Bleep

Zambian-born Australian Sampa the Great makes her full-length debut with The Return, a record as much about home as it is about being far from its comforts. As such, its a glowing opening statement that pulls from vintage hip-hop class, reaching its tendrils back to the ancient traditions of South Africa — all with words from a boisterous mind settling for nothing short of greatness. The first few bars of ‘Freedom’, and you could swear you were in Marvin Gaye’s urban sprawl, clipped and chopped up to cater the modern, Kendrick Lamar-listening ear. Sampa’s whip-smart skill is in aligning these vibes through her own prism of social consciousness.