Sampa the Great has announced a new album, As Above, So Below, which will be out digitally September 9 via Loma Vista and on vinyl/CD on December 12. The album features appearances by Denzel Curry, Joey Bada$$, Kojey Radical, and Angeliqué Kidjo, along with fellow Zambian musicians including W.I.T.C.H. and more.
As Above, So Below includes "Lane," her collab with Denzel, and the new single is "Never Forget" which is her ode to Zamrock that features previous collaborator Mwanjé, her cousin Tio Nason and Zambian rapper Chef 187. There's also a video for it, directed by Rharha Nembard.
Sampa says: “'Never Forget' is an ode to Zamrock music, a genre born in the 70’s combining traditional Zambian music and psychedelic rock. In particular, the song focuses on kalindula music. This tribute was inspired by the band WITCH and their lead singer Mr Jagari Chanda, who has become one of my musical mentors. I discovered Zamrock later in my life and was surprised that this music was known globally, yet not fully celebrated and acknowledged in Zambia today. It hit home for me as I felt similarities in my own journey, having had my career take off outside my birth country. I thought it was fitting to pay homage to those who came before me and merge past, present and future through music and imagery; passing the baton from one generation to the next. The archival footage in the clip includes the late great Paul Ngozi, the late president Kenneth Kaunda (Zambia’s first president) and the legendary WITCH."
Watch the video below.
Sampa the Great will be in North America this summer to play Lollapalooza and Pickathon, and has a few headline shows as well, including a free NYC SummerStage show at Von King Park on July 23 with Pink Siifu and DJ AQ. All tour dates are listed below.
Sampa the Great - As Above, So Below artwork
AS ABOVE, SO BELOW: 1. Shadows 2. Lane feat. Denzel Curry 3. Never Forget feat. Chef 187, Tio Nason, Mwanjé 4. Mask on feat. Joey Bada$$ 5. BONA 6. Can I Live feat. W.I.T.C.H 7. Imposter Syndrome feat. James Sakala 8. Tilibobo 9. Lo Rain feat. Mwanjé 10. IDGAF feat. Kojey Radical 11. Let Me Be Great feat Angélique Kidjo
SAMPA THE GREAT - 2022 TOUR DATES JUN 29 WED Open'er Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm Gdynia, Poland JUL 1 FRI Roskilde Festival 2022 @ 7:00pm Roskilde, Denmark JUL 2 SAT Plaine De La Filhole - Plein Air @ 5:00pm Marmande, France JUL 23 SAT Von King Park @ 7:00pm New York City, NY, United States JUL 27 WED Schubas @ 9:00pm Chicago, IL, United States JUL 28 THU Lollapalooza 2022 @ 7:00pm Chicago, IL, United States AUG 4 THU Pickathon 2022 @ 12:00pm Happy Valley, OR, United States AUG 12 FRI Fisher Pavilion @ 12:00am Seattle, WA, United States
