Her full name is Nneka Egbuna. She is from Lagos Nigeria, but has lived and traveled around the world. She and her music is more well known in places like Germany and France than in the United States at the time of this writing, and hopefully that will change.
Nneka personifies the conscious warrior, speaking truth to power in most of her songs which start off sounding like love songs instead of political songs, but generally weave into the kind of songs that Bob Marley and Fela Kuti would surely appreciate if there were still alive today.
Nneka's birthday lands on Christmas Eve.
Nneka is are unique and her music is powerful & important.
Please click the play button of the first video below and choose the high-resolution & screen options. When the first music video ends,it will automatically be followed by the other videos below, followed by several more hours of excellent music videos if you choose to let it roll. Press forward to skip any video or click the reverse button to replay or return to previous songs, or exit the full screen mode to choose a new video.
Nneka - Africans
Nneka - Heartbeat
Nneka - Soul is Heavy
Nneka - God of Mercy (Live in France at Vieilles Charrues Festival)
Nneka - Do You Love Me Now - (Stellar live acoustic version with Nneka speaking about her backstory :)
For regular visitors to these pages, Nneka needs no introduction. She is one of the heaviest global artists of substance to keep an eye and your ear on. She and her music personifies the spirit where the humanitarian meets political messages of Bob Marley, Nina Simone, John Lennon, Fela Kuti and Michael Jackson when they were alive and in their primes.
Below is the music video to one of Nneka's songs titled Book of Job which will be off a full album titled My Fairy Tales, due out in March 2015. Visit Nneka's site referenced below for details on pre-order perks and worldwide concert dates. Enjoy!
One artist who has been stumping for the common man in her native Nigeria and others around the world who feel marginalized by the various Police States around the globe that exist, is a wonderfully deep prolific recording artist named Nneka.
On her own, Nneka is a powerful voice, who occasionally collaborates and lends herself to others who have something important to say.
Nneka wrote this about one such song, featured below, which she participated in: "TRUE COLORS... the new Video by COBE OBEAH feat. NNEKA inspired by the american police, upcoming elections in Nigeria, hate, Boko haram, War, breakups, and love..."
While the industry is applauding D'Angelo for his recent release, Black Messiah, we hope that the industry also embraces other artists of deep substance like Nneka, who has been in the trenches, fighting the fight non-stop since she first hit the scene, slightly more than a decade ago. This woman embodies the activist spirit of those like Bob Marley, Nina Simone, Fela Kuti and John Lennon. She is the real deal. Her friend Cobe Obeah may just be another artist of substance to keep on our radar.
Music Television Song of the Year
Trixie Whitley - Breathe You In My Dreams
Photograph by Anton Coene
As we hit the end of 2013, we have spent these final weeks planning what 2014 is going to be about.
What is the plan for Music Television exactly?
This channel and it's affilates such as The Indies, MusicLoad, The Quiet Storm, and Classic Music Television is about genuine authentic artists who we have focused on year after year... Artists like Gaby Moreno, who this year was finally recognized as "Best New Artist" when she won that Latin Grammy in 2013. And, this channel is about artists of substance like Nneka, perhaps the closest thing to a modern day living female Bob Marley. And Trixie Whitley, whose song Breathe You In My Dreams should be considered song of the year by any and all music organizations worth a darn. Fantastic organic groups like SHEL is what this company is about. Great pop/rock groups like Saucy Monky and amazing artists like Dom La Nena. And, there is no way I can forget to mention the fabulous Lianne La Havas.... Sorry I can't think of any male artists or groups to plug at this moment. Perhaps this was the year of the great female artists!
Happy New Year!
Trixie Whitley - Breathe You In My Dreams
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Just below is a track from Ziggy Marley's new live album featuring his own original classics as well as renditions of songs by his father, the late Bob Marley. Catch Ziggy Marley on his Spring 2013 tour if your can. On Wednesday April 24 at 9PM PST, tune in to watch his Roxy Theatre performance, streamed live through ZiggyMarley.Com. One Love!
Ziggy Marley - Is This Love (Live)
And, next is a live show during the era that Ziggy Marley won his first Grammy for Best Reggae Album that has not lost it's groove in the time since. Sit back and enjoy!
Ziggy Marley & The Melody Makers - Full Concert (Conscious Party - Live at The Palladium)
Nneka is one of the most important rising artists to hear and watch, now and into the future. In having conversations with her once when she was in LA, came to realize how deeply thoughtful Nneka is in terms of truth, love, justice for all mankind from heavy issues like political corruption, crony capitalism that exposes itself as corporatist ruination of resource centers. Nneka being from Lagos, Nigeria in the oil rich Niger Delta region of Africa, is all to familiar with life's harsh realities for those in her homeland. The gulf of Mexico oil spill the U.S. faced in 2010 is really, truly nothing.... compared to decades of such never ending raping and pillaging of the Lagos region by global energy cartels.
