, and
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. Furthermore, she was a special guest on
The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...
Jam session. Her first US release, ''
Concrete Jungle Concrete jungle may refer to: Music Albums * ''Concrete Jungle'' (David "Fathead" Newman album), 1977 * ''Concrete Jungle'' (Dive album), or the title song, 1993 * ''Concrete Jungle'' (Nneka album), 2010 * ''Concrete Jungle'' (Scorcher album) ...
,'' was set for 2 February 2010, and the album charted at no. 57 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...
chart, and at no. 18 on the
Heatseekers Albums Top Heatseekers are "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The Heatseekers Albums and the Heatseekers Songs charts were introduced by ''Billboard'' in 1991 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new an ...
chart, where it spent a total of five weeks. Her track "Kangpe" is also featured as a soundtrack on
EA Sports EA Sports is a division of Electronic Arts that develops and publishes sports video games. Formerly a marketing gimmick of Electronic Arts, in which they tried to imitate real-life sports networks by calling themselves the "EA Sports Network" ...
video game, ''
FIFA 10 ''FIFA 10'' (titled ''FIFA Soccer 10'' in North America) is a Association football, football Simulation video game, simulation video game developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was release ...
''. In January 2010, Nneka appeared in
Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the The Late Show (franchise), ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by ...
in New York before getting her US tour underway, and in the following June, she won the reggae category of the Museke Online Africa Music Award 2010 with her hit song, "Africans". Nneka toured with
Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...
and
Damian Marley Damian Robert Nesta "Jr. Gong" Marley (born 21 July 1978) is a Jamaican DJ, singer, lyricist and rapper. He is the recipient of four Grammy Awards. Early life, education and family Damian Marley is the youngest son of reggae musician Bob Marle ...
for their '' Distant Relatives'' album. Her highly rated track, "Heartbeat" was remixed with Nas, and was released via iTunes on 5 October 2010. She participated in the 2010 Lilith Fair Concert, where artists such as
Tegan & Sara Tegan and Sara () are a Canadian indie pop duo formed in 1998 in Calgary, Alberta. The band is led by identical twin sisters Tegan Rain Quin and Sara Keirsten Quin (born September 19, 1980). Both musicians are songwriters and multi-instrumental ...
,
Sarah McLachlan Sarah Ann McLachlan Order of Canada, OC Order of British Columbia, OBC (born January 28, 1968) is a Canadian singer-songwriter. As of 2015, she had sold over 40 million albums worldwide. McLachlan's best-selling album to date is ''Surfacing ( ...
,
Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...
, Jill Scott,
Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the ...
,
Corinne Bailey Rae Corinne Jacqueline Bailey Rae (; born 26 February 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She is best known for her 2006 single "Put Your Records On". Bailey Rae was named the number-one predicted breakthrough act of 2006 in an annual BBC po ...
,
Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...
,
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...
have performed. During her US tour for ''Concrete Jungle'', she performed also in Washington, Raleigh and Charlotte. Nneka recorded a song for the
2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...
in South Africa called "Viva Africa"; the song is a tribute to the premier mundial on African soil. In 2010, Nneka won the award for best indigenous artist in Nigeria at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards, which was held in New York. Since then she has won the NEA award for best international artist several times. Nneka made an appearance on the Nigerian
drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...
film, ''Relentless'', co-produced and directed by Andy Amadi Okoroafor; the film also featured
Gideon Okeke Gideon Okeke is a Nigerian actor, model, and TV Presenter. He came to the public eye in 2006 when he appeared as a contestant on the first edition of '' Big Brother Nigeria''. In 2008, Gideon joined the cast of the M-NET TV series ''Tinsel'' on wh ...
, Halle Mordu,
Jimmy Jean-Louis Jimmy Jean-Louis (born August 8, 1968) is a Haitian actor and producer. Born in Pétion-Ville, he moved to Paris at a young age with his family in search of a better life. His early roles were in French television commercials and Spanish musical ...
and Tope Oshin Ogun. ''Relentless'' was released on 13 October 2010 at the
BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival founded in 1957 and held in the United Kingdom, running for two weeks in October with co-operation from the British Film Institute. It screens more than 300 films, documentaries and shor ...
. In 2011, Nneka was featured alongside
Ziggy Marley David Nesta "Ziggy" Marley (born 17 October 1968) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician, actor and philanthropist. He is the son of reggae icon Bob Marley and Rita Marley. He led the family band Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers until 200 ...
on the song "Express Yourself", produced for the film ''
Beat the World ''Beat the World'' (also known as ''You Got Served: Beat the World'') is a 2011 Canadian dance film written and directed by Robert Adetuyi. It is a loose sequel to the American film ''You Got Served'' (2004). It was produced by InnerCity Films and ...
''.


