Sampa The Great Announces Forthcoming Album 'As Above, So Below' With New Single

ARIA Award Winning, Zambian-born, Botswana-raised poet and rapper Sampa The Great has today announced the impending arrival of her sophomore record As Above, So Below, which releases on the 9th of September. To celebrate the news, she's released a new single and video Never Forget, which features Chef 187, Tio Nason and Mwanjé.

Never Forget is an ode to the golden era of Zambia's socially prolific genre, Zamrock. The track is a tribute to the music coming from the African diaspora today, while honouring the revolutionary stories of those who created art previously. It features an array of Zambian percussion, from traditional Ngoma drums by band Nomakanjani to the marimba and signature 808s of legendary Zambian pioneering hip hop producer Mag 44. 

It opens with Sampa and her own sister Mwanjé producing gorgeous harmonies, before erupting with verses from Sampa herself and Zambian star Chef 187.

“Never Forget” is an ode to Zamrock music, a genre born in the 70’s combining traditional Zambian music and psychedelic rock. In particular, the song focuses on kalindula music. This tribute was inspired by the band WITCH and their lead singer Mr Jagari Chanda, who has become one of my musical mentors," Sampa stated on the release. 

"I discovered Zamrock later in my life and was surprised that this music was known globally, yet not fully celebrated and acknowledged in Zambia today. It hit home for me as I felt similarities in my own journey, having had my career take off outside my birth country.

"I thought it was fitting to pay homage to those who came before me and merge past, present and future through music and imagery; passing the baton from one generation to the next. The archival footage in the clip includes the late great Paul Ngozi, the late president Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia’s first president) and the legendary WITCH."

The single lands with an accompanying music video sharing the artists, that features choreography and Sampa costumed personas interspersed with archival footage oof Zambian life in the 70s. 

As Above, So Below is the result of Sampa relocating to Zambia during the pandemic, as she reconnected with a different side of herself, one attached to the younger artistry that she nourished growing up in Africa. The studio sessions included collaborations with South Africa based creatives Rochelle Nembhard and Imraan Christian, as well as a long-established network of close friends and family.

You can pre-order/pre-save As Above, So Below HERE.