Trending in Sampa the Great’s World
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Story
Quick Facts
Born
1993
1993
From
Zambia
Zambia
Journey
Having "The Great" at the end of your name sets a high bar, but Sampa Tembo is not just meeting expectations, she’s exceeding them. Better known as Sampa the Great, she is a Zambia-born, Botswana-raised, and Australia-based rapper and singer-songwriter whose music blends hip-hop with African rhythms and deeply personal storytelling.
Raised in a household where music was second nature (her mother a dancer, her father a DJ), Sampa was drawn to the art of words from an early age. By nine, she was already writing poetry and lyrics, unknowingly laying the foundation for a career that would take her across continents. Her journey led her to the U.S., where she studied music for visual media before moving to Australia in 2013.
Sampa burst onto the scene in 2015 with "The Great Mixtape," an introduction to her bold, socially conscious artistry. But it was "Birds and the BEE9" (2017) that truly made waves, earning her the prestigious Australian Music Prize (AMP). Then came her limelight hit. "The Return" (2019), a deeply introspective and sonically expansive album that won her a second AMP, making her the first artist in history to achieve the feat.
While her success skyrocketed, so did an internal struggle. Though widely celebrated in Australia, Sampa never lost sight of her Zambian roots, wrestling with the label of being “Australia’s own.” This tension fueled her next project, "As Above, So Below" (2022), a powerful reclamation of identity. Featuring collaborations with African legends like Angelique Kidjo and the late Tony Allen, the album solidified her as an artist, unapologetically embracing her heritage.
Beyond the studio, Sampa commands the world’s biggest stages with electrifying performances at Glastonbury, Coachella, and NPR’s Tiny Desk. She is more than a musician; she’s a storyteller, a cultural bridge, and an advocate for African representation in global music spaces.
Fun fact, when she’s not making music, she’s sprinting, literally. Because even offstage, she’s always moving forward.
