Bringing her band, Sampa The Great gives Lamar’s 2017 “DAMN.” track a Zamrock twist.
After previously appearing as a guest on episodes of Like a Version with Denzel Curry and Ecca Vandal, Sampa The Great made her lead artist debut with a rendition of Kendrick Lamar’s “DNA” for triple j.
The Zambian-Australian rapper takes on Kendrick Lamar‘s 2017 single “DAMN.” with her whole band in tow, giving it a Zamrock spin in the vein of her new album “As Above, So Below.”
Sampa, who opened for Lamar on the Sydney leg of his 2016 Australian tour, said the experience inspired her to “take being an artist seriously” in an interview after the show.
Sampa The Great covers Kendrick Lamar’s ‘DNA.’ for Like A Version
After the song’s original lyrics are interrupted by a breakdown, She performs a freestyle verse of her own. Listen to Her rendition of “DNA” below:
Sampa went into further detail about the musical adjustments she and her band made to “DNA,” saying, “There’s a specific sound that kalindula has in the guitar that produced this Zamrock.”
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A lot of the drumming contributed to the Zamrock vibe as well. Because of the harmonies present in our traditional music, we were able to turn it into Zamrock and essentially flip the genre on its head. I’m still spitting rhymes as Kendrick did in the song, except this time I’m doing it over more conventional music.
She also played the song “Let Me Be Great” from her ‘As Above, So Below’ album. Take a look down below:
This past Friday saw the release of ‘As Above, So Below,’ the follow-up to Sampa’s 2019 Australian Music Prize-winning first album ‘The Return (September 9). Curry, AngPrize-winning Joey Bada$$, Kojey Radical, Chef 187, and Her sister Mwanjé are only some of the artists that contributed to the album.
NME gave the album four stars, saying, “The record is a genuine, honest dedication to a nation and continent, delivered by a forceful, unashamed artist.” Sampa The Great has matured as an artist throughout the course of her career, as seen by her “intellectual, harmonic, and captivating” album.