Nneka‘s excellent “My Home” — a clip of the year — gets remixed by Coki of UK producers Digital Mystikz. Her vocals stay intact while the backing tracks are stripped for an underworld dub beat. Stream and grab the rework below and check out our recent Okayafrica TV interview with the Naija songstress.
We met with Nigerian songstress Nneka on a sunny rooftop in midtown Manhattan yesterday where she joined other Naija superstars in speaking out about #OccupyNigeria. The recent removal of fuel subsidies by Goodluck Jonathan‘s government sent gas prices through the roof at the start of this year. Nigerians immediately took to the streets to protest the government’s actions. Under pressure from the people, Jonathan has since lowered prices but the issue speaks to a broader discontent with a corrupt government. Nneka tells us that this is an awakening of the people she “feels positive” about. Nneka’s Soul Is Heavy LP is out Feb 28 in the U.S. via Decon Records.
It’s tough to sum up a year, let alone a year in music. For our top 11 tracks of 2011 we opted to stick to songs that had been featured on Okayafrica in the past 12 months. Love the choices? Hate ‘em? Let us know in the comments. Browse our top tracks of 2011 below, check out our top music videos and top side-eye moments of the year, and stay tuned for top 11 LPs!
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Soulstress Nneka featuring The Roots‘ own Black Thought.
Nigerian chanteuse Nneka released this video for the stellar, horn-flanked “My Home” a few months ago. The clip somehow got buried in our days of keeping up with an (unrelenting!) google-reader, but we’re making up for it now. Watch Nneka go from miner to Lagos businesswoman to street cleaner in the video above. And make sure you buy “My Home,” which is available on iTunes today. Soul Is Heavy is due Feb 28.
Our brothers and sisters (mostly brothers) at Okayplayer posted these two new cuts from Nigerian-German soultress Nneka, featuring Black Thought (!) and North London’s Ms. Dynamite. From Eddie “STATS” pen:
The new Nneka album we’ve been waiting for ever since she premiered “Soul is Heavy” is dropping imminently (Today in Europe and tomorrow stateside) and in case you forgot to be amped about it we have two more leaks to recharge the energy. The first–and most firmly in our OKP wheelhouse–is the slow but steady juggernaut “God Knows Why” featuring none other than Black Thought. Also not to be slept on, though, is the dreamier–but still tough–”Sleep” featuring Ms. Dynamite.
Stream both tracks below and grab Soul Is Heavy now.
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Nneka “God Knows Why ft. Black Thought”
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We love when Nneka keeps it really stripped down and raw so we can hone in on her sweet, sultry vocal stylings. First spotted over at Okayplayer earlier today, check out the vid above for Nneka’s acoustic version of “Do You Love Me Now?” recorded at Ohalala Bar in Paris. This only makes us more excited for her new LP Soul Is Heavy.
Via Okayplayer, OKA fave Nneka drops a brand new video for “Soul Is Heavy.” In the words of Eddie STATS, she “has just now put the world on notice for her new LP, a finely tuned construction of rap, reggae, brass and Afro-sounds. The brand new machine is called Soul is Heavy and the first shot off the clip is this video of the same name –which OKP is proud to premiere! The brightly-colored agit-prop makes a perfect visual complement to Nneka’s sound; somewhere between M.I.A. and the Kalakuta Queens. Drink it in and stay tuned for much more! (and if you haven’t tasted the Nneka kool-aid yet, you can go to Okayafrica and basically get her whole career in a nutshell here.)”
**CONTEST! WIN a pair of FREE TICKETS to either the NYC or the DC Nneka show – just CLICK HERE to enter.
One of OKA’s favorite artists, Nneka, is back in the states and has two shows coming up in May. NYC – check her out at SOB’s on Friday May 13th (flyer above), and DC heads you can see her live the next night on Saturday the 14th, at The Park at Fourteenth (flyer below, after the jump). If you have never heard of Nneka, stop sleeping. She is the Nigerian born songstress behind Concrete Jungle, who spent much of her life growing up in Germany, and has a voice that will cut right through you and leave you aching for more. Last summer she toured with Nas and Damian Marley on their Distant Relatives tour – and like those two she’s infused her music with a bit of a political slant – she’s got a message, listen for it. She has also worked with The Roots, Bajah + The Dry Eye Crew, J. Period and others. A superstar to watch out for, for sure. Read More »
Coverage of Africa’s fundamental weaknesses, – civil war, poverty, and helplessness, has overshadowed the well of talent rapidly emerging from the African Diaspora. With Afrika21, Society HAE will create a massive platform to introduce 21 of Africa’s emerging young creatives in the fields of art, music, fashion and film. The Afrika21 project will give audiences a first hand look at 21st century contemporary African culture, and open up a new dialogue about Africa as a go to market place for creative synergy. The first product off this project is the AFRIKA21 MIXTAPE, a monthly mixtape that will feature songs highlighting the work of Africa’s young musicians who are re-defining African music and the continent in general. Listen to and download the first mixtape below, featuring some of our faves including Baloji, Nneka, tabi Bonney, and more.
Giant Step has brought two new exclusive remixes of Nneka’s song “Heartbeat” to okayafrica! Nneka joined forces with Nas and producers Chase Status, Kool Kojak, Crada and VLN to remix “Heartbeat” (the single off last February’s LP, Concrete Jungle) for her upcoming EP Heartbeat. Check them out here. Here’s the video for Heartbeat again (above), just because we heart it so much.
Coming from Germany, by way of Nigeria, Nneka’s music has a big splash of Bob Marley in the recipe, a measure of Nina Simone and a lick of Erykah Badu. Her US debut, Concrete Jungle, is an offering of love, hope and optimism dedicated to the people of Warri & the Niger Delta of Nigeria. Holding it all together is the focus of her beautiful voice, located in a place somewhere between yearning and rage.
Audio: Nneka ‘My Home (Digital Mystikz Remix)’
Nneka‘s excellent “My Home” — a clip of the year — gets remixed by Coki of UK producers Digital Mystikz. Her vocals stay intact while the backing tracks are stripped for an underworld dub beat. Stream and grab the rework below and check out our recent Okayafrica TV interview with the Naija songstress.
Nneka “My Home (Digital Mystikz Remix)” by okayafrica
(via Fader)