After releasing her second studio album last week, Sampa the Great unveiled a thrilling cover of Kendrick Lamar for triple j’s ‘Like A Version’ today.
Accompanied by her band, the rapper and singer performed Kendrick’s ‘DNA.’, a highlight from his masterful fourth studio album DAMN.
“I covered Kendrick’s ‘DNA.’ or Kendrick in general because Kendrick’s show was the first big major support that I got in Sydney. And it was a huge inspiration for me to actually take being an artist seriously,” Sampa explained.
“I really like DAMN. I think an artist who’s really focused on lyricism and storytelling, I think sometimes you can get really heavy with your projects. I feel like DAMN. was a lighter version of Kendrick and we got to see him happy and joyous and talking about stuff that we all talk about, which I love.”
The Sydney show Sampa was referring to was her support slot for the U.S. rapper back in 2016, which took place even before the release of her acclaimed debut album The Return.
Check out ‘DNA.’ (Kendrick Lamar cover) by Sampa the Great:
While stopping by the triple j studios, Sampa also performed ‘Let Me Be Great’, the closing track on her new album As Above, So Below.
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Released on Friday, September 9th, As Above, So Below has received widespread praise. “Building on the momentum of ‘The Return’, Sampa The Great’s latest work presents the multinational artist’s best work to date,” Rolling Stone Australia wrote in a glowing review.
“True to its name, the record reaches new heights in production and songwriting while delving deeper than ever before into themes of Sampa’s memories of her homeland, womanhood, and Africa’s relationship to the world.”
