Introducing Nneka (pronounced Nay-ka) the hottest thing to come out of Nigeria (which in all fairness wouldn’t be hard). Nneka has big hair and an even bigger sound and what’s more, unlike the Rihanna’s of this world, she actually has something to say.

Born to a German mom and a Nigerian dad, the singer and guitarist describes music as “therapy” and compares performing on stage to “being in a church or in a shrine”. You couldn’t be blamed for getting Lauryn Hill flashbacks whilst listening to Nneka, whose head-bopping blend of hip hop/reggae is influenced by her upbringing in Nigeria. She describes it as “a very tough place” and as a result her lyrics are “very conscious” and “very political”.

She released her first album in 2005 -- ‘“Victim of Truth” -- which, despite being released in Germany, England, France, Netherlands, Nigeria and Japan, capturing the attention of critics, it went largely overlooked by the average Joe consumer. Her highly political second album, “No Longer at Ease“, brought her more success, with the lead single -- “Heartbeat” -- reaching the UK Top 20 Singles chart and earning her a MOBO Award for Best African Act.

After the release of the three disc ‘best of Nneka so far’-type album, “To and Fro“, in 2009, Nneka is now heading Stateside. She is releasing her first US album, “Concrete Jungle” in February in an attempt to “bring Africa to America”. The compilation album is likely to put Nneka on the map given the current lack of emerging hip hop stars, so expect to hear more of this: