Triumphant homecoming in Zambian rapper Sampa the Great’s As Above, So Below — album review

Sampa the Great is the only act to win Australia’s version of the Mercury music prize twice. The rapper, real name Sampa Tembo, won the 2017 Australian music prize for her mixtape Birds and the Bee9, then did so again two years later with her debut studio album The Return. But As Above, So Below is set to end her chances of a third victory.

The reason why relates to geography, not quality. Following the release of The Return, Sampa lived up to its title by returning to the country of her birth, Zambia. Her homecoming in 2020 capped a nomadic young adulthood during which she studied in the US before moving to Australia to start a degree in audio production in 2014. Initially based in Sydney, she became involved in the local hip-hop scene. But her success didn’t resolve feelings of friction and alienation. The question that she posed on Birds and the Bee9 — “How you supposed to be black down under?” — continued to gnaw at her.

Her confusion stemmed from being treated not just as an Australian rapper but also a figurehead, symbolising the rise of black voices in the nation’s white-dominated hip-hop scene. “Imposter Syndrome”, a track on her new album, addresses her sense of being mislabelled. It features the Zambian singer and guitarist James Sakala who specialises in kalindula, a southern-central African genre. His singing makes for a mellifluous counterpoint to Sampa’s assertive rapping, a siren calling her back to her homeland.

“Never Forget” sets Afrocentric verses to music inspired by Zamrock, a fusion of traditional Zambian music and psychedelic rock that emerged in the newly independent nation in the 1970s. “Mask On” combines African chants and instrumentation with the juddering bass lines of US rap, alongside a guest spot from New York rapper Joey Bada$$. Meanwhile, Sampa turns in a self-assured performance at the microphone, switching languages and moving seamlessly from passages of fast rapping to a slower, gruffer style. Her outlook is hybrid, but As Above, So Below sounds grounded. Any Zambian music prize heading its way will be merited. 

★★★★☆

‘As Above, So Below’ is released by Loma Vista