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.
Quit
Nneka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you scared of you and me
This has gone through many occasions,
And I know you too well.
You've see me in possessions no one ever could imagine.
We been into our song long time now.
Sometimes nature makes me believe she gots to make a decision
You say I take your breath away,
You make me forget what happened along the way
You pick me up but you put me in
You saw me first when I saw you nowhere
Now I put you first, but you don't see me anyway
So now my heart's takin' in yours too,
But what I understand about love is not just what you do.
Love is not takin' life and happiness,
Love is not negativity and only stress.
Love is letting go, been able to breathe,
Love is 'I Love you', that's the best way it is.
Maybe I'm just too immature
And insecure from all this lovin'.
Let me fall for you, boy, you now
Don't see me anyway.
You pick me up but you put me in
You saw me first when I saw you nowhere
Now I put you first, but you don't see me anyway
Now you find that I'm the one cryin'
Now I made you strong and I'm the one desiring
Now you calling the wound
So sit and done
We'll quit, we'll quit, we'll quit, we quit
We finish, we quit! yeah.
The song “Quit” by Nneka is about a relationship that is failing due to the lack of understanding between two individuals who have been together for a long time. The singer acknowledges that she knows her partner is scared of the situation they are in but insists that she knows him very well. She also acknowledges that they have been through many occasions in the past, and sometimes nature has to make a decision for them.
The singer believes that love is about letting go and being able to breathe. She believes that love is not taking life and happiness, nor negativity and stress. She suggests that the best way to express love is to say “I love you.” However, she also states that she might be too immature and insecure from all the loving, and she needs her partner to understand that.
The chorus of the song suggests that the singer has been putting her partner first, but he does not see her anyway. She ends the song with the idea that they should quit the relationship and move on.
Overall, “Quit” by Nneka is a song about a relationship that is not working out due to a lack of understanding, and the singer suggests that it is time to move on.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen baby,
I know you scared of you and me
I am aware that you have reservations about us being together.
This has gone through many occasions,
And I know you too well.
We have been through many situations and I understand you very well.
You've see me in possessions no one ever could imagine.
You have seen me in situations that are beyond anyone's imagination.
We been into our song long time now.
We have been in a relationship for a long time now.
Sometimes nature makes me believe she gots to make a decision
For you and for me.
Sometimes I feel like nature has to make a choice for us.
You say I take your breath away,
You make me forget what happened along the way
You compliment and help me to forget the difficult times we've had in our relationship.
You pick me up but you put me in
You saw me first when I saw you nowhere
Now I put you first, but you don't see me anyway
You once found me when I was lost, but now that I'm putting you first, you don't seem to appreciate it.
So now my heart's takin' in yours too,
But what I understand about love is not just what you do.
I have feelings for you, but I know that love is not just about your actions towards me.
Love is not takin' life and happiness,
Love is not negativity and only stress.
Love should not result in taking away someone's happiness or causing them stress and negativity.
Love is letting go, been able to breathe,
Love is 'I Love you', that's the best way it is.
True love is being able to let go and allow each other to breathe while expressing your love.
Maybe I'm just too immature
And insecure from all this lovin'.
Perhaps I am not mature enough and feel insecure due to the intensity of our love.
Let me fall for you, boy, you know
Don't see me anyway.
Let me be vulnerable and fall for you, even if you don't seem to notice me.
Now you find that I'm the one cryin'
Now I made you strong and I'm the one desiring
Now you calling the wound
So sit and done
We'll quit, we'll quit, we'll quit, we quit
We finish, we quit! yeah.
Now you see me hurting and wanting more, even though I helped you become stronger. Let's stop and end this relationship.
Contributed by Colton M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.