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.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Nneka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That love is something else you practice it to be
The line is long
For you and me
That leads us to the very debt of our hearts
We're still on the surface deceiving ourselves
Inside we hate
And want to see our best friends fall? Oh
Let us make a change why can't we turn the page
Lord make us able
Without you we are totally unstable
Let us make a change why can't we turn the page
Lord make us able
Without you we are totally unstable
You talk about peace
Put it in your mouth
The same mouth you use to declare your bombs
Your system is a joke
No heart in it
It's choking us to death
We living in deceit so
Tell me oh, please tell me that
Love, ain't what you are talking about on TV
Love, ain't what you practice it to be
Love, ain't the love that you are giving me
Love, gotta be something you can not compare anything to
Let us make a change why can't we turn the page
Lord make us able
Without you we are totally unstable
Let us make a change why can't we turn the page
Lord make us able
Without you we are totally unstable
Let us make a change why can't we turn the page
Lord make us able
Without you we are totally unstable
Let us make a change why can't we turn the page
Lord make us able
Without you we are totally unstable
Let us turn the page
Let us change a way
Let us make a change
Let us turn the page
Let us change a way
Nneka's song "The Uncomfortable Truth" is a call for individuals and society as a whole to practice love and make a change towards peace and justice. She highlights the hypocrisy of those who talk about peace but also declare war and use violence to achieve their goals, pointing out that this is not true love. The line "love ain't what you practice it to be" suggests that we have a distorted view of what love is and that we need to redefine it in order to make real change. The line "We're still on the surface deceiving ourselves" speaks to the idea that individuals and society are not truly facing the uncomfortable truths that need to be addressed in order to achieve love and peace. The repetition of the lines "Let us make a change why can't we turn the page / Lord make us able / Without you we are totally unstable" emphasizes the urgency of the situation and the need for a divine presence to guide and help us make a change.
Overall, the song is a powerful critique of the systems that perpetuate violence, inequality, and injustice, and a call for a new way of being in the world that is rooted in love, compassion, and justice.
Line by Line Meaning
The time has come for you to see
It's time for everyone to acknowledge a fundamental truth.
That love is something else you practice it to be
Love must be actively practiced and manifested through actions, not just words or feelings.
The line is long
The journey towards true love is a difficult and lengthy one.
For you and me
It is a journey that everyone must undertake individually.
That leads us to the very debt of our hearts
It requires exploring and confronting the deepest parts of ourselves.
We're still on the surface deceiving ourselves
Many people are still avoiding this journey and pretending to be loving without truly practicing it.
Inside we hate
There is a lot of internalized hate and negativity that needs to be overcome.
And want to see our best friends fall? Oh
This negativity sometimes even extends to the people we care about the most, and we may take pleasure in their failures.
You talk about peace
Some people claim to value peace.
Put it in your mouth
But they do not actively practice it, only talk about it.
The same mouth you use to declare your bombs
These same people are also responsible for perpetuating violence.
Your system is a joke
The current system is absurd.
No heart in it
It is completely lacking in love and compassion.
It's choking us to death
This system is actively harming and even killing us.
We living in deceit so
We are living in a society that promotes deceit and falsehoods.
Tell me oh, please tell me that
The artist is pleading with someone for honesty.
Love, ain't what you are talking about on TV
The version of love being promoted in mainstream media is not true love.
Love, ain't what you practice it to be
Many people say they love, but their actions do not demonstrate true love.
Love, ain't the love that you are giving me
The love that some people claim to give is not truly loving.
Love, gotta be something you can not compare anything to
True love is incomparable and unique.
Let us turn the page
It is time to move on from the current state of things.
Let us change a way
We must change our ways.
Let us make a change
It is time to make meaningful change.
Let us turn the page
We must move on from old patterns and habits.
Let us change a way
It is time to adopt new ways of thinking and behaving.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Nneka Lucia Egbuna, Farhad Samadzada
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Hendrix Base
Finally, I found this song, after searching for almost 10 years. Nneka, truly God's gift.
Loukili Yam
😢😢😮
Cause 😂🎉 de
❤
Lucas Monteiro Mourão
What a beautiful music! Love Nneka <3
peluquerías unidas
Amo mucho esta canción, ya van 2años escuchandola❤ bravo👏💥
Jadou
Un des plus beaux concerts que j’ai pu voir 💕💕💕
Jessy Dinameny
Perfeita
Anderson dos Santos
Você é de qual país?
Grey Matters
what a gem out of nowhere. i refuse to believe love is doing anything and everything you deem justifiable to provide more and more comforts and security for the little circle you call your family. seems like love would definitely have to be all encompassing rather than shutting off the reality of the world within the confines of your illusion of security and well-being.
Obaro Aluya
True
AbbottSupreme
Respect the Goddess Nneka.
Peace, Blessings & Universal love. .