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.

Tweet

Now that's what I call Heavy Soul

Nigerian-German soul singer and rapper Nneka made a splash last year with Heartbeats, a stuttering soul stomp with a chart-friendly Chase & Status remix . It got to number 20 in the UK, justifying MOBO's decision to award Nneka their "Best African Artist" prize 12 months earlier.

The single fared well over in the US, too, thanks to a reggaeton remix with Nas. Consequently, the 31-year-old is getting a major stateside push for her new album, Soul Is Heavy.

Most artists looking to break North America would play it safe - calling up Will.i.am or Dr Luke for an easy hit to ease them into the public conciousness. Not this lady.

Her new single, and the title track of her album, is a rallying cry for Nigeria. Nneka protests against Shell's exploitation of Nigeria's oil reserves, while namechecking civil war hero Issac Adaka Boro and environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa. The lyrics castigate "filth America", while the video depicts demonic drilling rigs against a barbed wire blood-stained skyline...

If that all sounds a bit too worthy then (a) shame on you and (b) you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Nneka knows how to make her message palatable - blending hip-hop beats with plaintive soul vocals and bouncy Afro-pop. Why bother waiting another 13 years for a new Lauryn Hill album, when Nneka is every bit her equal?

Nneka - Soul Is Heavy


Soul Is Heavy (the album) is out on 23rd September, with guest appearances from ?uestlove and Ms Dynamite. I can't wait...

Tweet

Nneka - the new Lauryn Hill

That's according to The Times, at least, who called her 2006 release Victim Of Truth the year's most criminally overlooked album.

The Nigerian hip-hop singer is hoping to overcome the critics' cold shoulders with her second CD, No Longer At Ease, which is trailled by the insanely funky single Heartbeat. It scores a commendable 95% on our booty jiggleometer.

Nneka - Heartbeat

Nneka - Heartbeat
by FourMusic

Radio One have playlisted the following club remix of the song - apparently because their audience now consists solely of the sort of person who swears by wet look gel and thinks foam parties are "sexy".

It doens't completely rip the heart out of the song, but it certainly dials the subtelty meter all the way down to zero.

Nneka - Heartbeat (Chase & Status remix)

Tweet