After relocating to Hamburg in 2003, Nneka has been working closely with the hip hop beatmaker DJ Farhot. As a young singer she first gained public attention in 2004 while performing as an opening act for dancehall reggae star Sean Paul at Hamburg Stadtpark. After much acclaim, Nneka released her debut EP The Uncomfortable Truth with the music label Yo Mama's Recording Company after which she performed on her first tour with Patrice, playing shows in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
She finished recording her first album in the autumn of 2005. Entitled Victim of Truth. Garnering rave reviews from the media, the UK's Sunday Times later declared it “the year’s most criminally overlooked album”, comparing it favourably to 'The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill'.
In February 2008, she released her second album, No Longer at Ease. The title of the album is taken from a novel of the same name by Chinua Achebe and reflects the lyrical content of the record. Most of the songs are political, talking about the plight of the Niger Delta and the corruption in Nneka’s homeland. “No Longer at Ease” combines the political and the personal in “a winning mix of soul, hip-hop an reggae”. The lead single from it, "Heartbeat", became her first song to break into the German Top 50.
In November 2009, Nneka staged her first concert tour of the United States where she performed shows in New York City, Vienna (Washington DC), Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Furthermore she was a special guest on The Roots Jam session. Her first US release Concrete Jungle was set for 2 February 2010.
Nneka recorded her last album Soul Is Heavy in Nigeria. She also co-founded a charity foundation called the "ROPE foundation" with Genda, Ahmed Nyei from Sierra Leone. She has worked extensively in charity and arts with the foundation in Sierra Leone. Nneka has also worked with Reebok and her track "Shinning" topped global charts in 2013.
Babylon
Nneka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You dey bow your head
As you dey there so
You dey shed those tears
My brother make you stand up
This life you got nothing to loose
My sister make you wake up
Journey wen you don waka no be in vain
You don work well well
You don sweat well well
Suffer suffer well well
Waka waka well well
You don work well well
You don sweat well well
Suffer suffer well well
Why my people dey suffer
For this Naija
Why my people dey suffer
For Africa see
For the people of the ghettos
Na blood shed and sorrow dey rain
Dem don blind our eyes
With dem worldly things
Say the battle never finish
Oh yeah it just begins
Saro Wiwa talk am
Azikiwe talk am
Awolowo talk am
Una no dey hear
You fit kill the messenger
But you no fit kill the message
Kill me messenger
You no fit kill the message
Tell me why people dey suffer
For Africa
Why my people dey suffer
For this Naija
Why my people dey suffer
In the city of Babylon
People dey suffer
In the city of Zion yeah yeah
People dey
The people dey
The people dey suffer
Oh too low too low two low two low two low two low
E don tey
When we dey waka
Suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer oh in Naija eh ehh
Lord
Suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer oh in Africa
No no no no no oh
Suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer why Babylon
Uh no
Yeah suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer in Zion
Yeah yeah yeah
The lyrics to Nneka's song "Babylon" highlight the suffering and struggles faced by the people of Nigeria and Africa as a whole. The song begins by acknowledging the downtrodden state of the people, as they bow their heads and shed tears. However, Nneka urges her brother and sister to stand up and wake up, as their lives are worth fighting for. She recognizes the hard work, sweat, and suffering endured by her people, emphasizing that their toil should not be in vain.
The song questions why the people of Nigeria and Africa suffer. It suggests that the suffering comes from the corruption and injustices perpetrated by those in power, who blind the people with materialistic temptations. Nneka references Saro Wiwa, Azikiwe, and Awolowo, prominent figures who spoke out against societal issues, calling out the apathy of those who don't listen. The lyrics assert that though the messenger can be killed, the message cannot be silenced.
The chorus repeats the question of why the people suffer in Nigeria and Africa, emphasizing that the suffering occurs both in the city of Babylon, a metaphor for societal corruption, and in the city of Zion, symbolizing hope and liberation. The song ends with a plea for the suffering to cease in both places.
Overall, "Babylon" is a powerful anthem that sheds light on the struggles faced by the people in Nigeria and Africa, calling for unity, awakening, and an end to their suffering.
Line by Line Meaning
As you dey there so
While you are there
You dey bow your head
You are lowering your head
You dey shed those tears
You are crying
My brother make you stand up
My brother, rise up
This life you got nothing to loose
In this life, you have nothing to lose
My sister make you wake up
My sister, awaken
Journey wen you don waka no be in vain
The journey you have traveled is not in vain
Me I know say
I know that
You don work well well
You have worked hard
You don sweat well well
You have sweated a lot
Suffer suffer well well
Endured suffering greatly
Waka waka well well
Walked a lot
Why my people dey suffer
Why are my people suffering
For this Naija
In this Nigeria
For Africa see
In Africa, you see
For the people of the ghettos
For the inhabitants of the ghettos
Na blood shed and sorrow dey rain
Bloodshed and sadness prevail
Dem don blind our eyes
They have blinded us
With dem worldly things
With worldly possessions
Say the battle never finish
The battle is not yet over
Oh yeah it just begins
Oh yes, it only begins now
Saro Wiwa talk am
Saro Wiwa talked about it
Azikiwe talk am
Azikiwe also spoke about it
Awolowo talk am
Awolowo mentioned it
Una no dey hear
You all do not hear
You fit kill the messenger
You can kill the messenger
But you no fit kill the message
But you cannot kill the message
Tell me why people dey suffer
Tell me why people are suffering
In the city of Babylon
In the corrupt city
People dey suffer
People are suffering
In the city of Zion yeah yeah
In the righteous city
People dey
People are
The people dey
The people are
The people dey suffer
The people are suffering
E don tey
It has been a long time
When we dey waka
When we were walking
Suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer oh in Naija eh ehh
Endure suffering greatly in Nigeria
Suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer oh in Africa
Endure suffering greatly in Africa
Suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer why Babylon
Endure suffering greatly, why Babylon
Uh no
Oh no
Yeah suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer suffer in Zion
Yeah, endure suffering greatly in Zion
Yeah yeah yeah
Yes, yes, yes
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
yansathung e kithan
This is what world tour should look like. Amazing. All heart to Joss Stone and to the wonderful musicians around the world.🔥
Kevin & Gina de korAkor
I’m so blessed to experience this! That’s why I love jamming with strangers from all horizons
Julio Fernandes
5,2 milhões de visualizações.
416 mil inscritos
76 mil curtidas
Vamos reconhecer o talento e a preciosidade que os artistas nos entregam.
SEJAM GRATOS!
Margreet van Egmond
Two women, two voices, so different and yet so perfect!
Candice Jeremie
I love her respect for the music. What a beautiful collaboration.
PauliNNa Alarcón
i loved what Joss did ! traveled around The world singing with local artists , bringing magic music just pure and naturally !
Yoruba ASMR
more like getting the next inspiration from them..
roadlesswandering
Exactly. Taking inspiration - to straight copying soul from others. "Kind enough" to film it. I'm sure there are other places in Lagos to film, but they found the place that would adhere the most to stereotypes.
lualncol
PauliNNa Alarcón good music, real music, is dead without constant give and take, between individuals, groups, cultures, types of music. That you do not see this as a win-win situation tells me that you don't get it. Spend some time doing an overview of ethnomusicology, might help to give you a broader picture of the dynamics.
lualncol
This was not directed only to Paulina as much as to the two responses.