Country : Tanzania Label : Loma Vista Genres and styles : Africa / Afro Rap / Afrobeat / Afrobeats / Afropop Year : 2022

Sampa the Great – As Above, So Below

· by Alain Brunet

Since the release of her excellent mixtape “Birds and the BEE9” in 2017 and the equally inspiring album “The Return” in 2019 (Ninja Tune), Tanzanian artist Sampa Tembo has been known as Sampa the Great. The imperial pomp of the moniker is justified here, given the influence and reach of this African rapper and singer, transplanted to Botswana, California and Australia before returning to Tanzania during the pandemic. Very critical of the Australian music industry in which she became a star, Sampa the Great fully assumes her aesthetic leadership of southern African neo-soul / hip-hop by returning home. On “As Above, So Below” (Loma Vista), she makes a clear statement about her Africanness, and a quest for inner balance after so much displacement as a citizen of a poor country. Sampa Tembo’s poetic rhetoric covers all her states and aspirations, she can be soft or scathing, her posture can be critical or spiritual. Moreover, she expresses here the paradox of being a star and an internationally recognized artist and having to deal with all the third world handicaps, she notes the increased difficulties, the under broadcasting and her pride to rise above the fray.  The mix of cultures is remarkable in her still young discography. She calls upon the best of African-American hip-hop (Denzel Curry, Joey Bada$$) or Afro-British hip-hop (Kojey Radical), she also welcomes artists from her native continent, such as Zambian beatmaker and producer Mag44, Afro-jazz artist James Sakala, rapper Chef 187, neo-soul singer Mwanjé (her real sister) or Beninese panafrican star Angélique Kidjo. The balance reached between soul/hip-hop music from the West, Afro-Caribbean music and popular music from Southern Africa mixed with zamrock, afro-jazz, afrobeat or afrobeats, make the specificity of Sampa the Great, most definitely a new dominant artist of our planet sound.

Latest 360 Content

FIJM | Saxophonist and vocalist Camille Thurman, New Montreal Hidden Treasure

FIJM | Saxophonist and vocalist Camille Thurman, New Montreal Hidden Treasure

Festival de Lanaudière | Bruckner and Payare: cathedral builders

Festival de Lanaudière | Bruckner and Payare: cathedral builders

FIJM | Marcus Strickland and The Black Fusion Following

FIJM | Marcus Strickland and The Black Fusion Following

FIJM | Jean Michel Blais & Lara Somogyi: Fruits of The Desert

FIJM | Jean Michel Blais & Lara Somogyi: Fruits of The Desert

FIJM | Fievel is Glauque For Dessert… Dessert loaded!

FIJM | Fievel is Glauque For Dessert… Dessert loaded!

FIJM | Thursday Ends With Suuns

FIJM | Thursday Ends With Suuns

FIJM | Misc: Beat Bouquet Well Garnished!

FIJM | Misc: Beat Bouquet Well Garnished!

FIJM | Alexis Lombre and the Holy Spirit in the South Side of Chicago

FIJM | Alexis Lombre and the Holy Spirit in the South Side of Chicago

FIJM | Allison Russel’s Apotheosis Concert in Her Hometown

FIJM | Allison Russel’s Apotheosis Concert in Her Hometown

FIJM I Best Dressed, Most Possessed: Fantastic Negrito Stupefies Rogers Stage

FIJM I Best Dressed, Most Possessed: Fantastic Negrito Stupefies Rogers Stage

FIJM 2025 | Beth McKenna : raising her Momentum

FIJM 2025 | Beth McKenna : raising her Momentum

Nuits d’Afrique | Immersion In The World of Stogie T

Nuits d’Afrique | Immersion In The World of Stogie T

FIJM | Julius Rodriguez, Jazz Groove Ace

FIJM | Julius Rodriguez, Jazz Groove Ace

FIJM | Men I Trust Shines Brightly on The Place des Festivals

FIJM | Men I Trust Shines Brightly on The Place des Festivals

FIJM | Anomalie and Lettieri: A New Musical Friendship, Developing in Real Time

FIJM | Anomalie and Lettieri: A New Musical Friendship, Developing in Real Time

FIJM | Linda May Han Oh, A Role Model for Female Double-Bass Players

FIJM | Linda May Han Oh, A Role Model for Female Double-Bass Players

Nuits d’Afrique | La Chiva Gantiva As Seen by Rafael Espinel

Nuits d’Afrique | La Chiva Gantiva As Seen by Rafael Espinel

Suoni | The Spiritual Quest, The End in Transcendence

Suoni | The Spiritual Quest, The End in Transcendence

FIJM | Thundercat, A Feline on The Loose

FIJM | Thundercat, A Feline on The Loose

FIJM | Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan and Rudy Royston Exposed

FIJM | Bill Frisell, Thomas Morgan and Rudy Royston Exposed

FIJM | Branford Marsalis Among Four MF’s Playin’ Tunes… Live!

FIJM | Branford Marsalis Among Four MF’s Playin’ Tunes… Live!

FIJM | About Derrick Hodge’s Idea of the Color of Noize

FIJM | About Derrick Hodge’s Idea of the Color of Noize

FIJM | Queen of Afrobeats, Ayra confirms her status as a Global… Starr

FIJM | Queen of Afrobeats, Ayra confirms her status as a Global… Starr

FIJM | Black Jazz by Marquis Hill

FIJM | Black Jazz by Marquis Hill

Subscribe to our newsletter