Sampa The Great

Sampa the Great (Zambia)

Sampa The Great (Sampa Tembo) is a poet and singer-songwriter. Expressing herself through music, poetry and visual art, Sampa captures listeners with thought provoking words, while encouraging people to enjoy the simplicity of creativity. In just a few short years, Sampa Tembo—better known as Sampa The Great—has established herself as one of hip hop’s brightest young stars, she continues an unstoppable rise that has seen her break-through numerous personal and professional milestones to become one of the most sought-after voices in contemporary rap.

ARIA-Award winning, Zambian-born Botswana-raised poet and rapper, Sampa The Great today releases her long-awaited sophomore full-length album, As Above, So Below, out via Loma Vista Recordings.

As a career-eclipsing record, anchored by Sampa The Great’s spoken word in the Zambian-rooted language of Bemba, As Above, So Below, traverses Sampa’s memories of Africa through a self-exposed lens of authenticity and womanhood, while looking to the future of Africa’s relationship to the world and its global communities. Sampa The Great invites an international roster of collaborators, including Angélique Kidjo, Denzel Curry, Joey Bada$$, Kojey Radical, WITCH, Chef 187, Tio Nason, Sampa’s own sister Mwanjé and more to contribute across 11 tracks spanning hip-hop, neo-soul, Zamrock, Amapiano and Southern African rap. A reflection of Sampa’s transitory upbringing, the record’s sonic hybridity throws recognition to the music coming out of the African diaspora today, while honouring the stories of those who tread previously. Consider As Above, So Below as Sampa’s musical encyclopaedia, each track grounding new modes of expression against various musical influences uncovered throughout her lifetime.

After relocating home to Zambia during the pandemic, Sampa reconnected with a different side of herself - one closer to the younger artistry that was nourished growing up in Africa. From collaborations with Southern Africa creatives Rochelle Nembhard and Imraan Christian, to executive production by award winning producer and Zambian royalty Mag44, to time spent recording with a long-established network of close friends and family, Sampa debuts a 360 Sampa to the world. As Above, So Below unveils the many sides of Sampa, throughout a sophomore album that fuses the serious to the sensual. As Above translates as Sampa's outside self, while So Below is the Sampa within, together uniting to reveal the highest version of herself, without a mask, or role to play. Anchoring the record, is Eve: Sampa’s blueprint of her ideal self who manifests within As Above, So Below’s lyrics, and visually appears throughout the album’s videos.

Sampa the Great says about As Above, So Below: “As Above, So Below is more personal than communal. The literal meaning is what is within me, is what is expressed outside of me. After years of feeling like I had to represent and be an ambassador for everyone, I finally feel like I get to be an ambassador and fully represent myself. Relocating to Zambia and Botswana is significant to my story, because this is where my artist dreams began. I was able to reconnect to my younger self and remind me why I started making music in the first place, beyond outside pressure or influence.This album has become a full circle moment for me; I was able to create this project in the country of my birth and have it be the first project created in Zambia with a Zambian Executive Producer, African visual team and majority African producers and artists. This is my freeist project to date and it feels like the journey of my return has been completed and a new chapter begins.”

As Above, So Below, showcases Sampa’s first new music since 2019’s ARIA Award and Australian Music Prize winning debut album, The Return. Elsewhere this year, after the postponement of 2021’s inaugural and highly anticipated An Afro Future tour, Sampa delivered a spectacular run of rescheduled live performances across Eora/Sydney and Naarm/Melbourne, and travelled the globe to perform at Glastonbury, Primavera Sound and Lollapalooza Festivals, plus make her debut at Coachella 2022.

2019 saw tremendous achievements for Sampa The Great, taking home Best Hip Hop Release for “Final Form” at the ARIA Awards, alongside multiple other wins at the J Awards, the Music Victoria Music Awards, while breaking industry records by winning the prestigious Australian Music Prize twice in her career. The Return received praise from the likes of The Guardian, NPR, Pitchfork, The FADER, Billboard, OkayAfrica and countless others. In 2020 the appraisals continued, with Sampa taking home three more ARIA Awards for The Return, securing four wins at the Music Victoria Awards, becoming the first solo artist and female musician to winBest Live Act at the National Live Music Awards, and BET Amplified’s first-ever global artist. Most recently, Sampa's acclaimed single "Energy" feat. Nadeem Din-Gabisi was featured in Barack Obama's annual Summer playlist, following the appearance of "Freedom" in Michelle Obama's 2020 Summer playlist.

Sampa The Great makes an empowered return with her prodigious sophomore effort, As Above, So Below LP. While remaining one of the world’s most daring artists to continually challenge and connect visions of self, African womanhood and the African diaspora to a greater conversation in an eagerly listening global community, at its simplest, As Above, So Below is an engrossing, cathartic and joyous record to cherish today, and for years to come.

Press:

“Her stage presence is unassuming but effortlessly charismatic. She beats her chest a little with a fist as the crowd roars, after a superhuman run of rapid-fire bars that pushes past where most mortals would need a breath….” – Guardian

“Sampa The Great’s captivating fusion of soul, jazz and hip-hop is what makes this album so inspiring and original, and marks her as one of the most exciting talents emerging at the moment.” – London in Stereo

“Originating from Zambia, the Melbourne-based poet and singer-songwriter is a force to be reckoned with. Not only is she a brooding soulful, hip hop genius who redefines typical rap music, but she is also a powerful commentator, using her words to effect positive change.” – AU Review

“An adventurous young mind pushing out against all boundaries” – OKAY AFRICA

Online:

http://sampathegreat.com/

https://www.facebook.com/sampathegreat/

https://www.instagram.com/sampa_the_great/

https://twitter.com/sampa_the_great

https://sampathegreat.bandcamp.com/

https://soundcloud.com/sampa-tembo

CONTACTS

Management

Carl Pires

E: mgmt@sampathegreat.com