Nneka

The daughter of a nigerian father and a german mother, Nneka Egbuna was born in Warri, in the delta region of Nigeria. In her childhood she soaked up the sounds and rhythms of one of the most musical nations on the planet, a country where expressing yourself through song is just a part of everyday life, where the influence is out on the streets. But at the age of 19 this modest and hard-working young girl made the big decision to leave behind the african way of life. To further her education, she moved to Western Europe, to the industrial seaport of Hamburg in Germany. For the young Nneka, it was a dramatic change, and there remains an intangible quality in her voice that speaks of being a long, long way from home.

Even though Nneka sings more than raps, she names hiphop as her primary musical root and most important source of inspiration, while citing artists such as contemporary rappers Mos Def, Talib Kweli and Lauryn Hill 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. Victim Of Truth is an inspirational debut mix of hot loops, black consciousness and nu-soul music. Nneka's second release, No Longer At Ease combines the political and personal view of the artist, with an elegant, melodic voice.

She became famous for her most played songs like Africans and Heartbeat. Chase & Status created a cool remix version of the latter one. I haven't found her original Soundcloud profile, so these tracks are from different users. By the way, check out Nneka's website.

My Home by Nneka I'm Waiting (Basement Freaks Remix) by Nneka Heartbeat (Chase & Status Remix) by Nneka

While love, hope and optimism form the bedrock of all Nneka’s recorded work, there’s a steeliness to her new material, the engagement of a highly developed mind on some of the tough realities of modern politics. In addition, let's face it, her voice is a perfect dubstep material.