Nneka never names names of the crooks, the corrupt politicians that she often alludes to in her music. But if one digs deep into her music and play her songs dozens of times, like true fans do, one peels off the layers that exposes Nneka's depth.
She is only one of a small handful of artists with a most powerful global sound who sings about many things important. That's why she is one to watch, for those who seek to think for revolutionary change for the betterment of not only one's own country, but the world.
Nneka is only one of a handful of modern emerging artists who really has been consistent in the substance arena, in terms of activism and enlightenment on all levels, akin to Bob Marley if you will.
Nneka - Africans
Nneka - Shining Star
Nneka - The Uncomfortable Truth
Nneka - Do you love me now (live session @ streets of Paris)
Got a two hour massage and the therapist tried to play smooth jazz off of Pandora. I said "no thanks, can't stand elevator music or Muzak. Please punch in some music similar to Nneka". Nneka's track entitled The Uncomfortable Truth starts off the 2 hour set and after about 12 songs, up comes this song that stopped the session so the therapist could go look on the Pandora page to tell me what song was playing. This is it! A favorite song of mine from very first play. Dug up this unofficial video cut by a fan, for the artist, Jazmine Sullivan, has yet to cut an official video.
And.... this song came on not long after Jazmine's song and stopped the massage once again to find out who it was. Was surprised to find it another great song by Adele of her album titled 19. I'd actually heard seen the official video once before, but the version we heard was a live one from a iTunes hosted "Live From Soho" performance. It sounded much different than the studio version from the record.
Adele - Chasing Pavements (Official Video)
In digging for a live version of Chasing Pavements, found this tasty live recording of Adele on the Tiny Desk Concert hosted by NPR where she performs three songs. She just sits, with no pomp or circumstance and simply deliver the goods with perfection. The first song, Someone Like You, seems like she lived through each line. She feels it. And, really love the second song, Chasing Pavements :) - And, Rolling in the Deep.... If you don't know that song, you must have been living in the forest without electricity last for the last year and a half.
Adele - Someone Like You - Chasing Pavements - Rolling In The Deep (Live - Tiny Desk Concert)
There is one artist whose music really means something. Not only does the music groove for days and days, but this artist always says something important and it's usually heavy. Once again, very proud to feature a real global artist of substance, Nneka, as she talks about the Occupy Nigeria movement where she spent time on the ground in early 2012. Nneka's music consistently challenges the status quo of where corruption in government meets crony capitalism, as she stumps for the common country folk in her native homeland of the Niger Delta region of Africa. Some of her songs start off, and you think you are hearing a love song, to hear it evolve into a heavy geo-political statement. And, if you think, you go .... Wow. Think!
Short Documentary - Occupy Nigeria: Nneka on the "Vagabonds in Power"
Here is Nneka performing Vagabond in Power at Les Vieilles Charrues Festival (LIVE - 2009)
Nneka is a underappreciated rising artist to keep your eye and ear tuned to. She generally sings about important and deeply thoughtful issues in terms of truth, love and justice for all mankind and how that is connected to heavy issues like political corruption, crony capitalism and those insiders benefiting from the ruination of resource centers.
Nneka being from Lagos, Nigeria in the oil rich Niger Delta region of Africa, is all to familiar with life's harsh realities for those in her homeland. The gulf of Mexico oil spill is really, truly nothing.... compared to decades of such never ending raping and pillaging of the Lagos region by global energy cartels.
When Nneka sings, she is singing about real hard core issues, hidden in what often seem like love songs, at first.
At times, a humanitarian voice with the vocal phrasing & articulation of Michael Jackson comes out of Nneka at times. It's likely not a conscious thing, but it's beautiful to witness.
It's never like she is copying anybody. She is a true original and most certainly the real deal on many levels.
Nneka is only one of a small handful of artists with a most powerful sound, who also sings about many things important. That's why she is one to watch, for those who seek revolutionary change for the better.
Please click the play button of the first video below and choose the
high-resolution & screen options. When the first music
video ends, it will automatically be followed by the other videos below,
followed by several more hours of excellent music videos if you choose
to let it roll. Press forward to skip any video or click the reverse
button to replay or return to previous songs, or exit the fullscreen
mode to choose a new video.
Nneka - Africans (2007)
Heartbeat (2007)
Come with Me - (live unplugged in France on madmoiZelle TV)
Soul is Heavy (Title track from Nneka's latest 2011-2012 release)
Do You Love Me Now - (Stellar live acoustic version with Nneka speaking about her backstory :)
Nneka feat. Ziggy Marley & Eeday - Express Yourself
Soundtrack from the 2011 hip-hop feature film titled Beat The World
Bantu feat. Nneka "I'm Waiting"
Soundtrack from the film titled Relentless
God of Mercy (Live in France at Vieilles Charrues Festival - 2009)
Music Television is proud to present Nneka, an artist of substance with something to say. Most recently, she was on the ground with protesters in her native Lagos, Nigeria, sending photos and details to her facebook page, live from the scene.
