SAMPA THE GREAT UNVEILS NEW MIXTAPE BIRDS AND THE BEE9

Joining Big Dada to release her new mixtape, Sampa The Great’s Birds And The BEE9 is a record that’s both deeply personal and outward looking. The tape’s points of reference are poised between her closely held roots and an internationally minded musical outlook. An assured picture of herself, she carries her identity through the many-sided musical influences of which she draws from.
 
Working with a close circle of producers to help realise her musical vision - including Kwes Darko, Sensible J and Alejandro ‘JJ’ Abapo - spanning spiritually-minded gospel and chants to neo-soul and hip-hop, Birds And The BEE9 is intertwined with a clearly-defined, no-holds-barred political outlook, and speaks a message of healing after her own experiences of hurt and pain. Expanding the scope of her collaborators for this release meant honing her idea of what she wants to create. “I’ve only been doing this for two years professionally,” Sampa says. "It was important for me as things continued to grow to take a little time to step back from everything and say, ‘This is what I want to do with my music.’ Music is the way I express myself, the way I reflect on life, reflect on the things that I’ve experienced."
 
Boasting an unhurried, assured delivery, Birds And The BEE9 is the perfect foil for a self-aware, spiritually minded perspective. In "Can I Get A Key", Sampa shines as both a singer and MC while bemoaning the gatekeepers who maintain the rarefied, exclusive nature of the art world. Set against a backdrop of rumbling sub-bass, she sings a defiant chorus – in harmony with an earworm-like, softly-played sax refrain – before diving into tongue-twisting lyricism set down with her customary offhand delivery. "Black Girl Magik" sees her reflect on the contribution and strength of black women, often unappreciated and overlooked, serving as a celebration of black womanhood. Against a loosely-built, pared-back beat, pairing steady drums with gently-played melodies, Sampa flips from references to Yoruba to making puns on the language of spiritual consciousness: “Yemaya told me in a dream I was conscious / No I was not woke I was live in a concert.” 

Taking in influences from disparate different corners, it’s an attitude that reflects her worldly perspective. Having lived in both Sydney and Melbourne, she’s also spent time studying in both San Francisco and LA. As such, it’s no surprise to hear the mixture of sounds that filter through the record. Be it the undercurrents of gospel and neo-soul which accompany reflections on her identity in recent cut "Bye River", or the spiritually-minded chants and claps of "Healing", it’s an album that makes those sorts of connections seem effortless.

Born in Zambia and raised in Botswana, her upbringing continues to bear an influence on her music. After moving to Australia four years ago, the connections she originally made propelled her to where she now stands. Living in Sydney when she first arrived, it was the shock of losing a close friend, which prompted her to take the leap to try to become an artist. Going to the city’s weekly jazz & hip-hop freestyle sessions for the first time, she went onstage to join the band and continued to go there each week, building up a network of likeminded music heads. 
 
Having just finished her headline European tour as well as supporting Joey Bada$$, Birds And The BEE9 arrives after a mixtape and series of EPs and singles, which have attracted an increasing swell of support in Australia and beyond. Her audience of fans and industry alike continues to grow with each offering, with Sampa The Great fast-becoming one of the most important artists of our generation.

BIRDS AND THE BEE9 MIXTAPE IS OUT TODAY ON BIG DADA
BUY / STREAM HERE