2012–present: ''Soul is Heavy'' and ''My Fairy Tales''

In March 2012, she appeared o
BET 106 and Park
Music Matters. On the show she performed a live acoustic set with one of Nigeria's best Afro classical acoustic guitarist Clef nite and
Black Thought Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove (Ahmir Thompson). Regarded ...
the front man and rapper for the popular hip hop band
The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy F ...
. She also made similar appearance o
MTV Iggy
with Clef nite on the second acoustic guitar. Nneka recorded her album ''
Soul Is Heavy Soul is Heavy is the fourth album by singer Nneka. It was released on 18 March 2012 in the U.K. In a recent interview, Nneka stated that the album is ''"a bit more of a “band” sound this time around, a mix of digital and organic music. Stil ...
'' in Nigeria, and the album was released in March 2012. ''Soul is Heavy'' charted in France, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, and peaked at no. 38 on the
UK R&B Albums chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Albums, or simply the UK Urban Chart) are 40-posi ...
. The album's most successful single, "Shining Star", charted at no. 97 on the UK Singles Chart, her second and final song to do so. The record received an average critical response, and was awarded a score of 70 on
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
. In 2012, Nneka collaborated with American footwear and clothing brand
Reebok Reebok International Limited () is an American fitness footwear and clothing manufacturer that is a part of Authentic Brands Group. It was established in England in 1958 as a companion company to J.W. Foster and Sons, a sporting goods company ...
. In May 2013, she appeared on ''
False Idols ''False Idols'' is the ninth studio album by English trip hop musician Tricky (musician), Tricky, released on 23 May 2013. It is Tricky's first release on his label False Idols, an imprint of Studio !K7, !K7. The album features guest vocals by ...
'' by Tricky.


Musical style

Even though Nneka sings more than she raps, she names hip hop as her primary musical root and most important source of inspiration, while citing artists such as
Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...
and
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...
as well as contemporary rappers
Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...
,
Talib Kweli Talib Kweli Greene (; born October 3, 1975) is an American rapper. He earned recognition early on through his collaboration with fellow Brooklyn rapper Mos Def in 1997, when they formed the group Black Star. Kweli's musical career continued with ...
, and
Lauryn Hill Lauryn Noelle Hill (born May 26, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, rapper, and record producer. She is often regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, as well as being one of the most influential musicians of her generation. ...
as key influences in her own pursuit of musical recognition. Her lyrics reflect much of her history and life in Nigeria as well as her time spent in Western Europe. Her songs stress the issues of capitalism, poverty and war and are often loaded with moral and biblical messages and references, with some music commentators comparing her to
Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu (), is an American singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the ...
,
Neneh Cherry Neneh Mariann Karlsson (born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer-songwriter, rapper, occasional DJ and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a number of punk roc ...
, and
Floetry Floetry were an English contemporary R&B, R&B duo comprising Marsha Ambrosius ("The Songstress") and The Floacist, Natalie Stewart ("The Floacist"). The group recorded two studio albums and one live album and sold over 1,500,000 records worldwi ...
.


