Music Monday: Introducing Nneka

 Introducing.....Nneka

Every once and a while, I get excited and even stop in my tracks for a new music artist. Let's add Nneka to the list of artists that I'm starting to check for a little more. So, who is she? The video below should answer that.

A few months ago, I attended the Metropolitian Muse concert series, expecting to see the singer live, but I was mistaken, and instead, I received a copy of the CD - which is made from many of the tracks on her mixtape with JPeriod. 

You can download the mixtape from JPeriod's website: Link HERE


The mixtape has a very international sound. It sounds cliche, yes,  I know, but it's not like the stale American music you suffer through on the radio. The Madness (Onye-Ala) includes exclusive new tracks from M-1 (Dead Prez), Jay Electronica, Zumbi (Zion I), Rakaa (Dilated Peoples), Aceyalone (Freestyle Fellowship), General Steele (Boot Camp Clik) & Talib Kweli. The Madness (Onye-Ala) is a peek into the life and sounds of Nneka, as well as a tribute to the influence Hip Hop has had on her music. Source: http://www.jperiod.com/nneka/   

NNEKA JOINS DISTANT RELATIVES TOUR Nigerian-born singer-songwriter Nneka has been announced as the support act for the historic Distant Relatives Tour with Nas and Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley hitting the road May 2010. The tour will stop in major cities across the country in support of their Distant Relatives album, which is a celebration of not only to the bond between the two artists, but the connection to their African ancestry, which inspired the album both musically and lyrically. "With this tour," Nneka explains, "we represent the fact that we are all connected to one another, all part of one entity and one source - which is love." The tour extends Nneka's highly successful introduction to the United States, having been heralded by the likes of Spin, Rolling Stone, and Billboard, among others as the next "it" artist of 2010. Her stunning performance of "Heartbeat" {video below} on the Late Show with David Letterman left fans enthralled. More recently, the critical acclaim piqued the interest of national retailer Whole Foods, who is now carrying her album as part of their "Artist Discovery" program. And this is just the beginning. The Distant Relatives Tour is just the next chapter in Nneka's ongoing crusade to spread the message of unconditional love to a family of fans across the globe. With lyrics like "come let us be truthful, surrender our pride / admit the stains on our, our chest our hands / we seek, we find" she reminds us that as a global community we are responsible, and further inspires us that we are all indeed, distant relatives. Source: Tour announcement   Nneka's  album, Concrete Jungle  is in stores now on Epic/Decon records. Nneka will be on the following dates of the Distant Relatives Tour: 5/22 - Eugene, OR - Cuthbert Amphitheater 5/23 - Seattle, WA - Showbox Sodo 5/25 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theater 5/26 - Santa Barbara, CA - University of California 5/28 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern 5/29 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint 5/30 - Valley Center, CA - Harrah's Rincon-Open Sky Theater 5/31 - Los Angeles, CA - UCLA Jazz Reggae Festival 6/02 - Santa Fe, NM - Paolo Soleri Amphitheatre 6/08 - Houston, TX - House of Blues 6/09 - Austin, TX - Stubb's Waller Creek Outdoor Amphitheater 6/11 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo Music Festival 6/12 - Atlanta, GA - Tabernacle 6/13 - Lake Buena Vista, FL - House of Blues

Nneka Performs Heartbeat on David Letterman