Anyone who has read from this blog, or the archive, knows of Nneka. Here is a track not available on iTunes U.S., but is available on iTunes in other markets. The track entitled "Express Yourself" features features Ziggy Marley & Eeday.
Nneka featuring Ziggy Marley & Eeday
Last year, Nneka toured the U.S. opening for Ziggy Marley's brother Damian Marley. It's great to see the Marley clan has embraced Nneka's music. I feel that Bob Marley would surely appreciate Nneka for the messages she puts forth in most, if not all, of her songs. She is one of my top 5 favorite artists since I first heard her music!
There is no better way to describe Nneka than to simply say she has "it".
Her songs are and lyrics are deep and complicated. They personify an independent voice and rebel spirit that challenges the status quo where greed and corruption in her native Nigeria and throughout the world is rampant. Right out of the box, in the feel and groove department, she has that "it" thing too. It's one of the main ingredients.
What separates Nneka from most of the rest in the supposed top tier is that her songs dig hard to say something important. This leads me to wonder why she is not in the top tier, yet. I long for the day that she and artists like her are the top tier that exists. Perhaps in due time, substance will trump bling.
Her songs weave in and out from what seem like love songs at first, into geopolitical humanitarian statements often pointed at unnamed political leaders. At least her songs naturally conjure thoughts of certain leaders without even mentioning their names. Her songs make those who listen think. Nneka really reaches deep for truth which she considers to be real love.
This first song below is one of my all time favorites. It is a beautiful and timeless recording, as is the music video, and it is a very heavy and sad statement about the state of affairs in many parts of Africa and where she originates in Lagos Nigeria, where this video was filmed.
Nneka - Africans (originally released in Europe 2007)
This is an amazing live take of Nneka performing one of her signature songs titled Heartbeat. The studio version of this song (second one down from here) is the very first song I ever heard of Nneka's years ago. And, it did not sink in at first listen. It took a few listens to interpret the meaning of her lyrics clearly, but when I did I felt her depth and it had impact. The song is screaming at political leaders questioning if they hear the heartbeat of their electorate or in the case of dictatorships, the people they rule. I like the interview that follows live take in the video below. It's a tiny window of insight into Nneka. I have had a few chances to speak with her in person and I came away feeling her authenticity is genuine.
Nneka - Heartbeat (live in France with French/English Subtitle after song - 2009)
Nneka is some sort of female Bob Marley in terms of that activist spirit as she stumps for a conscious state.
She has a new record out for late 2011 titled Soul Is Heavy. It has not yet been released in America, but Amazon is offering up expensive import CD's. No idea why Sony Music is withholding the U.S. release, but they making a big mistake, in my humble opinion. Nneka is the kind of artist who deserves development and big pushes in the marketplaces of the world, everywhere.
This next track kills me. I love the live one, that is first below, as well as the next one which is the studio version. The song seems to be about politicians who make promises, but who fail to remember or live up to their promises, but it could be interpreted many different ways.
Nneka - Do You Love Me Now - Live On The Streets of Paris.
Femi Kuti is a Nigerian musician and the eldest son of the late great Nigerian music king and afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti. Femi was born in Lagos, Nigeria, the same place one of my favorite artists, Nneka, is from. The thing these three powerful artists share in common is their songs that exude their strong commitment to social and political causes. The region of Lagos, in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria, is a corporatist haven where politicians and the energy companies have cultivated an environment of crony capitalism which has led to the environmental destruction of the region as oil companies rape and pillage both the land, waterways, air and the downtrodden citizens of the region. The kinds of routine oil spills in the Niger Delta make the U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil spill by BP seem like just a little bit of spilled milk.
With that said, this happens to be one song of Femi Kuti's that is not so political. It's pure sexy Cuban infused Nigerian soul that is it's own universal language.
Please click the play button of the video below and choose the
high-resolution & full screen options. When the video ends,
it will automatically be followed by several excellent curated
music videos. Press forward to skip or the reverse button to return
to previous songs. Exit full screen mode to pick a new video.
Nneka is one of the most inspired artists I've ever met. This is a recent clip that began appearing on YouTube recently. She has a way of taking love song and making them heavy. Enjoy!
Nneka - Do you love me now (live session @ streets of Paris)
Her signature songs such as Africans get political and social.
Heartbeat starts out like a love song, but has political undertones woven in the lyrics.
To me, she has got the activist of Bob Marley inside of her. Every day I wish I was finding more artists like her. But, Nneka is rare.... nobody quite like her.