Advocacy

In 2012, Nneka co-founded the Rope foundation, alongside Ahmed "Genda" Nyei. The Rope Foundation serves as a platform for young men and women to express themselves through art, and the charity also focuses on working with sexually abused women at the WAGA (War Affected Girls & Adults) Foundation, located in the Bo Town region of
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
. Nneka described The Rope Foundation as working "to give a platform to help people express themselves and their issues in society". Nneka also serves as the Arts Ambassador for the African Women Development Fund WDFin Ghana. She has worked extensively in charity and arts with the foundation in
Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...
.


Discography


Albums

* 2005: ''Victim of Truth'' * 2008: ''No Longer at Ease'' – Germany #31, France #34, Switzerland #42, Austria #49 * 2010: ''
Concrete Jungle Concrete jungle may refer to: Music Albums * ''Concrete Jungle'' (David "Fathead" Newman album), 1977 * ''Concrete Jungle'' (Dive album), or the title song, 1993 * ''Concrete Jungle'' (Nneka album), 2010 * ''Concrete Jungle'' (Scorcher album) ...
'' * 2012: ''
Soul Is Heavy Soul is Heavy is the fourth album by singer Nneka. It was released on 18 March 2012 in the U.K. In a recent interview, Nneka stated that the album is ''"a bit more of a “band” sound this time around, a mix of digital and organic music. Stil ...
'' – France #38, Switzerland #30, Austria #46 * 2015: ''
My Fairy Tales ''My Fairy Tales'' is the fifth album by singer Nneka, released on March 2, 2015. It was her first independent release on her own label Bushqueen Music. According to Nneka, the release is "a project as opposed to a whole album". Musically there ...
'' * 2022: Love Supreme


Compilations

* 2009: ''To and Fro'' (3-CD Boxset) * 2009: ''The Madness (Onye-Ala)'' (with J.Period)


EPs

* 2005: ''The Uncomfortable Truth'' * 2010: ''Heartbeat EP'' (featuring
Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...
)
* 2022: ''About Guilt ''


Singles

* 2005: "The Uncomfortable Truth" * 2006: "Beautiful" * 2006: "God of Mercy" * 2007: "Africans" * 2008: " Heartbeat" – #9 Portugal, #20 UK, #34 Austria, #49 Germany * 2008: "Walking" * 2009: "Kangpe" * 2012: "Shining Star" * 2012: "Soul is Heavy" * 2012: "My Home" * 2013: "Shining" – #7 South Africa * 2021: “Love Supreme” * 2021: “Tea?” * 2021: “Yahweh” * 2021: “This Life” * 2021: “With You” * 2021: “Maya”


Soundtracks

* 2011: "
Beat the World ''Beat the World'' (also known as ''You Got Served: Beat the World'') is a 2011 Canadian dance film written and directed by Robert Adetuyi. It is a loose sequel to the American film ''You Got Served'' (2004). It was produced by InnerCity Films and ...
"


Filmography

*''Lake of Fire'' (2004) *'' Offside'' (2005) *''
Relentless Relentless may refer to: Film * ''Relentless'' (1948 film), an American film directed by George Sherman * ''Relentless'', a 1977 American television film starring Will Sampson * ''Relentless'' (1989 film), an American crime film starring Jud ...
'' (2010) *'' Drexciya (2012)'' *'' Fifty (2015)''


References


External links

* *
Nneka
on Myspace {{DEFAULTSORT:Nneka Living people 1980 births Musicians from Warri Nigerian musicians of German descent Igbo singer-songwriters Igbo-language singers German women singer-songwriters Nigerian hip hop singers Nigerian soul musicians Nigerian women musicians German soul singers 21st-century Nigerian women singers Nigerian rhythm and blues singer-songwriters Nigerian reggae singers Nigerian women guitarists Women hip hop musicians 21st-century women guitarists 21st-century German women singers Nigerian people of German descent