A very, very good hip-hop ballad by Nneka

I'm a big fan of Nigerian-born R&B star Nneka, whose blend of hip-hop and R&B fits snugly in my iPod between Lauryn Hill and Jill Scott. Her latest single is called Stay and it's one of those rare things - a hip-hop ballad that isn't a total cringefest (LL Cool J - I'm looking at you).

Ditching the political messages of the previous singles from her album Soul Is Heavy, this is a heartfelt plea to an absconding lover - with a smoke-filled sepia shade that's similar to The Roots' You Got Me, coincidentally one of my favourite songs of all time.

The video is as striking as the song it accompanies - Nneka appears in animated form, constantly in silhouette as she walks the planet in search of her errant beau.

Your ears will like this, I guarantee.

Nneka - Stay


Nneka plays London’s Dingwalls on the 30 November. I'll definitely be there.

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