Sampa the Great

Our guest this week is Sampa the Great. The Botswana-raised artist emerged as one of Australian hip-hop’s most distinctive voices across The Return (2019) and As Above, So Below (2022), earning multiple ARIA Awards, two Australian Music Prizes, and a global fanbase that includes Zane Lowe, Annie Mac and Michelle Obama. Upon recently reconnecting with family, Sampa discovered that her blood uncle George Kunda, known as Groovy Joe, was a founding member of WITCH, Zambia’s legendary psychedelic rock band and pioneers of the 1970s Zamrock movement. That discovery became the creative spark for Nu Zamrock (Oct 30th), an electrifying record that sees Sampa rediscovering her roots through a bold new lens. On today’s episode, Sampa joins us to discuss discovering this musical history within her own heritage and how it reshaped her creative perspective, the influence of African music across modern music and the importance of recognising its contribution, and how a certain Australian mega pop star ended up on the record. Sampa the Great : Instagram / Spotify / Website Visit our official website here and follow us across our socials.