Zambian singer-songwriter and rapper Sampa The Great brought a bit of that Zambian magic to Down Town Los Angeles this past Thursday, May 25. The Regent Theater celebrated Sampa The Great’s discography including tracks from her second record As Above, So Below.
Sampa The Great was joined by special guest Idman, who warmed up the crowd with her soulful R&B. Throughout the night, Sampa shared and thanked the crowd for supporting her dream and passion. “To be able to have this and dream this big and be here and see all this love and all this support. It is beyond us, explaining to our parents that we are living off of our dream, our passion, something they did not have the privilege to do, let’s be honest. And you’re making that happen Los Angeles!”
Born in Zambia and raised in Botswana, Sampa The Great brought some of the energy to DTLA communicating through the rhythm of her music and dance. The crowd danced along to Sampa’s “Tilibobo,” an African jam with great energy live. Sampa and her band shared their musical range with the crowd not only performing their hip-hop and African jams but also surprising the crowd with their special blend of Zamrock. The guitar and drums enchanted Sampa to dance across the stage, even synchronizing the dance with the entire band. Though some songs lacked that same high energy transmitted from the recorded tracks, Sampa does uplift the crowd with through conversation and meaningful lyricism.
When introducing the song “Black Girl Magik,” a song Sampa wrote for her sister, she explained the meaning behind it. “I wondered what she saw when she looked in the mirror, because Black women are often told how to look, how to act, how to speak, often by people who don’t even look like us. So, I wanted her to know that she creates her own standard and she is beautiful just the way she is, same goes for any Black Queen in the crowd tonight, you are ‘Black Girl Magik’.” The song was performed in an intimate setting with three chairs in the center of the stage occupied by Sampa, her sister and one guitar.
In just a few short years, the Zambian artist has established herself as one of the most outspoken voices in rap. The rapper reached global recognition with her second studio album As Above, So Below, recording the record in two weeks during the pandemic. She’s also recognized for her single “Never Forget” featured in the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever trailer. Shortly after becoming the first Zambian band to do an NPR Tiny Desk the legendary Angélique Kidjo reached out to her to collaborate. At the same time Sampa was already working on her second studio album and had “Let Me Be Great” in the works. Sampa responded to Kidjo’s email with the original collaborating track and “Let Me Be Great” sparking Kidjo’s interest. “‘Let Me Be Great’ is not a question anymore, it is a statement. All you young artists who are trying to get at it, who are pushing, you are great,” said Sampa.
Sampa The Great is currently on tour, the North American leg ends mid-June with special appearances at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Manchester, TN. For more information and tour dates for Sampa The Great visit sampathegreat.com.
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