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.
Death
Nneka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Law abiding still my heart it shrinks to shout
Sorry to say but by now I am dunged by
What I see had to go back to get to me
Bloodshot eyes, my sight translucent, been here too long
So my soul is badly wounded
Lucidity, reality, never gave me the ability to react without my heart
I fight with the world, try to defy its deceitful ways
At the same time you can be so cruel to me your love…
Sometimes you say we need to turn our backs and go away
Shot doors, close eyes, take a ride, walk and go asteax
But I'm pushed to speak about aloud this crowd and make this cry
We gotta face this, you and I
I am one of them and so are you, we feel real love if we want to
Love has chosen you, yes it's you
I know you need true love, too
Yes this is how I feel about you, love divine I doubt you
See way to long I try to understand why you confuse me
The world out there the pain I see the misery, the pain she bare,
The guy next door, got no money no cure
In front of us, we see the bus of tragedy of mystery but love the divine,
Love divine we ignore thee
The fight for life, the struggle for success, it deprives us from seeing
It's our own blood that we oppress
Man slaughter, brain manipulation, children crying, people dying,
Souls are flying, pastors are lying in the name of love you say
This is love? It's not!
I am one of them and so are you, we feel real love if we want to
Love has chosen you, yes it's you
I know you need true love, too
I am one of them and so are you
We feel real love if we want to
Love has chosen you, yes it's you
I know you need true love, too
The lyrics of Nneka's "Death" express feelings of frustration and confusion about the state of the world and its lack of true love. The first paragraph describes the internal struggle of the singer who follows the law, but still feels the need to shout and express her deepest thoughts. She admits to being "dunged by what I see," meaning that the injustices of the world have worn her down mentally and emotionally. Her sight is "translucent," meaning that she can see through the façade of the world and the people in it, but it has left her "badly wounded."
The second paragraph encourages the listener to face the realities of the world and not turn a blind eye or run away. The singer acknowledges that she is just as a part of the problem as anyone else and urges the listener to do the same. She believes that true love is the solution to the world's problems, and it has chosen both the singer and the listener. The bridge questions the state of love in the world, seeing tragedy and pain everywhere, and even pastors lying in the name of love. The singer challenges the notion of what love really is and declares that the fight for life and success deprives us of seeing it.
Overall, the lyrics of "Death" express a deep concern for the lack of true love in the world and the devastating consequences that has on humanity. The singer urges the listener and herself to face the problems of the world and not avoid them, even if it is painful.
Line by Line Meaning
Without a bund letting my innermost out
I have been holding in my true feelings and emotions for too long.
Law abiding still my heart it shrinks to shout
Even though I follow the law, my heart is screaming for change.
Sorry to say but by now I am dunged by
I am exhausted and overwhelmed by what I see happening in the world.
What I see had to go back to get to me
I had to reflect on what I see in the world to understand the impact it has on me.
Bloodshot eyes, my sight translucent, been here too long
I have been exposed to so much pain and suffering that it has taken a toll on me.
So my soul is badly wounded
My spirit is hurting from seeing all the injustice in the world.
Lucidity, reality, never gave me the ability to react without my heart
Even though I see things clearly and understand reality, I cannot react to it without my emotions.
I fight with the world, try to defy its deceitful ways
I struggle against the dishonesty and corruption that exists in the world.
I see you and I admire you how strong you could be
I look up to you and respect your strength.
At the same time you can be so cruel to me your love…
However, sometimes you can also be unkind to me in your expressions of love.
Sometimes you say we need to turn our backs and go away
Sometimes you suggest that we should ignore the problems of the world and walk away.
Shot doors, close eyes, take a ride, walk and go asteax
Block everything out, avoid the reality of the situation, and escape in order to avoid facing the problem.
But I'm pushed to speak about aloud this crowd and make this cry
But I feel the need to raise my voice and bring attention to these problems and make them known to everyone.
We gotta face this, you and I
We need to confront and tackle these issues together.
I am one of them and so are you, we feel real love if we want to
We all have similar struggles and can experience genuine love if we choose to.
Love has chosen you, yes it's you
You have been given the gift of love.
I know you need true love, too
I also recognize that you have a need for authentic love.
Yes this is how I feel about you, love divine I doubt you
Even though I express love towards you, I have doubts about the love that exists in the world.
See way to long I try to understand why you confuse me
I have been trying to understand why love and life can be so confusing and complicated.
The world out there the pain I see the misery, the pain she bare,
The suffering and pain that exists in the world is overwhelming, especially when it comes to women who bear the brunt of it.
The guy next door, got no money no cure
Even those around us who are struggling financially and health-wise are faced with immense burdens.
In front of us, we see the bus of tragedy of mystery but love the divine,
We witness tragedy and mysterious events in front of us, but love can still be a saving and divine force.
Love divine we ignore thee
Unfortunately, we often overlook the power and importance of love.
The fight for life, the struggle for success, it deprives us from seeing
The constant battle for survival and success can blind us to the suffering around us.
It's our own blood that we oppress
We are often our own oppressors when it comes to achieving true love and happiness.
Man slaughter, brain manipulation, children crying, people dying,
The world is filled with horrible acts of violence and tragedy, including manipulation of the mind and children suffering.
Souls are flying, pastors are lying in the name of love you say
People are dying, and even religious leaders are lying in the name of love and spirituality.
This is love? It's not!
This type of destructive behavior and violence is not what true love is about.
Contributed by Alaina M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.