As Above, So Below (Coloured Vinyl)
As Above, So Below takes influence from past and present styles of music from Zambia, Botswana (where Sampa was raised), and South Africa, sounding organic and earthy yet thoroughly contemporary.
Artist: Sampa The Great
Genre: Hip Hop
Label: Virgin
Release date:
After The Return became Sampa the Great's second release to win the Australian Music Prize, she was set to embark on a major international tour when the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily put a stop to live events throughout the world. She moved from Australia back to Zambia, where she was born, and spent time reconnecting with her family as well as the music of her youth.
A much more concise record than the sprawling, jazzy The Return, As Above similarly celebrates heritage and culture while looking inward and discussing personal issues. Stirring highlight "Never Forget" pays tribute to Zamrock (a '70s psychedelic rock movement) and kalindula music, acknowledging Sampa's roots while affirming her place in history. The gritty, bluesy "Can I Live" is a collaboration with Zamrock legends WITCH, which counted one of Sampa's uncles among its early members. "Tilibobo" incorporates amapiano-style log drums, and "Bona" has heavier, more forceful bass matching Sampa's rapid, defiant rhymes. Denzel Curry, Joey Bada$$, and Kojey Radical assist Sampa on some of the album's most aggressive, trap-influenced cuts, with the beat switch-ups during Bada$$'s "Mask On" verse being a particularly riveting moment. "Lo Rain," one of two tracks featuring Sampa's sister Mwanjé, counters hard rhyming with lush harmonies. Afro-pop trailblazer Angélique Kidjo guests on the triumphant closer "Let Me Be Great," one of several songs about affirming one's legacy. Source All Music
About the artist
"Sampa the Great is a poet, songwriter, and visual artist whose introspective, socially conscious music strives to uplift, empower, and inspire positive change. Her delivery flows between aggressive, confident rapping, smooth soul-jazz singing, and poetic reflections, and her music is a similarly eclectic brew of abstract hip-hop beats, African influences, spiritual neo-soul, and other styles. Following her Australian Music Prize-winning 2017 mixtape Birds and the BEE9, she released her soul-searching debut album, The Return, in 2019. As Above, So Below, influenced by the music Sampa heard as a child as well as modern styles like Afrobeats and amapiano, appeared in 2022. Source All Musi "
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This Vinyl product is a:
- Limited Edition
- Coloured Vinyl