Sampa the Great
DJ Edu talks to Sampa the Great, a rapper who counts the Obamas and Jada Pinkett-Smith among her fans, about why her Zambian identity is so important to her.
Sampa the Great has lived up to the name she rather audaciously gave herself at the start of her career. Her music has won prestigious awards and critical acclaim, and she counts the Obamas and Jada Pinkett-Smith among her fans. She has opened for Kendrick Lamar and Lauryn Hill, and performed at Glastonbury and Coachella, the first Zambian to do so.
As she tells DJ Edu, her latest album As Above So Below was recorded and produced in Zambia, unlike her earlier work. Establishing herself at home, as a Zambian artist, has been hugely important for her personally and for her musical journey.
She also confides that calling herself ‘great’ wasn’t about having a huge ego - quite the reverse. It was because she lacked confidence and needed to set herself a challenge.
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Broadcasts
- Sat 10 Dec 202202:32GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Sat 10 Dec 202209:32GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Sat 10 Dec 202211:32GMTBBC World Service Australasia
- Sun 11 Dec 202211:32GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa, Europe and the Middle East & West and Central Africa only
- Mon 12 Dec 202201:32GMTBBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean
