Sampa The Great announces ‘Final Form’, a triumphant single that sees the MC embrace the struggle of growing as an artist. ‘Final Form’ is Sampa’s first new music for 2019 and sees her fiercely delivered lyrics entangled with a warm, tightly wound beat. Produced by longtime collaborator Silentjay (Rhythm Section) – and mixed by Jonwayne of Stones Throw Records notoriety – it draws inspiration from the energy of their shared inspirations in classic hip-hop.

“It’s easy to get caught up in the constant chatter around you about how ‘you are not there yet’, how you ‘might not make it’” Sampa says. “Final Form is about expanding yourself and calling out any negativity towards that growth process. As an artist I now recognize my in-between stage; sometimes it drops and sometimes it rises, but I love that I get to level up each second. I might even final form tomorrow.”

The ‘Final Form’ official video, also released today, sees Sampa travel back to Zambia to explore the traditions and communities of her roots. Bridging the gap between the traditional worlds of Nyau dancers and modern Zambian youth culture, it was filmed in the run up to her first ever shows on African soil, including her recent homecoming show in Zambia. “The video was inspired by the belief of having a spiritual exodus back to yourself.” Says Sampa. “We often as black people in the diaspora talk about the physical return to our roots but not so often about the spiritual. ‘Final form’ is meant to start that conversation. It was important for me to do this video in Zambia, the place of my birth and where I’m from, because if I am truly to become the greatest version of myself, I am going to start at the most me I’ve ever been, which is where I started from, where I grew up. I was born and raised between Zambia and Botswana, by a Bemba mother and Tumbuka father and to erase that by calling me anything but Zambian / African, is to erase my history, culture and essence. Everything I was born from.”