Sampa the Great is an artist born in Zimbabwe, raised in Botswana, and recently relocated to Sydney, Australia. She first made waves back in 2015 when she released The Great Mixtape. Amongst others, she caught the ears of Big Dada, who have now teamed up with her to release her latest project, Birds and the BEE9.

Birds and the BEE9 is a collaborative effort, one that finds her working with producers Kwes Darko, Sensible J, and Silentjay, along with guest vocals from REMI, Nicole Gumbe, Syreneyiscreamy, Mwanje Tembo, and Zaachariaha. Together, they all help to put Sampa in a position to make her best music yet. Her overall sound draws upon smooth jazz, R&B, and hip hop, with a vocal style that moves between an understated singing voice and straight ahead rapping. The obvious comparison that will pop into most people’s heads is Erykah Badu, but there are a few other contemporary examples that I’d through into the mix, such as Noname or Megz Kelli from Magna Carda. That said, Sampa manages to find her own unique balance that sounds only like her. While the hybrid of jazz, R&B, and hip hop is her sweet spot, she manages to work in a little bit of the traditional music of her birthplace as well, just enough to pay homage to her roots. Overall, Sampa does a great job not only her musical balance, but lyrically as well. She is able to open up about her personal struggles, and puts her pain on record in a very relatable way, but is able to balance that with a message of hope. Nowhere is this more obvious than on the song “Black Girl Magik,” which does a great job of celebrating all that Black women have brought to the world without sounding cheesy.

If you’ve not listened to Sampa the Great, you’ll want to get on the good foot and listen to Birds and the BEE9. As good as this album is, it feels like Sampa is just now starting to hit her artistic stride. I feel like the best is yet to come.