ARIA-Award winning, Zambian-born Botswana-raised poet and rapper, Sampa The Great today releases her sophomore full-length album, As Above, So Below, on CD and vinyl in limited edition red, blue and white pressings.
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.
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. She will leave her mark in 2023 and is announced to perform at Lightning in a Bottle 2023 and Bonnaroo 2023.
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, and featured on Song Exploder. Most recently the acclaimed single “Never Forget” soundtracked the trailer for Marvel’s forthcoming blockbuster ‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’.
